QUOTES-Reaction to bond market selloff

SINGAPORE, April 9 (Reuters) - U.S. Treasuries extended heavy losses on Wednesday in a sign investors are dumping even their safest assets as a global market rout unleashed by U.S. tariffs took another twist.

Here are some comments from analysts and investors:

MUKESH DAVE, CHIEF INVESTMENT OFFICER, ARAVALI ASSET MANAGEMENT, SINGAPORE

"These kind of things become problematic if the prime broker starts saying that now, because of the volatility in the underlying Treasury curve, I want to charge you higher margin or I basically want more margins from you for holding the positions for you.

"Those (hedge funds), if they're not able to fork up the cash or the margins, then they have to unwind those positions ... so that's what happening at the moment. You can see that there's a huge move in 10-year Treasuries for the last two, three days. It was rallying initially because obviously it was a risk off kind of thing, but now it's going the other way around because people are looking for cash.

"I don't see who are the buyers in the Treasury markets at the moment, because even the foreign central banks are not buying it so then obviously it creates a problem in the cash market, in terms of liquidity, in terms of price, in terms of clearing such a huge volume, everything is a issue."

DANIEL TAN, PORTFOLIO MANAGER, GRASSHOPPER ASSET MANAGEMENT, SINGAPORE

"The huge moves in USTs come as Trump's sweeping tariffs take effect, including 104% China level. To force Trump to deal, China may implement these : 1) increase its new 34% tariffs on U.S. exports again 2) curb China’s exports of rare earths 3) weaken the yuan as occurred during Trump’s 2018 trade war 4) sell down its holding of about $760 billion of U.S. Treasuries.

"Add to this, the recent Treasury auction met with weak demand amid fiscal risk and foreign dumping in retaliation to tariffs. Policy-sensitive two year-note is outperforming the rest of the U.S. Treasury curve amid speculation that Fed has to act ahead of a possible U.S. recession despite sticky inflation. Two cuts are priced in for June and July FOMC meetings and four cuts for the rest of this year."

VASU MENON, MANAGING DIRECTOR, INVESTMENT STRATEGY, OCBC, SINGAPORE

"Tariffs are inflationary and the likely inflationary impact offers some justification for the curve steepening that’s hitting Treasuries and causing yields at the long end to rise sharply. Treasuries had a strong rally as yields fells sharply in recent months and we are seeing some profit taking by global money managers to cover the sharp losses in equities.

"Some market observers think that the latest moves in U.S. Treasury markets are reminiscent of 2020 when a highly leveraged hedge-fund wager - the basis trade, which exploits gaps between cash Treasury prices and futures - was unwound which rendered the bond markets illiquid."