By Kathy A Jones
Investors have watched bond yields in Europe and Japan slide below zero into negative territory, and some have wondered: Could it happen here?
Although you can never say never when it comes to markets, I believe the odds are slim, for reasons discussed below.
First, some background: As central banks around the world have struggled to revive inflation and support economic growth, short-term interest rates ("policy rates") set by the Bank of Japan and the European Central Bank have been at or below zero for quite some time. However, the recent