French borrowing costs surge as political crisis deepens October 6, 2025 French assets suffered at the hands of a brutal sell-off on Monday, after the country’s latest prime minister resigned just a month into the role, exacerbating an already grave political crisis. French stocks tumbled across the board while government borrowing costs climbed sharply to their highest since 2011, after newly appointed prime minister Sebastien Lecornu [...]
How are ‘bankrupt’ France’s borrowing costs still lower than ours? September 29, 2025 Locked in a protracted political crisis over the extent of its indebtedness – and with its deficit running at over five per cent of GDP – France has earned itself the unwanted monikers of ‘the sick man of Europe’ and the ‘new Greece’. Despite these woes, its borrowing costs remain lower than the UK’s. Ali [...]
Gilt auction demand lowest in two years in sign of pre-Budget jitters September 25, 2025 Gilt market jitters in the run-up to the Budget bled into demand at government bond auctions for the first time on Thursday, as sales of bonds saw interest from investors hit its lowest in at least two years. Auctions of five- and 30-year gilts issued by the Debt Management Office (DMO) this week attracted the [...]
Can Peter Kyle deliver a Budget lifeline for UK’s SMEs? September 15, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves is set to deliver her Autumn Budget on 26 November, nearly a month later than usual, and eyes are on what she will do for the SMEs. With borrowing costs hitting their highest levels since 1998, and servicing the national debt topping £100bn a year, the government has been urged to maintain fiscal [...]