LONDON: Benchmark 10-year US Treasury yields edged up on Friday to hover near their highest levels in over 2-1/2 months in a sign of investor unease that major central banks are moving towards tightening monetary policy.

In early London trade, 10-year Treasury yields were up 2 basis points at around 1.43%, having hit a fresh high at 1.45%.

The moves were modest in contrast to Europe, where German, Italian and British yields all hit new highs a day after hawkish signals from central bankers.

The US Federal Reserve on Wednesday said it would reduce its monthly bond purchases "soon", and half of the Fed's policymakers projected borrowing costs will need to rise in 2022.

Treasury yields edge higher after Europe foresees rate hikes

US 10-year bond yields are up around 6 bps this week and set for their biggest weekly jump in four weeks.

"I was surprised to see a modest reaction after the Fed, but now markets have had time to digest the news the overall moves have been sizeable, and there have been other things happening," said Jan von Gerich, chief analyst at Nordea, referring to action from other major central banks on Thursday.

"Central bankers have been talking in unison about inflation being transitory but if even the Fed is softening its stance on this, then that could also be the case elsewhere."