1.   Analysts said the report jolted the long maturities, lowering prices from morning highs, which could make securities more attractive going into an auction.

2.   Another reason, which developed this week, is profit taking by market participants who have held long maturities for a good part of this rally.

3.   Because inflation erodes the value of fixed income investments, investors are reluctant to buy bonds with long maturities.

4.   Bond traders apparently remain wary about economic data this week, and a buildup of supply in corporate debt is making securities with long maturities less desirable.

5.   A corporate issue with such a long maturity is rare.

6.   A weaker dollar and rising commodity prices also kept the long maturities under selling pressure.

7.   Against a backdrop of fresh economic data and on-again off-again budget negotiations, prices of Treasury securities rose Wednesday, especially in the long maturities.

8.   China does have some breathing space on repayment of the bonds, since most of them have long maturities.

9.   For some investors, the higher yield more than compensates for the risk of owning bonds with such a long maturity if interest rates rise.

10.   Furthermore, he added, currency trading, from which traders in the market for bonds with long maturities have taken direction lately, was stable Wednesday.