Another Andrew Bailey misstep was the last thing markets needed October 12, 2022 Andrew Bailey’s tenure as Bank of England governor has not been a happy one. Marked first by the pandemic, it has been defined by rising prices, an economic slowdown and now a crisis of sorts in financial markets. Amidst all of this, the one thing the City would look for would be reliable and consistent [...]
City regulators ready clampdown on LDI pension funds October 12, 2022 City regulators said today they are readying to clampdown on the so-called liability driven investment (LDI) strategies at the heart of a near-meltdown in some UK pension funds two weeks ago.
Bank of England warns of ‘severe risks’ to market stability and financial crisis debt levels October 12, 2022 The Bank of England’s emergency £65bn bond buying scheme – that its chief Andrew Bailey last night confirmed will end on Friday – has been fighting “severe risks” to UK financial stability, the central bank said today. Turmoil in UK gilt markets since the government’s mini budget threatened to trigger “an excessive and sudden tightening [...]
Deutsche Bank slams Kwarteng’s targets as ‘impossible’ amid NIESR warning ‘guerrilla tactics’ unsettle markets October 12, 2022 Deutsche Bank’s chief UK economist said this morning Kwasi Kwarteng’s mini-budget was the “straw that broke the camel’s back” to trigger the financial turmoil. Sanjay Raja told the Commons Treasury Committee there is “absolutely a global component” to the issues but he said there is an “idiosyncratic UK-specific component”. He said the “trade shock” because [...]
UK economy on recession cliff edge as GDP unexpectedly shrinks October 12, 2022 The UK is staring over a recession cliff edge, caused by soaring inflation and rising interest rates, that will be lengthened by turmoil in financial markets, official figures published today revealed. The economy unexpectedly shrank 0.3 per cent over the month to August, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Economists had expected gross [...]
Rees-Mogg: Bank’s tame rate hike could have sparked pension crisis October 12, 2022 Jacob Rees-Mogg looked to shift the blame of the pensions crisis onto the Bank of England this morning as he claimed it could have been sparked by Threadneedle Street’s failure to hike interest rates more aggressively.
London’s FTSE 100 pulled down by pension managers after more BoE bond support October 11, 2022 London’s FTSE 100 today was pulled down by the UK’s largest money managers dropping after the Bank of England stepped up its support for the bond market again. The capital’s premier index dropped 1.06 per cent to 6,885.23 points, while the domestically-focused mid-cap FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned with the health of the [...]
City minister defends ‘safety valve’ call-in power over financial regulators October 11, 2022 A proposed new power that allows Whitehall to overrule financial regulators will only be a “safety valve”, City minister Andrew Griffith has said. Griffith told a Westminster committee today that the new call-in power would only be used “sparingly” in the face of concerns that it will reduce the independence of the UK’s regulators. The [...]
Bank of England steps up bond market support again to tame ‘risk to financial stability’ October 11, 2022 The Bank of England today stepped up its emergency bond buying scheme to tackle “a material risk to UK financial stability”. It is the second time in as many days the Bank has ramped up support for the UK bond market, underscoring the scale of volatility it is grappling with. The monetary authority led by [...]
Kwarteng promises ‘upbeat’ Halloween fiscal plan amid speculation of cuts October 11, 2022 Kwasi Kwarteng today promised his Halloween fiscal plan will be “upbeat” amid widespread speculation he will unveil spending cuts. The chancellor batted away a series of questions in the House of Commons around whether he will introduce real-terms cuts to benefits and promised more details would be unveiled on 31 October. The Treasury has said [...]