U.S. Treasury yields rose on Thursday as investors assessed the latest weekly jobless claims data and President Trump's renewed attack on Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell.
The yield on the 10-year U.S. Treasury note — the key benchmark for government borrowing — was up more than 3 basis points at 4.311%.
The 2-year Treasury note yield, more sensitive to short-term Federal Reserve interest rate decisions, moved higher by more than 1 basis point to 3.778%. The long-dated 30-year Treasury bond yield stood at 4.937% after gaining more than 4 basis points.
One basis point equals 0.01%, and yields and prices move in opposite directions.
Jobless claims for the week ended April 11 came in at 207,000, the Labor Department reported on Thursday, down 11,000 from the previous week and below the Dow Jones forecast for 215,000.
The economic data follows the Federal Reserve's latest regional economic study, known as the "Beige Book," which revealed the growing uncertainty for U.S. businesses as a result of the Iran war.
Investors also faced more attacks on the independence of the U.S. central bank when President Trump threatened Wednesday to fire Fed chair Powell should he not step down once his term concludes next month.
Powell's term as chair ends May 15, but he still has two years to go in his term as a Federal Reserve board governor. Trump, who has nominated former Fed Governor Kevin Warsh as Powell's successor, said he would fire Powell if he does not also quit his position as governor.
Bond market investors also tried to gauge the effect of higher energy prices and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz on the economy.
On Thursday, New York Fed President John Williams raised concern over the war weighing on economic performance.
"The conflict could also result in a large supply shock with pronounced effects that simultaneously raises inflation — through a surge in intermediate costs and commodity prices — and dampens economic activity. This has begun to play out already," Williams said in a speech.
— CNBC's Jeff Cox contributed to this report.