TREASURIES-U.S. bond prices rise on worries about global economy

* China's July exports grow less then expected
* Yields on U.S. Treasury debt rise for the week
* U.S. CPI, retail sales data expected next week

By Chris Reese and Luciana Lopez
NEW YORK, Aug 10 (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury debt prices
advanced on Friday, regaining some ground lost earlier in the
week as worries about global growth fueled safe-haven buying,
with investors looking to data on U.S. inflation and retail
sales next week.
Investors also bought U.S. government debt in the wake of
auctions of $72 billion of coupon-bearing securities this week
that made up the Treasury's quarterly refunding.
"It seems to be another risk-off type of move. The big
component was the weak data out of China, which exacerbated
fears of a global slowdown," said Kim Rupert, managing director
of global fixed income analysis at Action Economics in San
Francisco.
China's exports grew 1.0 percent year-on-year in July, well
below market expectations of an 8.6 percent rise, while imports
grew 4.7 percent, against a 7.2 percent forecast.

Safe-haven buying supported U.S. government debt. The
benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury note rose 13/32 in price to
yield 1.652 percent, down from 1.69 percent late Thursday.
The 30-year Treasury bond climbed 18/32 in
price, while its yield slipped to 2.742 percent, down from a
high yield of 2.83 percent in an auction of $16 billion of the
bonds on Thursday.
Next week investors will be looking to data on July U.S.
retail sales, expected to rise 0.3 percent, and consumer prices,
expected to gain 0.2 percent, among other economic indicators.
"They generally should be fairly positive data," said Kevin
Cummins, an economist at UBS Securities in New York. "That
should add to some better tone of data that we've gotten
recently."
But clouding the outlook will be the lingering question of
whether the U.S. Federal Reserve could launch another round of
quantitative easing to prop up the sluggish economy, Cummins
said.
The Treasury's sales of 3-year, 10-year and 30-year
securities this week were met with tepid demand.
"Treasuries have had a bit of a tough week, and you're
seeing a bit of a comeback here, giving buyers a bit of a
chance," Rupert said, adding that "the auctions are out of the
way and that is helping."
Safe-haven interest also supported Treasuries due to worries
over the debt crisis in Europe and fears that Spain and Italy
may require massive financial bailouts. Economists said even
stalwart Germany was stalling economically and could fall into
recession in the second half of this year.
Uncertainty over when the European Central Bank will resume
bond purchases and how effective this will be in lowering
Spanish and Italian yields, and easing the euro zone's debt
crisis, has underpinned safe-haven Treasuries.
Despite higher prices on Friday, benchmark yields are up for
the week from 1.57 percent late last Friday, and have been
rising steadily since touching a record low of 1.38 percent on
July 25.
"We think we can go a little bit higher from here in terms
of how high Treasury yields can go, but there is going to be a
cap because of everything happening in the world," said Scott
DiMaggio, director of global fixed income with AllianceBernstein
in New York.
"Yields were driven to historical lows in the U.S., Germany,
the U.K. and several other countries, so the market got itself
very long," DiMaggio said, adding that comments from ECB
President Mario Draghi committing to take whatever measures
necessary to save the euro zone had undermined Treasury debt
prices and pushed yields higher in recent weeks.
However, global economic uncertainty will likely mean yields
will remain at historic lows in coming months, DiMaggio said.
"Treasuries are going to remain anchored," he said. "Can we
get to 1.75 percent? Can we get to 2 percent? Yes, probably, but
we think 2 percent would be a cap."