The Globe and Mail reports in its Thursday, Aug. 20, edition that the United States Treasury Department has doubled the amount of its debt it can buy back from investors to address rising borrowing costs. A New York Times dispatch to The Globe reports that this move caused bond yields to drop and stocks to rally, reflecting concerns in the government bond market due to increasing deficits, artificial intelligence company borrowing and persistent inflation. Higher Treasury yields, which set benchmarks for global loans and mortgages, raise interest rates in the economy and reduce affordability for households, causing concern for policy-makers and investors. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has pointed to Treasury yields as a barometer of his success in improving affordability, saying that interest rates play a major role in whether a young family can afford a home, a college student can buy a car or an entrepreneur can get a small business loan. The Treasury's move Wednesday permits it to increase its debt buyback scale to $4-billion (U.S.) per week from $2-billion (U.S.), boosting demand in a declining bond market, which pushed prices up and yields down.