In the last two years, economists and financial pundits have been arguing whether Bond Vigilantes (see also this question) exist, and if they do, if their actions are significant enough to pose a threat to economic recovery.
A bond vigilante is a bond market investor who protests monetary or fiscal policies they consider inflationary by selling bonds, thus increasing yields
This brings me to the following:
- Is there any evidence of bond vigilantes in the past or present? (e.g. examples of investors or investment firms that sold bonds en masse and at a large scale from fear of inflation)
- Is it possible to objectively tell them apart from regular investors? Are there any quantitative metrics that Economists agree on that can be used to detect and measure the macroeconomic impact of their actions?
Thanks