Mining boss: Platinum to become a central bank reserve asset Mining Central banks could turn to platinum as the next frontier of their shift to bolster reserves with precious metals in favour of the US dollar, the boss of a leading miner has predicted. Valterra Platinum chief executive Craig Miller said that the world’s reserve banks are increasingly likely to view platinum as a safe haven [...]
Borrowing costs surge as gilts close in on 27-year low Markets Long-dated gilts plunged to a near 27-year low on Tuesday, bringing the UK’s fragile fiscal position into even sharper relief in the run-up to the government’s second Budget this Autumn. The yield on 30-year UK government bonds, which moves inversely to the price, jumped by as much as nine basis points to 5.63 per cent, [...]
The great debt headache Economics Debt, debt, everywhere but not a drop to… add to any well balanced investment portfolio. The world is awash with government bonds thanks to the debt piled up during the pandemic. But the increase in interest rates alongside the most significant bout of inflation for four decades has left investors in a quandary. What interest [...]
Goldman Sachs AM: Investors are fleeing US stocks May 20, 2025 Clients at Goldman Sachs Asset Management are increasingly asking the investment giant to move their money away from the US, bosses in the firm have warned. “The US is not thought to be as safe and dominant as it was six months ago,” Matt Gibson, head of client solutions at Goldman Sachs Asset Management, told [...]
UK investors flee bond funds amid US Treasury turmoil May 7, 2025 UK investors sold £1.2bn of bond fund holdings throughout April, as US bond markets fell into turmoil over Trump’s tariffs. As Treasury yields spiked during the month over fears around the fiscal ability of the US, investors fled the asset class in droves, according to data from Calastone. At one point last month, analysts were [...]
US dollar shifting towards ‘risky’ currency status, analysts warn April 16, 2025 The US dollar is going through “a possible regime shift” that could leave it as a “risky” currency going forward, UBS analysts have warned. Even as volatility in financial markets has soared as a result of president Trump’s ever-changing tariff regime, the dollar has been sinking quickly, with the DXY index dropping four per cent [...]
Dollar movements spark ‘Trussonomics’ fears with worst case scenario ‘no longer unthinkable’ April 16, 2025 The dollar’s worst case scenario is “no longer unthinkable,” economists have warned, as some draw parallels with the crisis in UK financial markets during the Liz Truss premiership. Alongside plummeting stocks and falling bond prices, the US currency has weakened in the wake of Trump’s erratic tariff agenda, with growing concerns that its status as [...]
Gold price surges to $3,300 as trust in US bonds collapses April 16, 2025 Gold prices have passed $3,300 for the first time in history as investors flee US government bonds, which were previously viewed as a safe haven. “It seems that fewer countries are trusting the US — and therefore US Treasuries as a ‘safe haven’ asset class,” explained analysts from Invesco. “This has resulted in greater buying [...]
S&P 500 slumps on open as Treasury yields remain elevated April 10, 2025 US markets have opened down after digesting the implications of Donald Trump’s 90-day pause on his sweeping tariffs. The Nasdaq opened down 2.7 per cent, while the Dow Jones fell 1.9 per cent and the S&P 500 opened 2.3 per cent down. Meanwhile, US Treasury yields have remained elevated, with the 30-year US Treasury sitting [...]
Fresh headache for Rachel Reeves as UK gilt yields spike to 1998 levels April 9, 2025 UK gilts have spiked to 30-year highs after a selloff in US Treasuries sent government bond markets worldwide spiralling. The yield on 30-year gilts spiked to 5.68 per cent this afternoon, before falling back slightly to 5.62 per cent, well above the previous multi-decade high of 5.47 per cent reached in January. The movement has [...]