Stocks slide, yields elevated as Mideast conflict fears grow

Aug 18 : U.S. government bond yields eased slightly on Tuesday, though longer-dated yields remained near multi-year highs after the 30-year Treasury yield earlier touched a level not seen since 2007. The move came as fears of an escalating Middle East conflict stoked inflation worries and weighed on stocks.Oil prices were in positive territory for the third consecutive day, with Brent crude hitting its highest since late last month after the latest signals from Washington and Tehran crushed hopes of an imminent end to the conflict. U.S. crude rose 0.3 per cent to $84.75 a barrel and Brent fell to $90.79 per barrel, down 0.09 per cent on the day.Yields have risen despite a recent run of soft U.S. economic data easing concerns about an imminent Federal Reserve rate hike. Traders now see just