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☆ Britain's failed tax experiment will leave economic scars and credibility issues, analysts say
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( Jenni Reid | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

U.K. Prime Minister Liz Truss faces increasing pressure to resign. The yield on these bonds, which reflect the cost of borrowing for the government and influence interest rates on many products such as mortgages, eased lower after the statement Monday. The yield on 10-year bonds, the closely-watched benchmark seen as the indicator of long-term interest rates, remains significantly elevated at 4.045%, up from 3.49% before the budget. Bonds tend to become less attractive when interest rates rise, decreasing their price and sending up the yield. watch nowWider effectsWith the ideologically-driven policy platform Truss ran on now dead in the water, there is uncertainty in many other areas.

☆ INDIA RUPEE Rupee jumps as UK fiscal budget turnaround brings cheer
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( Anushka Trivedi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MUMBAI, Oct 18 (Reuters) - The Indian rupee strengthened on Tuesday to hover close to the 82 per dollar mark, as risk sentiment improved after reversal of Britain's controversial fiscal plans pressured the greenback. The rupee jumped 0.35% to 82.05 by 0442 GMT, after having traded in a narrow band near the 82.40 level for the past five sessions. The currency has not traded under 82 per dollar in nearly two-weeks and traders see low chances of it breaching that in this session. Any level below 82 per dollar was good for importers with near-term exposures to buy as USD/INR premiums are currently lower too, he added. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Anushka Trivedi in Mumbai; Editing by Neha AroraOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ UK gilt yields rise as BoE pooh-poohs report of delay to bond sales
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The FT said the BoE would probably push back the start of its gilt sales from its latest scheduled date of Oct. 31, having already delayed it from an original date of Oct. 6. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register"This morning's FT report that the BoE has decided to delay MPC gilt sales ('QT') is inaccurate," a spokesperson for the central bank said. Twenty- and 30-year gilt yields , were up by less, around 4 bps on the day. The two-year yield , which is most sensitive to short-term moves by the central bank, showed the biggest rise, up 13 bps on the day. British government bond yields soared in recent weeks after the government of new Prime Minister Liz Truss announced a string of unfunded tax cuts.

The former foreign and health minister was appointed on Friday after Truss sacked Kwasi Kwarteng, her close ally. Under the new policy, most of Truss's 45 billion pounds of unfunded tax cuts will go and a two-year energy support scheme for households and businesses - expected to cost well over 100 billion pounds - will now be curtailed in April. Hunt said halting the planned tax cuts would raise 32 billion pounds ($36 billion) every year. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls/File PhotoBut the response from bond investors who would fund the tax cuts was violently negative and borrowing costs surged. After scrapping one of the tax cuts, Truss fired Kwarteng on Friday, saying she accepted her plans had gone "further and faster" than investors were expecting.

☆ Dollar dips as UK budget U-turn improves market sentiment
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-17 | by ( Karen Brettell | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

British Pound Sterling and U.S. Dollar notes are seen in this June 22, 2017 illustration photo. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterBritish gilts rallied sharply after the news, helping to also send U.S. Treasury yields lower. Hunt replaced Kwasi Kwarteng, whose package of unfunded tax cuts on Sept. 23 unleashed a bond market sell-off. "For now, the market seems happy to give the new chancellor time and space to put the government's house back in order," said Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at IG. Traders are also on watch for any intervention from the Bank of Japan after the yen fell to a 32-year low.

☆ European shares edge higher as investors await new UK fiscal plan
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-17 | by ( Amruta Khandekar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The region-wide STOXX 600 index (.STOXX) was up 0.3%, extending gains for a third straight session. European equities have suffered losses in the recent weeks as investors fret about the prospects of a recession from aggressive central bank actions to tame inflation. Most STOXX 600 sectors were trading up, with energy stocks (.SXEP) up 0.6% as oil prices rose driven by hopes of better demand from China. The bank has agreed to pay $495 million to settle a case brought against it in the United States. read moreNel (NEL.OL) rose 7.3% after the Norwegian hydrogen company received a NOK 600 million ($56.4 million) order from Woodside Energy (WDS.AX) for a U.S. hydrogen project.

People walk through the City of London financial district during rush hour in London, Britain, October 3, 2022. Asia's main markets had struggled overnight but Europe's STOXX 600 (.STOXX) made a 0.5% early gain as both the pound and UK government bonds rallied in London. Invesco's director of macro research Ben Jones said the UK's volatility would remain a key focus for global markets. In currency markets, the dollar remains king as investors price in U.S. rates peaking around 5%. The rise of the dollar and global bond yields have been a drag for gold, which was stuck at $1,648 an ounce .

☆ Asia shares ease, major test looms for UK bonds
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-17 | by ( Wayne Cole | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Concerns about financial stability added to the corrosive mix with all eyes on UK bonds, now that the Bank of England's (BoE's) emergency buying spree is over. "Monday's market action will provide a test, not only for the survival of Truss' low-tax vision, but also her political future." Sterling was quoted up 0.4% at $1.1219 , but off the early high with trading sparse in Asia. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan (.MIAPJ0000PUS) eased 1.2% and back toward last week's 2-1/2 year low. In currency markets, the dollar remains king as investors price in U.S. rates peaking around 5%.

☆ Asia shares slip, testing times for UK bonds
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-17 | by ( Wayne Cole | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Concerns about financial stability added to the corrosive mix with all eyes on UK bonds now that the Bank of England's (BoE's) emergency buying spree is over. "Monday's market action will provide a test, not only for the survival of Truss' low-tax vision, but also her political future." Sterling was quoted up 0.6% at $1.1233 , but trading was sparse with little liquidity in Asia. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan (.MIAPJ0000PUS) eased 1.2% and back toward last week's 2-1/2 year low. read moreIn currency markets, the dollar remains king as investors price in U.S. rates peaking around 5%.

☆ Asia shares slip, make or break day for UK bonds
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-17 | by ( Wayne Cole | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Concerns about financial stability added to the corrosive mix with all eyes on UK bonds now that the Bank of England's (BoE's) emergency buying spree is over. "Monday's market action will provide a test, not only for the survival of Truss' low-tax vision, but also her political future." Sterling was quoted up 0.6% at $1.1240 , but trading was sparse with little liquidity in Asia. In equity markets, MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan (.MIAPJ0000PUS) eased 0.5% and back toward last week's 2-1/2 year low. read moreIn currency markets, the dollar remains king as investors price in U.S. rates peaking around 5%.

☆ British pound and gilts soar after Hunt rolls back tax cuts
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

Jeremy Hunt on Friday replaced Kwasi Kwarteng, who Prime Minister Liz Truss sacked following the so-called "mini-budget" on Sept. 23 that sent UK assets sliding. Hunt on Monday announced a series of tax changes that he said would raise 32 billion pounds ($36.19 billion) a year in extra revenues. STERLING: The pound rose against the dollar and the euro, gaining 1.1% and 0.7%, respectively , . So the UK is not the outlier when it comes to its monetary policy and its fiscal policy. STUART COLE, HEAD MACRO ECONOMIST, EQUITI CAPITAL, LONDON:"I think it would be a brave person to be buying sterling quite yet.

☆ FTSE 100 climbs ahead of Hunt's fiscal plans
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-17 | by ( Sruthi Shankar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The blue-chip FTSE 100 index (.FTSE) gained 0.5%, while the domestically focussed FTSE 250 index (.FTMC) climbed 0.6%. The pound jumped 0.8% and government bonds rallied ahead of Hunt's announcement at 1000 GMT, which is expected to detail plans to raise taxes and spend lesser than previously planned. read more read moreRegister now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register"The markets have reacted positively to Hunt's expedited timeline, which alleviates some of the fiscal uncertainty," said Victoria Scholar, head of investment at Interactive Investor. Truss on Friday reversed some of the tax cut measures, and replaced Kwasi Kwarteng with Hunt. Meanwhile, the Bank of England (BoE) on Friday concluded its emergency bond purchases aimed at supporting the gilts market.

☆ Britain's political and market turmoil
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

People walk through the City of London financial district during rush hour in London, Britain, October 3, 2022. Following is a snapshot of related events, comments and explanations:Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterWHAT'S BEHIND THE CRISIS? * The Bank of England was forced into emergency bond-buying to stem a sharp sell-off in Britain's 2.1 trillion pound ($2.3 trillion) government bond market that threatened to wreak havoc in the pension industry and increase recession risks. * The BoE interventions have highlighted a growing segment of Britain's pensions sector - liability-driven investment. MARKET REACTION* Long-dated British government bonds rallied on Monday.

☆ Wall St futures higher with focus on earnings
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SummarySummary Companies Futures: Dow 0.78%, S&P 0.93%, Nasdaq 1.12%Oct 17 (Reuters) - U.S. stock index futures were higher on Monday, after a roller-coaster week, as investors focused on the third-quarter earnings season to assess the impact of decades-high inflation and rising interest rates on corporate profit. Tesla Inc (TSLA.O), Netflix (NFLX.O) and Johnson & Johnson (JNJ.N) are also expected to report their results later in the week. Analysts now expect profit for S&P 500 companies to have risen just 3.6% from a year ago, much lower than an 11.1% increase expected at the start of July, according to Refinitiv IBES data. ET, Dow e-minis were up 231 points, or 0.78%, S&P 500 e-minis were up 33.5 points, or 0.93%, and Nasdaq 100 e-minis were up 120.75 points, or 1.12%. Investors now await another test for gilts from a new tax proposal due later in the day from Kwarteng's successor Jeremy Hunt.

"It is really not the right time to experiment with fiscal policy," AXA chief economist Gilles Moec said about the UK's moves, assessing that Monday's U-turn may have appeased "the bond vigilantes for now". The term, bond vigilantes, refers to debt investors imposing fiscal discipline on profligate governments by forcing their borrowing costs higher. Ed Yardeni, who coined the bond vigilantes term in the early 1980s, penned a blog post saying "They're Baaaack!" Even U.S. President Joe Biden was speaking the bond vigilante's language at the weekend, noting he wasn't the only one that thought the UK plan was a "mistake". "This is probably the biggest example in practice of the bond vigilantes activity," said Antonio Cavarero, head of investments at Generali Insurance Asset Management.

The blue-chip FTSE 100 index (.FTSE) ended 0.9% higher, while the domestically focussed FTSE 250 index (.FTMC) closed 2.8% up. Both the indexes logged their third-straight day of gains, with the latter up more than 5%. Under the new policy, most of Truss's 45 billion pounds of unfunded tax cuts will go and a two-year energy support scheme for households and businesses - expected to cost well over 100 billion pounds - will now be curtailed in April. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterHunt, who replaced Kwasi Kwarteng, said halting the planned tax cuts would raise 32 billion pounds ($36 billion) every year. Traders are now seeing a 68.2% chance of a 100 basis points hike at the central bank's Nov. 3 meeting.

☆ UK gilts rally ahead of expected new U-turn on fiscal plans
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Oct 17 (Reuters) - Long-dated British government bonds rallied on Monday ahead of a statement from new finance minister Jeremy Hunt who is expected to reverse swathes of Prime Minister Liz Truss's economic growth plan which triggered a market rout. Yields on 20- and 30-year gilts slid by around 34 basis points in early trade, reversing most of their sharp rises seen on Friday when a statement by Truss failed to reassure investors about the government's fiscal plans. Gilt yields remain well above their levels seen before former finance minister Kwasi Kwarteng announced Truss's growth agenda on Sept. 23 - a measure of the deficit in investor confidence that Hunt must now address. "It would take an almighty fiscal tightening package to convince the market that a) the fiscal path is now sustainable and b) that Bank of England hiking risk is reduced," said Antoine Bouvet, rates strategist at ING. BoE Governor Andrew Bailey said on Saturday: "As things stand today, my best guess is that inflationary pressures will require a stronger response than we perhaps thought in August."

☆ The pound rises after UK's new finance minister speeds up announcement of tax and spending plans to Monday
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-17 | by ( Huileng Tan | Karen Friar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The UK's finance minister Jeremy Hunt will lay out details of some of the government's tax plans Monday. The policy details come two weeks early, after abrupt tax U-turns and the sacking of Hunt's predecessor. The pound rose Monday, after weeks where the tax plans roiled markets as investors fretted about stability. The turmoil prompted Nobel laureate Paul Krugman to say the UK markets were "behaving like those of a developing country." That and political pressure on Prime Minister Liz Truss has led to a series of U-turns on the tax plans in recent days.

☆ U.K.'s new finance chief warns of 'difficult decisions ahead' amid political and market turmoil
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-15 | by ( Leila Sackur | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

LONDON — The U.K.'s new finance minister warned of “difficult decisions ahead” on Saturday, the morning after he had replaced his predecessor who was only 38 days into the job. Warning of “difficult decisions ahead” Hunt told British broadcaster Sky News: “Some taxes will not be cut as quickly as people would want, some taxes will go up.” (Sky News is owned by Comcast, the parent company of NBC News.) Kwarteng became the second shortest-serving chancellor of the exchequer, as the British finance minister is known. Britain's Prime Minister Liz Truss at a news conference on Friday. Truss is Britain’s third prime minister in six years.

☆ British PM Liz Truss axes finance minister, tax cuts that sent pound crashing
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-14 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Patrick-Smith-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Patrick Smith | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

LONDON — Embattled British Prime Minister Liz Truss fired her finance minister and abandoned a flagship policy Friday, in a bid to save her job after her economic plan stoked weeks of market panic. Earlier, Truss removed Finance Minister Kwasi Kwarteng just 38 days after the pair took power. Kwarteng becomes the second shortest-serving chancellor of the exchequer, as the British finance minister is known. Truss' personal office confirmed the next finance minister will be Jeremy Hunt, a former health secretary and minister under successive Conservative governments. Crucially, the bank’s bond-buying program is set to end Friday, meaning the government must convince markets its economic plan is sound to avoid further chaos.

☆ UK cliff edge arrives as Bank of England prepares to end its emergency bond buying
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-14 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

The Bank's Financial Stability Committee on Sep. 28 announced a two-week emergency purchase program for long-dated U.K. government bonds. Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesLONDON — The Bank of England's emergency bond-buying program draws to a close on Friday, with traders remaining on edge as volatility in the U.K. bond market looks set to continue. The central bank initially announced the two-week intervention in the long-dated bond market on Sep. 28, having been informed that a number of liability driven investment (LDI) funds — held by pension plans — were hours from collapse as U.K. government bond prices plunged. The BOE's Pill also highlighted that recent actions taken to ensure orderly market function and financial stability sought to preserve the effectiveness of monetary policy, but should not be considered monetary policy actions in themselves. Chris Lupoli, U.K. rates and inflation strategist at BNP Paribas , told CNBC Thursday that the Bank of England remained focused on the temporary purchases serving as a "backstop."

☆ UK finance minister Kwasi Kwarteng has been fired as the government waters down tax cuts
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-14 | by ( George Glover | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

UK finance minister Kwasi Kwarteng was fired from his role on Friday. His tax cut proposals have rattled markets for weeks, with yields on gilts soaring. Prime Minister Liz Truss is expected to announce a policy U-turn at 9AM Eastern Time. Chief finance minister Kwarteng's pledges to carry on cutting income and corporation tax have rattled markets in recent weeks, with yields on gilts – UK government bonds – soaring. Read more: Pound crashes to record low against the dollar as UK tax cut plans rattle investors

☆ Sterling clings to bulk of U-turn-driven gains as dollar firms
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-14 | by ( Alun John | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Oct 14 (Reuters) - Sterling fell against a strengthening dollar on Friday, though held on to most of its gains from the previous day on reports the British government will reverse more of its controversial mini-budget. That plan triggered turmoil in financial markets, sending yields on British government bonds soaring and the pound to a record low of $1.0327. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterTruss is due to hold a press conference at 1300 GMT. The dollar rebounded on Friday after sliding against most other major currencies on Thursday. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Alun John; Editing by Frank Jack Daniel, Kirsten DonovanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Asian shares track Wall Street higher as jitters abound
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-14 | by ( Stella Qiu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan (.MIAPJ0000PUS) rose 1.6% in early Asia trade. Offshore, risk appetite is already softening, with U.S. S&P 500 futures sliding 0.1% while the Nasdaq futures falling 0.2%. Wall Street had a volatile session, after initial sell-off on the data proved short-lived with technical support and short-position covering helping stocks stage a strong rebound. Futures have also suggested that rates would now peak at 5%, bringing them to levels not seen since 2007. read moreOil prices fell in early Asian trade.

Yet he ultimately carried the can for an unwelcome fiscal plan that roiled bond markets, spooked investors and sparked a major backlash from governing Conservative Party lawmakers. Cutting his visit short, he flew back to London on Friday to "continue work at pace" for a medium-term fiscal plan due at the end of the month. Nor were further moves to re-embrace Treasury orthodoxy through the choice of Scholar's replacement and a decision to bring forward a medium-term fiscal plan and forecasts. In a reply to Kwarteng, Truss said she was deeply sorry to lose a long-standing friend from government. But a finance minister being ditched so quickly for his policies - especially when they were so closely aligned with the prime minister - is unprecedented in modern times.

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