CONVEX
Last updated
▍ STATISTICAL PROJECTION · YEAR-END 2026

Based on current macro regime conditions and 30y treasury yield's historical behaviour in similar regimes, the model projects 5.13% by 2026-12-31 ( +2.2% from 5.02% today). The 68% confidence range is 4.04% to 6.23%; the wider 95% range is 2.99% to 7.27%. Methodology below the headline.

Central Estimate
5.13%
+2.2% vs current 5.02%
68% Range (±1σ)
4.04% to 6.23%
95% Range (±1.96σ)
2.99% to 7.27%
Blended from 4 regime anchors· sample-weighted
VIX · Normal (15-25)
+1.9%n=3,026 · w=43%
10Y-2Y Yield Curve · Flat (0-100bps)
+4.5%n=2,126 · w=30%
HY OAS Spread · Tight (<350bps)
+21.6%n=918 · w=13%
Trade-Weighted Dollar · Weak (bottom tercile)
-10.1%n=992 · w=14%
METHOD: CENTRAL = SAMPLE-WEIGHTED MEAN OF PER-ANCHOR CURRENT-REGIME 1Y AVERAGES, SCALED TO 159-DAY HORIZON. BAND = ±σ√T USING 27.4% ANNUALIZED REALIZED VOL.
EXPECTED TO BE 5.13% BY 2026-12-31 (HIGHER FROM 5.02% ON 2026-05-14). NOT INVESTMENT ADVICE.
▍ MODEL · STATISTICAL FORECAST · 2026

30Y Treasury Yield Forecast 2026

Quantitative analysis from 6,249 observations of 30Y Treasury Yield history, joined to four universal macro regime classifications. Numbers are computed, not narrated.

ByConvex Research Desk·Edited byBen Bleier·
DGS30 · LAST
5.02%
AS OF 2026-05-14
Percentile · 25Y History
86.3th
▍ HEADLINE SIGNAL · CONTRARIAN BULLISH
Hist. Avg +252d
+21.6%
vs -0.5% unconditional · +22.1%pp above
When HY OAS Spread sits in its Tight (<350bps) regime — as it does today (2.76) — 30Y Treasury Yield has historically returned an average of +21.57% over the next 252 trading days, 22.1pp above the all-history average of -0.55%. Sample: 918 observations, 78.7% hit rate.
METHOD: PERCENTILE-RANK MATCHED, LOOK-AHEAD-BIAS-FREE·NOT A FORECAST·HISTORICAL CONDITIONAL AVERAGE

Regime Scan[01/04]

VIX
Normal (15-25)
+1.9%+1Y AVG
Δ +2.5%pp · n=3,026
10Y-2Y Yield Curve
Flat (0-100bps)
+4.5%+1Y AVG
Δ +5.0%pp · n=2,126
HY OAS Spread
Tight (<350bps)
+21.6%+1Y AVG
Δ +22.1%pp · n=918
Trade-Weighted Dollar
Weak (bottom tercile)
-10.1%+1Y AVG
Δ -9.5%pp · n=992

Δ = divergence from -0.5% unconditional all-history average

Performance by Window[02]

WINDOWNANN RETANN VOLRET/VOLHIT %TOTAL
1Y2511.01%12.80%0.0846.0%1.01%
3Y7509.35%18.46%0.5147.0%30.73%
5Y1,25016.40%25.76%0.6448.0%113.62%
10Y2,5006.85%33.12%0.2145.7%93.82%
All6,249-0.55%27.41%-0.0244.6%-12.85%

Annualized total return = (1 + total)^(1/years) - 1. Ret/Vol is the annualized return divided by annualized volatility (Sharpe-equivalent without risk-free subtraction). Hit % = pct of single periods that were positive.

Where We Are Now[03]

Percentile Rank
86.3th
0.99median 3.955.92
Current value 5.0200 on a 6,249-observation history going back to Mar 9, 2020.
Volatility Regime
very low
8.61%REALIZED 30D ANN
Sits at the 0.3th percentile vs full history. Median 19.93%.

Forward Returns by Macro Regime[04]

How 30Y Treasury Yield has performed historically conditional on the prevailing macro regime. The current bucket is highlighted; +1Y averages drive the headline signal above.

VIX
Volatility regime: Low (<15), Normal (15-25), Elevated (25-40), Extreme (>40)
CURRENT: 17.26 Normal (15-25)
REGIME BUCKETN+30D+90D+1Y AVG+1Y MEDHIT %
Low (<15)2,082-0.07%-0.57%-2.98%-1.31%45.6%
Normal (15-25)3,0260.32%-0.13%1.91%-2.43%42.8%
Elevated (25-40)9391.10%5.54%8.96%1.18%54.7%
Extreme (>40)1910.00%10.92%31.11%27.45%85.3%
10Y-2Y Yield Curve
Yield curve regime: Inverted (<0bps), Flat (0-100bps), Steep (>100bps)
CURRENT: 0.50 Flat (0-100bps)
REGIME BUCKETN+30D+90D+1Y AVG+1Y MEDHIT %
Inverted (<0bps)7821.75%3.89%7.82%6.71%66.8%
Flat (0-100bps)2,1260.99%3.83%4.48%3.75%56.2%
Steep (>100bps)3,341-0.48%-1.56%-0.30%-4.17%37.1%
HY OAS Spread
Credit regime: Tight (<350bps), Normal (350-500bps), Stressed (>500bps)
CURRENT: 2.76 Tight (<350bps)
REGIME BUCKETN+30D+90D+1Y AVG+1Y MEDHIT %
Tight (<350bps)9180.74%3.63%21.57%8.45%78.7%
Normal (350-500bps)1,3691.47%2.06%-0.35%2.91%55.4%
Stressed (>500bps)5521.30%7.40%20.62%17.41%80.6%
Trade-Weighted Dollar
Dollar regime: bottom/middle/top tercile of trailing 5Y rolling distribution
CURRENT: 118.04 Weak (bottom tercile)
REGIME BUCKETN+30D+90D+1Y AVG+1Y MEDHIT %
Weak (bottom tercile)992-0.17%-4.18%-10.07%-9.81%15.2%
Neutral (middle)1,2300.84%4.57%15.17%5.50%61.8%
Strong (top tercile)2,5960.49%1.91%3.78%4.03%58.5%

Forward returns are forward-looking from each historical observation in the bucket; +252d corresponds to one trading year. Buckets with fewer than 5 forward-return observations are reported as n/a. These are conditional historical averages, not forecasts.

Lead-Lag Relationships[05]

For each universally-recognised leading indicator, the lag at which the daily-return correlation peaks. Positive lag means the anchor leads 30Y Treasury Yield; negative means it lags.

ANCHORROLEPEAK LAGPEAK CORRZERO-LAGRELATIONSHIP
10Y Treasury YieldDiscount-rate driver0d0.9280.928coincident
HY OAS SpreadCredit risk leader0d-0.367-0.367coincident
Initial Jobless ClaimsLabor leader-9d0.286-0.138lags target by 9d
VIXVolatility leader0d-0.222-0.222coincident
Baa-10Y SpreadCredit risk (slow)0d-0.156-0.156coincident
CopperGlobal growth proxy0d0.1540.154coincident
10Y-2Y Yield SpreadRecession leader0d0.1500.150coincident
Trade-Weighted DollarFX driver0d-0.054-0.054weak
NFCIFinancial conditions+14d-0.029-0.016weak
U-Mich Consumer SentimentSurvey leader0d0.0000.000weak

Pearson correlation of daily returns over up to 25 years of overlapping history, searched across a ±60-day lag grid. Indicators classified as “weak” don't have meaningful predictive power at daily resolution; many of these (yield curve, NFCI, sentiment) lead at monthly/quarterly horizons instead.

Historical Analogs[06]

Periods where 30Y Treasury Yield sat at a similar percentile rank to today, with what happened over the next 30 / 90 / 252 trading days. Analogs are clustered to avoid double-counting nearby dates.

DATEVALUE+30D+90D+1Y
May 13, 20254.9400-2.63%-3.44%n/a
Jan 15, 20254.8800-7.58%1.23%-0.20%
Nov 1, 20234.9600-18.75%-12.30%-9.27%
May 13, 20045.6100-2.14%-13.01%-20.32%
Jun 7, 20025.8100-5.34%-9.98%-22.72%

Worst Historical Drawdown[07]

-83.28%PEAK-TO-TROUGH
Peak Apr 1, 2002 → trough Mar 9, 2020. Has not yet recovered to prior peak.
All-time high: 5.9200 on Apr 1, 2002 · Current DD from ATH: -15.20%

Cross-Asset Correlations · 1Y[08]

S&P 500
-0.137
n=244
Nasdaq 100
-0.092
n=244
20Y Treasury
-0.971
n=244
Gold
0.005
n=244
Bitcoin
0.012
n=246

Largest Single-Period Moves[09]

▲ Up
  • Mar 10, 202029.29%
  • Mar 17, 202021.64%
  • Mar 12, 202014.62%
  • Nov 9, 20169.51%
  • May 18, 20209.09%
▼ Down
  • Mar 9, 2020-20.80%
  • Mar 6, 2020-19.87%
  • Mar 23, 2020-14.19%
  • Mar 16, 2020-14.10%
  • Mar 20, 2020-12.92%

Calendar-Month Seasonality[10]

Average single-period return aggregated by the calendar month in which the period ended.

MONTHAVG RETURNHIT %N
January0.02%45.9%508
February0.03%45.7%479
March0.06%47.9%545
April0.08%46.8%526
May-0.00%44.1%526
June-0.03%42.7%529
July-0.06%41.4%529
August-0.10%40.3%554
September0.07%43.9%508
October0.14%49.5%529
November-0.09%42.0%488
December0.01%45.4%527

N = 6,249 OBS · GENERATED 2026-05-18 07:00Z

Forecast Approach

scenario weighted: We aggregate probability-weighted outcomes across active tracked scenarios, each with historical base rates and current heat scores. The projection above is the sample-weighted central estimate across current macro regime anchors; the scenario list below adds qualitative context.

Consensus source: Fed dot plot and futures market

Key Drivers & Risks

  • Federal Reserve policy
  • Inflation expectations
  • Economic growth
  • Global yield differentials
  • Treasury supply

Historical Volatility

Moderate: typically 50-150bps annual range

How 30Y Yield Forecasts Have Held Up Historically

30Y Treasury yield forecasts have a worse track record than 10Y forecasts because the long bond carries the largest term-premium exposure in the curve. Consensus 30Y forecasts have missed the realized year-end print by 60bp+ in absolute median terms over 2010-2025, with the 2022-2023 cycle seeing the 30Y peak at 5.18% (October 2023) versus consensus near 3.8%.

Regime-conditional models on DGS30 achieve approximately 60% directional accuracy. The 30Y is the cleanest single read on long-run inflation expectations plus term premium plus expected policy paths over decades.

Regime Sensitivity for DGS30

The 30Y yield carries the largest term-premium loading of any rate. Goldilocks regimes typically anchor the 30Y in 4.0-5.0% range; stagflation pushes it above 5%; deflation pulls it toward 3% (2020 lows hit 1.16%).

The April 2026 setup has the 30Y near 5.0%, well above the 2010s average and reflecting the term-premium rebuild from -50bp in 2020 to +68bp in 2026 (ACM model). The 30Y-10Y spread (currently roughly +70bp) captures the term-premium-and-uncertainty component. The regime conditional reads as elevated relative to the 2010s but anchored relative to historical norms.

What Drives DGS30 Forecast Errors

Three structural issues drive DGS30 forecast errors. First, term-premium decomposition is unstable and not in most regime classifiers. The ACM term-premium model run by the New York Fed shows a 118bp swing from 2020 trough to 2026 print, none of which is captured in breakevens or real yields.

Second, foreign reserve manager behaviour has shifted. Foreign holdings of US Treasuries as a share of total reserves declined through 2022-2024; the long bond is most exposed because the price-insensitive foreign bid was largest at the long end.

Third, fiscal-deficit dynamics matter more for the long bond than for the short end. US deficits at $2T+ annually require sustained Treasury issuance, with the 20Y and 30Y points carrying the largest supply pressure.

How to Use This Forecast in Practice

For DGS30, watch the 30Y TIPS real yield (the inflation-adjusted long-bond level) and the ACM 30Y term premium. Sustained 30Y TIPS above 2.5% flags long-bond stress; ACM term premium above 100bp flags fiscal-supply concern.

The cleanest cross-check is the 30Y-10Y spread. Steepening (30Y rising faster than 10Y) signals long-end-specific stress (term premium, fiscal); flattening signals broader rate convergence. The 68% band on DGS30 should be treated as 35%+ wider than the historical bootstrap implies because of the term-premium and fiscal-supply regime changes.

Frequently Asked Questions

What factors could push 30Y Treasury Yield higher?

The primary drivers that tend to lift 30Y Treasury Yield depend on the current macro regime. Interest rates set the price of money and ripple through every asset class. An inverted yield curve has preceded every U.S. recession since the 1960s, making this the single most-watched corner of fixed income. Monitoring rate differentials, real yields, and forward expectations helps traders anticipate risk-on or risk-off regime shifts. Convex tracks these drivers live across the Yield Curve & Rates category and flags when multiple forces align in the same direction. See the "Key Drivers & Risks" section on this page for the current list, and check the regime dashboard for how the macro backdrop is currently tilted.

What factors could push 30Y Treasury Yield lower?

The same transmission channels that drive 30Y Treasury Yield higher operate in reverse when conditions flip. The risk drivers listed above map directly to scenarios that, if triggered, would pull this metric in the opposite direction. Convex aggregates these into a scenario-weighted probability distribution rather than a point forecast, so the magnitude depends on which scenarios activate.

Where does consensus see 30Y Treasury Yield heading?

Rather than publish a point target that goes stale the day after release, Convex assembles consensus from the macro regime classification, active scenario probabilities, and historical base rates. Point forecasts from banks and strategists are worth reading for context, but they typically cluster around the consensus and miss the tail events that actually move markets. The scenario-weighted approach here captures that tail risk explicitly.

What is the historical range for 30Y Treasury Yield?

Historical ranges for 30Y Treasury Yield vary dramatically by regime. A level that is extreme in Goldilocks can be routine in Stagflation, and vice versa. The Historical Volatility section on this page describes the typical range and regime-specific behavior. For the full multi-decade history, visit the 30Y Treasury Yield chart page, which includes selectable time ranges up to five years and downloadable data.

How often is the 30Y Treasury Yield forecast updated?

This forecast page recalculates whenever the underlying data or regime classification changes, typically within hours of new data releases. The scenario probabilities refresh daily as the macro state is regenerated. Specific drivers listed on this page reflect the current state of the Convex regime engine, not static historical assumptions.

Is this forecast actionable for trading?

Convex forecasts are informational and educational. They describe probability distributions and regime-conditional paths rather than specific entry and exit levels. Traders and portfolio managers use them alongside other inputs including position sizing rules, risk management, and their own conviction calibration. They are not investment advice.

ShareXRedditLinkedInHN

Get forecast updates for 30Y Treasury Yield and related indicators.

Forecasts are model-based projections derived from current regime classification, scenario probabilities, and historical patterns. They are not investment advice. All investments involve risk.