In a recession, when income and wealth are falling, the demand for bonds falls, i.e. , the demand curve shifts to the left.Bonds have an inverse relationship to interest rates. When interest rates rise, bond prices usually fall, and vice-versa. 1) When interest rates decrease, the demand curve for bonds shifts to the left. Put simply, when interest rates are rising, new bonds will pay investors higher interest rates than old ones, so old bonds tend to drop in price. Using the same reasoning, in a recession, when income and wealth are falling, the demand for bonds falls, and the demand curve shifts to the left. After fluctuating at the beginning of the year, bond prices have been hit especially hard in recent weeks, sending their yields sharply higher. A) increases; increases. How does changing interest rates affect bond yield and prices?