US Bonds Suffer Worst Decade in 223 Years: What It Means for Bitcoin

Anyone who bought long US government bonds 10 years ago has lost money. Not after inflation. Before it. In 223 years of records, that has happened only once before. Long Treasury bonds lost roughly 2% a year over the decade to August 2026, Bank of America data shows.

The last stretch this bad ended in 1803, when Washington borrowed to buy Louisiana. U.S. bonds are now in one of their worst stretches in more than 200 years.As of July 2026, the rolling 10-year annualized return for U.S.

bonds after inflation was -5.14%.That’s worse than the aftermath of the Civil War, the Great Depression and the inflationary 1970s.The… pic.twitter.com/SdcdqFDb5S— TreasuryBonds.com (@TreasuryBonds1) September 7, 2026 The Safest Trade in the World Just Broke The math is such that bond pays a fixed coupon.

Nothing more. On this day in 2016, the 30-year Treasury paid 2.32%, according to Treasury Department records. That was the whole prize. Then inflation arrived, the Federal Reserve hiked, and yields climbed. Prices fell far enough to swallow the coupon.