Aust bonds weaken in quiet trade Breaking News Business National Business January 2, 2014 - 9:02AM Australian bond futures prices are lower in quiet trade on the first day of trading in 2014. National Australia Bank senior currency strategist Emma Lawson said there was little economic news or data to drive the market over the Christmas and New Year holiday period. "There has been very limited data released and little news flow, and Tuesday's Australian private sector credit data, which was up 0.3 per cent in November, did not register in markets," she said. At 0830 AEDT on Thursday, the March 2014 10-year bond futures contract was trading at 95.765 (implying a yield of 4.235 per cent), down from 95.805 (4.195 per cent) on New Year's Eve on Tuesday. The March 2014 three-year bond futures contract was at 96.950 (3.050 per cent), down from 97.000 (3.000 per cent). Ms Lawson said the US Institute of Supply Management (ISM) manufacturing index for December will be of interest to markets when it is released during the offshore session on Thursday night. "This tends to be a key indicator but markets will likely be less concerned with a pull-back, than react positively to a better-than-expected outcome," she said.