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 [...]
Fed pivot hopes fade after US economy returns to strong growth October 27, 2022 The US economy has surprisingly shaken off a series of steep rate rises, indicating the Federal Reserve’s campaign to tame historic high inflation is not over yet, new figures out today reveal. Gross domestic product (GDP) across the pond climbed 2.6 per cent last quarter, swinging from a 0.6 per cent contraction in the three [...]
ECB fires second successive jumbo rate hike in push to end Europe’s cheap money addiction October 27, 2022 The European Central Bank (ECB) today fired its second jumbo rate hike in a row in another sign that it is putting years of ultra-cheap money to the sword. The central bank that oversees the financial system of the 19 countries using the euro lifted borrowing costs 75 basis points to 1.5 per cent as [...]
FTSE 100 weighed down by banks and pound strengthens on Sunak’s second day in No 10 October 26, 2022 London’s FTSE 100 was dragged down today by investors ditching shares in the UK’s largest banks despite a strong set of results, but managed to squeeze gains thanks to a late rally. The capital’s premier index jumped 0.61 per cent to over the 7,000 mark points, while the domestically-focused mid-cap FTSE 250 index, which is [...]
UK banks return to amassing default reserves amid inflation and mortgage crunch October 26, 2022 Barclays said profits had jumped six per cent in the third quarter of the year as it became the latest lender to see performance buoyed by rising interest rates.
Backing the central bank pivot is a risky bet October 25, 2022 It is easy to criticise central banks for heaping pain on households and businesses. But, this is exactly what they are supposed to do under current economic conditions. Inflation in the UK, US and eurozone has hit 10.1 per cent, 8.2 per cent and 9.9 per cent respectively, all historic highs. The Bank of England [...]
HSBC shares sink to bottom of FTSE 100 despite profits topping City forecasts October 25, 2022 HSBC’s profits slid over 40 per cent in the third quarter of the year as it was hit by rising loan losses and hefty charges relating to the sale of its French retail business.
UK borrowing costs fall after Sunak wins race to No 10 October 24, 2022 UK borrowing costs fell sharply today after former chancellor Rishi Sunak seized the keys to Number 10 following leadership contender Penny Mordaunt’s withdrawal. Yields on the 10-year gilt fell around 30 basis points today to below four per cent. Yields and prices move inversely. They had been falling in early morning trading after Boris Johnson [...]