UK economy headed for record recession if rates rise sharply, BoE warns November 3, 2022 The UK economy is on course to suffer the longest recession since records began if interest rates rise sharply, triggered by a toxic mix of higher mortgage costs, prices and energy bills, the Bank of England said today. Gross domestic product (GDP) will shrink for 24 consecutive months, beginning in the early stages of next [...]
Federal Reserve hikes rates 75bps again and Powell signals higher peak November 2, 2022 The US Federal Reserve today hoisted the world’s most important interest rate 75 basis points for the fourth time in a row and signalled the borrowing cost peak will be higher than previously thought, scrapping any bets on a so-called “Fed pivot”. The Washington headquartered central bank hiked rates to a target range of 3.75-four [...]
Exclusive: Confidence in Bank of England hits rock bottom as investors call Bailey’s hiking cycle ‘wrong’ November 2, 2022 Investor confidence in the Bank of England is close to rock bottom as the country braces itself for an eighth successive hike in interest rates tomorrow. Nearly three in four investors feel the Bank had gotten its hiking cycle “wrong”, though respondents were sharply divided over whether rises had come too fast or too slow, [...]
Bank of England successfully kicks off QT with over subscribed £750m bond sale November 1, 2022 The Bank of England today successfully sold hundreds of millions pounds of government debt in the first stage of winding down stimulus that has propped up the economy in the aftermath of the financial crisis and during the pandemic. Some £750m bonds ran off the Bank’s balance sheet today, with the auction heavily over subscribed [...]
Bank of England, Home Office, MI5 and News Corp HQ targeted by Just Stop Oil vandalism October 31, 2022 The Bank of England was among London landmarks targeted by environment activists this morning, along with the Home Office, MI5 and headquarters of News Corp. Two Just Stop Oil demonstrators were arrested by City police outside the Bank of England, after the building was covered in orange paint. The City of London Police said the [...]
Soaring interest rates could spark five per cent London house price fall October 31, 2022 Soaring interest rates and a tough cost of living crisis could send London house prices on a downward spiral, new research published today warns. Home prices in the capital are on course to shed five per cent next year, driven by sellers dropping prices to attract buyers hit by an affordability crunch, according to property [...]
Week ahead: Bank of England to rock markets with 75bps rate hike October 30, 2022 Markets are preparing for a steep rate hike by the Bank of England on Thursday, but not as bad as first feared after former prime minister Liz Truss’s tax cutting mini-budget last month. London’s premier FTSE 100 index posted a decent performance last week, adding 1.12 per cent to close at 7,047.67 points, while the [...]
Weekend read: Volatile month in UK gilt market turns the Old Lady into a hawk October 29, 2022 As October is coming to a close, it’s been a rollercoaster month for the UK’s financial market. Following the bungled mini-budget on 23 September that sent equities spiralling, the pound plummeted to an all-time low against the dollar and bond yields soaring higher. In the first few days following Kwasi Kwarteng’s announcement of the mini-budget, [...]
Ex Fed official says Bank of England ‘contributed to the Truss govt’s demise’ October 28, 2022 A top former official with the US Federal Reserve has claimed the Bank of England ousted Liz Truss. Narayana Kocherlakota, the ex president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, made his comments in a piece for Bloomberg this week. This comes after Truss left office following weeks of chaos in UK financial markets sparked [...]
Government eyes bank surcharge U-turn despite Lloyds profits tumbling October 27, 2022 Britain’s biggest mortgage lender, Lloyds Bank, has set aside hundreds of millions of pounds in preparation for a surge in loan defaults caused by the rising cost of living and higher interest rates squeezing household budgets. The lender today said it had banked £668m over the three months to September to absorb souring loans, primarily [...]