Morning from DC where Chancellor arrived a few hours ago…
- 20Y gilt yields (effective Govt borrowing costs) just topped 5% again 5.02 for first time since Bank of England first intervened after mini Budget…after Bailey hard line message
- shock August GDP fall
Not sure I buy the idea that there’s private reassurance the bond buying programme will prolong. Bailey not only volunteered the “you have 3 days” comments, he then when asked for reassurance by the BBC outside, reiterated it unprompted, on camera…
BUT..
What there is into next week is a Temporary Expanded Collateral Repo Facility (TECRF)… which will help banks to help those LDI funds with liquidity, which many in the market thought was the appropriate tool to deal with this anyway…
What there isnt - and tried to make this clear in every bit of reporting - is a threat to DB pensioners…
Their pensions are guaranteed in law by the sponsoring company.
rise in interest rates actually helps long term position, but post mini budget stresses are s-term challenge
So there is a Mexican stand off as I see it between these funds that chose to indulge in some leveraged wizardry in the gilt market, and suffered when gilt yields surged so fast, at record speed after mini budget, and BoE, over selling now at losses
🚨 Bank of England confirm in a statement what I said above and on air yesterday…
Gilt purchases “will end on 14th October” as “has been made absolutely clear in contact with the banks at senior levels”.
New repo facility in place to help with liquidity pressures for the LDIs
NEW Twenty year gilt just reached 5.036% - so now above effective borrowing cost reached in aftermath of mini budget, highest level since June 2008
NEW
this 20 year gilt was one type of Government borrowing the BoE was willing to buy (up until Friday) as part of its emergency operations… its now at 5.07% - highest level since May 2004, ie for over 18 years
NEW
30 year gilt now also above 5% again for first time since post mini budget BoE intervention. A little lower than the high then..
NEW:
Bank of England chief economist Huw Pill:
Mini Budget “will add to inflationary pressure coming from energy guarantee”and
“volatile market dynamics that followed announcement of Growth Plan underline the need to bolster the credibility of wider institutional framework”
think that’s the seventh time the Bank of England has clearly linked the mini budget or UK specific factors to the bond market turmoil, including the Governor on camera to a room full of the world’s top banking CEOs, whose chair thanked Bailey for his leadership in this “crisis”
🚨
Bank of England warns on Govt fiscal policy…
chief economist Huw Pill:
“Main macroeconomic risk” from energy surge is now not inflation but “greater pressure on the fiscal deficit and ultimately the public finances more widely”
“Key” that policy “does not bring longer-term sustainability of the public finances or respect for wider institutional framework for macroeconomic policy into question both in & of itself, but also because maintaining credibility & integrity of framework supports monetary policy”
And Pill refers to my story from before mini budget about OBR offer to do forecast with it being turned down:
“It is welcome that role played by the OBR in scrutinising the Governments fiscal plans will be resumed in the forthcoming Budget statement” will help “add stability”
NEW
UK 30 year yields - have now gone above the post mini budget high, which triggered the Bank’s emergency action - at 5.095% looks to me like the highest level since August 1998, since the creation of Bank independence and the golden fiscal rules under Blair/Brown
Fallen back now below 5% after the Bank of England bought £2bn of bonds in its auction.
My blog from the IMF in Washington where the Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng has just gone into a meeting with G7 finance minister meeting. There will be questions, around the table, I’m told. bbc.co.uk/news/business-…
NEW
On #BBCNewsTen coming up live from the G7 finance ministers, the Chancellor’s debut on world stage, and I speak to both Mark Carney and Eurogroup President Paschal Donohoe
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overnight news in UK bond markets is incredible 40 basis points fall in 30 year yield this morning, amid expectations of major U-turn. Those expectations weren’t stoked here in DC by Chancellor, but there were some other interesting developments…
here at IMF at G7 finance ministers meeting I did pick up some veiled criticism and surprise from around the table re policies in the mini budget, specifically unfunded tax cuts… “surprise” at the “doubling down” on these policies…
US Treasury Secretary Yellen was on the record here in an interview with CNBC saying: “watching UK developments closely". While she didn't want to comment directly on UK policy, she said: "I am going to try to understand what the impact of those policies and their rationale is."
Governor Bailey really meant what he said about the pension funds having to accept that the government bond purchases are over … BBC briefly caught up with him on way out of the speech, and he said there was an “important task now for the funds to ensure they are done”…
Bailey to BBC News: “We are doing everything to ensure financial stability and you have my assurance on that…” asked about the market response.. “They have got three days, this has to be done for the sake of financial stability”
surprised by the market reaction. Bank has been clear the operation was over this weekend… its a message for the funds that do have the solvency but not the liquidity to make necessary adjustments…. But it is a message with consequences for the Government too..
Another Bank of England intervention, expanding for rest of week offer to purchase Government bonds, to include inflation-linked ones. This came after ongoing rise in yields in markets yesterday.
Big day ahead - we will hear from Chancellor in Commons and Governor Bailey here.
Ongoing rise in government borrowing costs means no respite in mortgage market - those typical 2 year mortgages that only hit 6% last week, are now less than a week on already at 6.43%. 5 years at 6.29%.
“Here” being at the IMF in DC. We will also get a new world economic forecast here later, reflecting how much some of these pressures are affecting countries across the world… and we already had a pretty concerning forecast from the IFS & Citi
NEW
Bank of England temporarily expands post mini budget gilt funding scheme in final week “to support an orderly end of its purchase scheme” meant to help avoid funding problems in LDI funds
Buy scheme will end this week. bankofengland.co.uk/news/2022/octo…
30 year gilt yields top 4.5% for first time since aftermath of mini budget
5 year gilt also this morning at 4.5% - its post mini budget peak was 4.7%. No BoE intervention in this market - important feed into swap rates and so 5 year fixed mortgage rates. 10 Year 4.3%.
🚨 BoE’s Ramsden: UK specific nature of gilt shock “unusual”
“Decompositions of drivers of shock to yields point to domestic UK factors as driving increase over most recent period, which is unusual”.
Diagram shows vast bulk (blue) of gilt shock in Sept/ post mini Budget is UK
Bank of England deputy Governor says
“One key consideration for the MPC at its upcoming meetings will be whether the recent repricing of UK assets reflects a changed assessment by markets of the UK macroeconomic policy mix between fiscal and monetary policy”
Interesting that PM finalising UK reestablishing ties with North Sea Energy Cooperation (at Prague EPC summit) - another summit of European leaders meeting on green energy, from which UK exited post Brexit in 2020. Not an EU body, but strong involvement. Sets green energy targets
At recent Dublin meeting North Sea energy cooperation ministers discussed MoU with UK on offshore renewable cooperation as “contingent” on successful discussions between European Commission & UK, and Council approval. And work should be “in line” with EU & EEA legislation…
Eg here are non binding targets for 2030/ 2040/ & 2050 that were the groups main output at its last meet which constituted 85% of the EUs wide target of 300 GW, the application of EU energy regulation on trans-European energy infrastructure with EU funding, maritime planning