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☆ Exclusive: China's clashing priorities behind rare money market distress
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

"Banks were grudging in lending, leaving non-banks asking each other for money in afternoon trade," he said. The reasons for the spike in interest rates and the ensuing market chaos are detailed here for the first time. They affect foreign exchange movements since the markets are the major avenue for the supply of money. The money market operator CFETS told traders to keep a 5% ceiling on repo transactions and said anyone involved in high-rate deals closed on Oct. 31 would need to explain themselves to regulators, according to sources who received the notice. "If the pattern of money supply and liquidity provision remains unchanged, the whole system remains fragile.

Persons: Xia Chun, Banks, outflows, CFETS, Tom Westbrook, Vidya Ranganathan, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: People's Bank of China, China Foreign Exchange Trade, Yintech Investment Holdings, Reuters, China Everbright Bank, Co, China Central Depository, Shanghai Clearing House, Shanghai, Thomson Locations: SHANGHAI, SINGAPORE, Beijing, Shanghai, China

In 1980, there were 24 private equity firms, according to Prequin, which tracks alternative assets; by 2022, there were around 5,000 private equity firms controlling some 18,000 companies. Among the industries where private equity sank deep roots was health care. Thin margins have forced many nursing homes to shrink their nursing staff, leaving them ill prepared when the pandemic hit. One New Jersey analysis found that facilities owned by private equity had a higher rate of Covid-19 deaths and cases than nursing homes not owned by private equity. Fewer than 20 percent of all nursing homes meet a recently proposed minimum staffing level, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation estimate.

Persons: equity’s, Sabrina T, Howell, Mark Parkinson, Ms, ” Organizations: Healthcare Private Equity Association, New York University, Genesis Healthcare, Formation Capital, Kaiser Family, American Health Care Association Locations: Jersey, New Hampshire

☆ 'The bond vigilante is coming back,' UBS strategist says
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-23 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Andrew Kelly | ReutersThe bond vigilantes are coming back as investors continue to sell amid the prospect of higher for longer interest rates and a growing fiscal deficit, according to Kevin Zhao, head of global sovereign and currency at UBS Asset Management. "The bond vigilante is coming back, so this is very important for asset prices in equity, house prices, fiscal policy, monetary policy, so no longer is this a free ride on bond markets anymore — so the government has to be very careful in terms of the future. "A few months ago, most people expected the U.S. government deficit would keep going down with growth slowing — it was 3.9% last year and it's actually going up with growth slowing — that is quite alarming for bond investors." The term "bond vigilantes" refers to bond market investors who protest against monetary or fiscal policy they fear is inflationary by selling bonds, thereby increasing yields. Fed fund futures pricing reflects a 98% probability that the central bank keeps its main interest rate unchanged at the current target range of 5.25-5.5% at its next monetary policy meeting.

Persons: Andrew Kelly, Kevin Zhao, Jerome Powell, Zhao, Liz Truss, it's Organizations: UBS Asset Management, Treasury, Federal, U.S, Treasury Department, U.S . Federal Reserve Locations: British, Treasurys

☆ Moody's lifts UK's outlook to 'stable' on restoration of policy predictability
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Hollie Adams/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsOct 20 (Reuters) - Ratings agency Moody's revised Britain's outlook to "stable" from "negative" on Friday, saying policy predictability has been restored after heightened volatility last year around the so-called "mini-budget" under then-Prime Minister Liz Truss. Moody's last changed its outlook on Britain one year ago, when Truss had spooked markets with unfunded tax pledges, culminating in her resignation. "Policy predictability has been restored after heightened volatility last year around the mini-budget," the ratings agency said, affirming the country's rating at "Aa3". The government borrowed 81.7 billion pounds ($99.35 billion) in the first half of the 2023/24 financial year, 15.3 billion pounds more than between April and September 2022, but about 20 billion pounds less than the government forecast in March. On Friday S&P affirmed its AA rating and stable outlook for Britain.

Persons: Hollie Adams, Moody's, Liz Truss, Truss, Rishi Sunak, Jeremy Hunt, Hunt, Poor's, Aatrayee Chatterjee, David Milliken, Alistair Smout, Shailesh Kuber, Daniel Wallis Organizations: REUTERS, Monetary Fund, Britain's, Conservative Party, Britain, Thomson Locations: City, London, Britain, Bengaluru

☆ The UK Labour Party has a Biden-esque economic plan — but it's very different to Bidenomics
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-16 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

LIVERPOOL, U.K. - Oct. 11, 2023: Britain's main opposition Labour Party leader Keir Starmer applauds a speaker the final day of the annual Labour Party conference in Liverpool, northwest England, on October 11, 2023. Paul Ellis | Afp | Getty ImagesLONDON — The U.K.'s main opposition Labour Party last week set out the economic platform it hopes will propel it to power at next year's general election, and the transatlantic parallels were clear. Reeves promised last week to "rebuild Britain" as the party seeks to de-risk business investment in emerging technologies with a new national wealth fund, maintaining an active state while harnessing private investment to drive economic growth. Labour's desired parallels to "Bidenomics" were discussed at a host of fringe events throughout the conference in Liverpool, particularly with regards to the "crowding in" of private investment — a Keynesian economic theory that suggests increased government spending can spur increased private investment. Just because the policies may be oriented towards boosting infrastructure and investment, unless they have that debt finance component, it's not Bidenomics."

Persons: Keir Starmer applauds, Paul Ellis, Keir Starmer, Starmer, they're, Rachel Reeves, Joe Biden's, Reeves, Britain —, Biden, Kallum Pickering, Liz Truss, Truss, Rishi Sunak, Pickering, it's Organizations: LIVERPOOL, Labour Party, Afp, Getty, Labour, U.S, Biden administration's, U.S . Treasury, CNBC, Bank of England, Conservative Party, U.S ., University of Pennsylvania Locations: Liverpool, England, America, Britain, Germany, France

☆ UK opposition Labour announces sweeping economic reforms in promise to 'rebuild Britain'
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-09 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

LIVERPOOL, England — Britain's main opposition Labour party on Monday vowed to "rebuild Britain" if it wins the 2024 General Election, as Shadow Finance Minister Rachel Reeves announced a host of new economic pledges aimed at stimulating growth. The lifeblood of a growing economy is business investment," Reeves said, further cementing the party's recalibration in recent years as a centrist, pro-business alternative to the ruling Conservatives. Truss and then-Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng opted not to seek an independent appraisal from the OBR, breaking with traditional norms of economic policy. Labour holds around a 20-point lead over the Conservatives across most major polling, with the ruling party damaged by a string of scandals and the fallout from Sunak's predecessor Liz Truss's "mini-budget." In order to catalyze and de-risk business investment, Labour would create a new national wealth fund, Reeves also announced.

Persons: Rachel Reeves, Jeremy Hunt, Reeves, Liz Truss, Kwasi Kwarteng, Rishi Sunak, Liz Truss's Organizations: Labour, Shadow, Conservative Party Locations: LIVERPOOL, England, Britain, Liverpool, France, Germany, America

Gavin Newsom rejected a bill on Sunday that would have made free condoms available all public high school students, arguing it was too expensive for a state with a budget deficit of more than $30 billion. California had about 1.9 million high school students enrolled in more than 4,000 schools last year, according to the California Department of Education. “This bill would create an unfunded mandate to public schools that should be considered in the annual budget process,” Newsom wrote in a message explaining why he vetoed the bill, known as Senate bill 541. The bill would have required all public schools that have grades nine through 12 to make condoms available for free to all students. It would have required public schools with grades seven through 12 to allow condoms to be made available as part of educational or public health programs.

Persons: Gavin Newsom, ” Newsom, Sen, Caroline Menjivar Organizations: —, California Department of Education Locations: SACRAMENTO, Calif, — California, California, Los Angeles

☆ HS2: Britain's high-speed rail fiasco reflects grim economic reality
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( Mark Thompson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

“Our plan will drive far more growth and opportunity here in the north than a faster train to London ever would,” he said Wednesday. Some of the alternatives Sunak highlighted were predicated on the delivery of HS2, said Henrietta Bailey, CEO of Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce. “This is the biggest and most damaging U-turn in the history of UK infrastructure,” the High Speed Rail Group, which represents companies such as Siemens, Hitachi and Bombardier, said in a statement. “The decision … sends a hugely disappointing message about our commitment to completing major infrastructure projects in the UK,” said Stephen Phipson, chief executive of Make UK, which represents manufacturing firms. The country must hope that his latest policy reversal doesn’t deter investors and further undermine a struggling UK economy, perpetuating a doom-loop of weak growth and underinvestment.

Persons: Rishi Sunak, Sunak, ”, Henrietta Bailey, Stephen Phipson, Mark Allen, ” Sunak, —, Liz Truss, he’s, Sunak blinked, James Mason, ” — Hanna Ziady Organizations: London CNN —, Leeds, Birmingham Chambers of Commerce, HS2 —, Conservative, Speed Rail Group, Siemens, Hitachi, Bombardier, Make, Investors, Treasury, Business Locations: England, United Kingdom, London, Germany, France, Italy, China, Japan, Edinburgh, Birmingham, Manchester, Britain, West, North Yorkshire

And if you do, you should stand with me," Sunak said, referring to what he described as 30 years of political short-termism. "It may be helpful, but it won't be sufficient" to help them win the next election. Chris Hopkins, political research director at the polling firm Savanta, said he could not see how Sunak could win. Cabinet ministers have given speeches to sparsely populated rooms and some party members have openly talked what they may do in opposition. Writing by Elizabeth Piper; editing by Kate Holton and Philippa FletcherOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Rishi Sunak, Sunak, Goldman Sachs, Andy Street, Suella Braverman, pollsters, John Curtice, Chris Hopkins, Savanta, Liz Truss, Nigel Farage, Steve Tuckwell, Elizabeth Piper, Kate Holton, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: Conservative, Conservatives, Labour, University of Strathclyde, European Union, Republican Party, London's Labour, Thomson Locations: MANCHESTER, England, Manchester, British, Birmingham, West Midlands, United States

Its cost was estimated at 33 billion pounds in 2011, but has soared to more than 100 billion pounds ($122 billion) by some estimates. Sunak said Conservative lawmakers would be given a free vote in Parliament on the smoking ban. He used the speech to give party members and voters a glimpse of the man behind his technocratic exterior. Home Secretary Suella Braverman used her conference speech to appeal to the party’s authoritarian, law-and-order wing, advocating tougher curbs on migration and a war on human rights protections and “woke” social values. “I am confident we can win,” said Balwinder Dhillon, deputy mayor of the town of Slough, west of London.

Persons: Rishi Sunak, Sunak, he's, ”, ” Sunak, Andy Burnham, ” “, Rain Newton, Smith, “, Margaret Thatcher —, Liz Truss, Akshata Murty, Suella Braverman, Balwinder Dhillon Organizations: Conservative Party, Labour Party, Leeds, Conservative, Manchester, of British Industry, Health, New, British American Tobacco, Imperial Brands, London Stock Exchange, Treasury, United, British Locations: MANCHESTER, England, Manchester, London, “, Birmingham, Midlands, North, Britain, Britain’s, New Zealand, Rwanda, United Kingdom, Slough

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Britain’s Treasury chief is to announce a hike in the national minimum wage on Monday, as the governing Conservative Party tries to persuade voters it is on the side of those who are struggling financially. Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt has ruled out tax cuts, saying they would fuel inflation. The exact amount will be set after a recommendation by the Low Pay Commission, an advisory body. The right-of-center Tories, in power since 2010, are lagging far behind the center-left opposition Labour Party in opinion polls. Truss, whose plan for billions in unfunded tax cuts spooked the financial markets, is calling for the party to “revive Conservative values” such as “cutting red tape, lower(ing) taxes and trusting that markets will find the solutions we all want.”

Persons: Jeremy Hunt, Hunt, ” Hunt, “, Rishi Sunak, Sunak, Liz Truss, Boris Johnson, pocketbooks, Suella Braverman, Kemi Badenoch, James, Truss, ” Organizations: —, Treasury, Conservative Party, Conservatives, Low, Commission, U.K, Sky News, Labour Party, European Union Locations: MANCHESTER, England, Ukraine, Britain, Manchester

☆ To fix Britain, Labour will need new debt rules
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-29 | by ( Francesco Guerrera | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Having fiscal rules – and sticking to them – is crucial for governments. The Bank of England expects anaemic GDP growth of 0.5% next year and 0.25% in 2025, and long-term growth of just 1%. Reuters Graphics Reuters GraphicsThe Labour leadership is concerned that rewriting debt rules would unsettle bond investors still scarred by Truss’s fiscal follies. What Britain’s next government shouldn’t do is obsess about restrictive fiscal rules at the expense of investments that could get the country out of its current hole. The reports said that Sunak was looking at scrapping the portion of the project linking the northern cities of Manchester and Birmingham because costs have been soaring from the original 55.7 billion pounds to an estimated 106 billion pounds.

Persons: Grant Shapps, Liz Truss, Rishi Sunak, Jeremy Hunt, Hunt, Keir Starmer, Worth ”, Ian Ball, Willem Buiter, John Crompton, Dag Detter, Jacob Soll, Crompton, Breakingviews, PSNW, –, Rachel Reeves, Labour’s, “, Reeves, Britain’s, Sunak, George Hay, Oliver Taslic Organizations: Reuters, Sunday, Sky News, Labour, Conservative, Bank of England, Sunak’s, Worth, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Britain’s, Thomson Locations: Britain, New Zealand, Zealand, Manchester, Birmingham

☆ Meloni’s Italian job is a lesson for EU’s right
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( Lisa Jucca | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

This is particularly true of Meloni’s surprise decision in August to tax what she called “unjust profits” by domestic banks. Ill-fated tax credits for building renovations introduced by a previous executive are expected to balloon to up to 150 billion euros, UniCredit analysts reckon. That’s 30 billion euros higher than what the current government predicted in April, or around 1.5% of GDP. That’s Meloni’s biggest Italian lesson for parties like Vox and AfD. CONTEXT NEWSThe Italian Treasury will present new economic targets on Sept. 28, which will be the framework for the country’s 2024 budget.

Persons: Spain’s, Benito Mussolini’s “, Rome ”, Ursula von der Leyen, Meloni, Vladimir Putin, –, Silvio Berlusconi, Matteo Salvini – Meloni, ”, Mario Draghi’s, it’s, Giancarlo Giorgetti, Liz Truss, Meloni’s, Vox, Giorgia Meloni, Francesco Guerrera, Oliver Taslic Organizations: Reuters, NATO, European Union, EU, Commission, Economy, Italian Treasury, Thomson Locations: Rome, Italy, Ukraine, Kyiv, China, Greece, Brussels, British, Italian

☆ The Fed would be 'flying blind' on interest rate decisions after a government shutdown
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( Jeff Cox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Could the Fed hike in December instead? Labor's consumer price index is a widely followed measure by the public and also figures into Fed calculations. While they aren't the only inflation gauges central bank officials use, not having them around in November would complicate the rate decision. Bank of America, though, expects the Fed to approve one more hike, which would take its key borrowing rate to a target range of 5.5%-5.75%. Correction: Another hike by the Fed would take its key borrowing rate to a target range of 5.5%-5.75%.

Persons: Aditya Bhave, Bhave, — CNBC's Michael Bloom Organizations: Federal Reserve, Bank of America, Labor, Commerce, Bank of America U.S, Fed

☆ Philadelphia's mayor says his fellow Democrats just voted for more people to die from drug overdoses. Experts say he's right.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( Charles R. Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

People should not, generally, inject into their bodies a substance they bought with cash from a stranger on the street. And many will not resort to best practices, like using a clean needle, and contract diseases that require lifelong treatment. In 2019, the former president's Department of Justice sued to stop a Philadelphia-based nonprofit, Safehouse, from opening what would have been the country's first safe injection site, citing a federal law originally aimed at crack houses. AdvertisementAdvertisementBesides, Philadelphia, a city battling not just drug addiction but poverty and gun violence, is not about to open drug treatment resorts. Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney is one of the few public officials to explicitly endorse supervised injection sites.

Persons: Philadelphians, Scott Burris, Isaiah Thomas, Thomas, Mike Driscoll, Donald Trump, Biden, Nora Volkow, Ronda, Goldfein, —, Jim Kenney, Cherelle Parker, Kenney Organizations: Service, Center of Public Health, Research, Temple University, Philadelphia Inquirer, president's Department of Justice, National Institute on Drug, New York Times, of Pennsylvania, Walmart, Philadelphia, Democratic Locations: Philadelphia, Wall, Silicon, Kensington, Vancouver, Canada, Philadelphia's, New York City, Ronda Goldfein, Europe

☆ ‘Argentina on the Channel.’ Mark Carney and Liz Truss clash over UK economy
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

London CNN —When Liz Truss was briefly Britain’s prime minister a year ago, the world’s sixth-largest economy came close to resembling Argentina, a country plagued by financial and economic instability. Truss and her Brexit-backing allies have long argued that lower taxes and fewer regulations — akin to Singapore’s approach — would help kickstart sorely needed growth in the UK. Britain, for its part, is battling stubbornly high inflation, feeble economic growth and a rising public debt burden, which is the costliest to service among rich economies. At the time, Carney, who was head of the Bank of England from 2013 to 2020, accused Truss’s government of “undercutting” the nation’s economic institutions. “Mark Carney is part of the 25-year economic consensus that has led to low growth across the Western world,” she said.

Persons: Liz Truss, Mark Carney, kickstart, Carney, “, Kwasi Kwarteng, Truss’s, undercutting, “ Mark Carney, ”, ” Truss, Olesya Dmitracova Organizations: London CNN, Bank of England, Institute for Government Locations: Argentina, United Kingdom, Montreal, Singapore, London

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson gained national attention this summer when he proposed buying one-way airfare out of Alaska's largest city for anyone without housing who wanted to leave before winter. The Anchorage Assembly just approved $4 million in funds and will vote on additional elements of an emergency plan next week. Anchorage last winter had a record 24 deaths outdoors among the homeless population, with 11 fatalities occurring in the winter months between October 2022 and April 2023, said Alexis Johnson, the city's homeless director. The city recently brought four more housing facilities, which could create space for another 310 people, but is still seeking winter housing for an estimated 400 to 450 people. By renting hotel rooms, Johnson hopes to limit the capacity of a mass winter homeless shelter to no more than 150 people — one of the Assembly's stipulations when releasing the emergency funds.

Persons: Dave Bronson, —, ”, Scott Gibson, Alexis Johnson, Johnson, Felix Rivera, Rivera, Bronson, “ I’m, ” Bronson, Greg Smith, Smith Organizations: — Anchorage, Alaska's, Land Trust, Sullivan Locations: ANCHORAGE, Alaska, Alaska's, Anchorage, Cook, California, Hawaii, Anchorage’s

☆ A pretzel-shop worker committed a $1 million fraud to buy Tesla, GameStop, and Nvidia shares - and ended up making $7,000 for his broker, SEC says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( Theron Mohamed | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A fast-food worker obtained $200,000 of advance credit by making bogus deposits, the SEC says. The Auntie Anne's employee piled the entire sum into Tesla, Nvidia, GameStop, AMC, and other stocks. His broker caught on and liquidated the holdings a day later, making a roughly $7,000 profit. The pretzel-shop worker piled about $85,000 into Apple, $78,000 into GameStop, $22,000 into Nvidia, $13,000 into AMC Entertainment, and $700 into Tesla. Tesla and Nvidia also have passionate fanbases who expect the pair to win big from the artificial-intelligence revolution.

Persons: Deyonte Jahtori Anthony, Auntie Anne's, Anthony, Anthony wasn't, Anthony couldn't Organizations: SEC, Nvidia, GameStop, AMC, Service, AMC Entertainment, Securities and Exchange Commission, Apple, Tesla, Cano Health, Electronic Arts, Resolute, Products, ETFMG, Security Locations: Wall, Silicon, North Carolina

Net borrowing, excluding state-owned banks, stood at 4.3 billion pounds ($5.49 billion) last month, less than the median forecast of 5.0 billion pounds in a Reuters poll of economists. In the first four months of the financial year, borrowing stood at 56.6 billion pounds. "As inflation slows, it's vital that we don’t alter our course and continue to act responsibly with the public finances," Hunt said in a statement after the data. Interest costs rose by 1.5 billion pounds compared with July last year to 7.7 billion pounds, the highest for July since records began in April 1997. The public finances were boosted by inflows of self-assessed income tax receipts which are typically strong in July, which stood at 11.8 billion pounds, 2.5 billion pounds more than in July last year.

Persons: Jeremy Hunt, Jessica Taylor, Handout, Hunt, Rishi Sunak, Liz Truss's, Ruth Gregory, Gregory, Gabriella Dickens, William Schomberg, Sachin Ravikumar, Andrew Heavens, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: REUTERS Acquire, Reuters, Bank of England, Conservative Party, Treasury, Capital Economics, Senior, National Statistics, Britain's, Thomson Locations: London, Britain

☆ UK Labour leader defends plan to stick with two-child welfare cap
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Andrew Macaskill | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, July 18 (Reuters) - Britain's opposition Labour Party Leader Keir Starmer on Tuesday defended his pledge to keep a controversial limit on welfare support payments for children if his party wins a general election expected next year. Starmer, whose party enjoys a double-digit lead over the Conservatives in opinion polls, is trying to convince voters that Labour would not be reckless with government money. The Conservatives have accused Labour of being reckless with public money and Starmer's comments are seen as an attempt to avoid that criticism. Starmer, at the event in London organised by former prime minister Tony Blair, said the economic turmoil during last year's brief premiership of Liz Truss underlined the need for careful spending. Truss was forced to resigned after six weeks as prime minister after announcing a series of unfunded tax cuts that shattered Britain's reputation for financial stability.

Persons: Keir Starmer, Starmer, Tony Blair, Liz Truss, Truss, Andrew MacAskill, William James Our Organizations: Labour Party, Labour, Conservative Party, Poverty, Thomson Locations: London

☆ For markets, BoE communication is bottom of the class
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( Yoruk Bahceli | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

U.S. Federal Reserve and European Central Bank expectations have meanwhile risen only marginally. For investors, clear communication from central bankers is crucial as they transmit their policy to borrowing costs through markets. The BoE was the first major central bank to start hiking rates. In contrast, they have long bet on more hikes than the BoE's main forecasts have implied are needed to tame inflation, rates futures show. BoE messaging, suggesting a reluctance to hike, has made it "very difficult" to own gilts recently, he said.

Persons: BoE, Toby Melville, Shamik Dhar, Andrew Bailey, Bailey, Schroders, Azad Zangana, Zangana, Liz Truss, Myles Bradshaw, Chris Jeffery, Jerome, Powell, Christine, Lagarde, it's, Craig, Yoruk, Dhara Ranasinghe, William Schomberg, John Stonestreet Organizations: Bank of England, REUTERS, Fed, ECB, of England, Traders, . Federal Reserve, European Central Bank, BNY Mellon Investment Management, Bank of England's, Investors, Graphics, of England's, Reuters, Asset Management, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, U.S, Dhar

☆ UK mortgage rates surge to 15-year high after surpassing 'mini-budget' peak
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( Suban Abdulla | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The average two-year fixed residential mortgage rate climbed to 6.66%, narrowly exceeding the 6.65% touched on Oct. 20 and the highest since August 2008 when it stood at 6.94%, according to data provider Moneyfacts. Governor Andrew Bailey said last month there were signs of more persistent underlying inflation pressures after the BoE unexpectedly raised its Bank Rate to 5% in an effort to tame the highest inflation rate among the world's big rich economies. Swap rates, a key measure lenders use to determine the cost of mortgage borrowing, have also soared. The surge has prompted major mortgage lenders to repeatedly reprice home loan offerings. British homebuyers typically take out mortgages with an interest rate that is fixed for two or five years, and then remortgage on to a new fixed rate or accept a variable rate.

Persons: Liz Truss, Andrew Bailey, BoE, reprice, Andrew Asaam, Suban Adbulla, Sachin Ravikumar, William Schomberg, Kate Holton, Andy Bruce Organizations: Bank of England, Nationwide, Lloyds Bank, Santander, Tuesday, Treasury, Lloyds Banking Group, Thomson Locations: Britain's, British, Halifax

☆ Mortgage rates in Britain hit 15-year high — with many fearful there's more misery to come
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

It means mortgage costs are now at their highest level since August 2008 during the global financial crisis. The average 5-year mortgage rate rose to 6.17% on Tuesday, Moneyfacts said, a marginal increase from Monday but still some way off the 6.51% level reached on Oct. 20. U.K. mortgage costs, which had staged a recovery in the months following the "mini-budget" crisis, have soared recently following 13 consecutive rate hikes by the Bank of England. Most recently, the central bank increased rates by 50 basis points to 5%, a bigger increase than many had expected. Renters, too, are likely to see their payments increase as buy-to-let landlords pass on higher mortgage repayments.

Persons: Kwasi, Moneyfacts, Andrew Bailey Organizations: Financial, Authority, London Borough, Finance, Bank of England Locations: Enfield, England, London

☆ UK homeowners brace for more mortgage pain as borrowing costs shoot up
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

London CNN —Existing and aspiring UK homeowners are bracing for a fresh wave of misery as a rise in benchmark borrowing costs threatens to push up monthly mortgage payments. The yield on the country’s two-year government bonds — which is used to set interest rates on mortgages — jumped to 4.87% on Tuesday. The figures have pointed to persistent inflationary pressures, increasing the chances of more interest rate hikes by the Bank of England and driving up gilt yields. “We’ve had to reflect that in our mortgage rates,” the spokesperson said. “[UK inflation] is a chronic problem, and it’s not something that you can deal with quickly.”

Persons: Liz Truss, Craig, Samuel Tombs, “ We’ve, Paul Dales, “, Truss, Henry Nicholls, ”, Ed Al Organizations: London CNN, Bank of England, Royal London Asset Management, CNN, Pantheon, UK Finance, HSBC, HSBC UK, Capital Economics, Reuters, Columbia Threadneedle Investments Locations: United Kingdom, Europe, United States

☆ UK house prices post first annual drop since 2012, says Halifax
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Suban Abdulla | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, June 7 (Reuters) - British house prices dropped on an annual basis in May for the first time in 11 years, and pressure on prospective buyers from higher mortgage rates could deepen the downturn, mortgage lender Halifax said on Wednesday. Kim Kinnaird, director of mortgages at Halifax, said demand was weakening and higher interest rates were likely to increase pressure on house prices. Halifax, part of Lloyds Banking Group (LLOY.L), on Tuesday said it would raise interest rates for its fixed home loans from Wednesday. The stronger-than-expected inflation data raised markets' bets interest rates will peak at 5.5% later this year. Nationwide, another lender, last week reported a steeper 0.5% month-on-month drop in house prices in April and a 3.4% annual decline - the biggest drop since 2009.

Persons: Kim Kinnaird, Liz Truss's, Kinnaird, Myron Jobson, Suban Abdulla, Andy Bruce, Paul Sandle, Barbara Lewis Organizations: Halifax, Lloyds Banking Group, Interactive Investor, Capital Economics, Nationwide, Thomson Locations: Halifax

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