Yes, it is a new ebay policy. Thanks for alerting us to it. Link here:
http://www2.ebay.com/aw/marketing.shtml

Text here:
**Bid History Page Enhancements***

Date: 08/23/04 Time: 02:44:41 PM PDT

To increase the transparency of the marketplace and to provide members with more information, we will be introducing several enhancements to the Bid History page (links to Bid History can be found on any item page) over the next few days. The key changes are listed below:

• To reflect that this page also applies to non-auction listings such as multi-item Fixed Price listings, the name will be changed to Buyer History for Fixed Price listings.

• When a member places a bid on an item, their bid amount will be displayed on the Bid History page. If a bid is retracted, information about the retraction will be shown underneath the current bids on the Bid History page.

• The current high bidder’s bid information will be highlighted in yellow to make it easier to see.

• When you are signed in and looking at the Bid History for an item you have bid on, you will see your maximum bid amount near the top of the page, and your ID will be listed in bold for any other previous bids.

• You will now be able to add items to your Watch list directly from the Bid History page.

We have also started a thread on the Bidding discussion board so members can post your feedback. To access that thread, please click here.

Robert