‘The most calls I’ve ever had’ – Why Japanese bonds have suffered surging yields Economics The Japanese bond market has suffered one of its worst weeks in years. An auction on Japan’s 20-year government bond saw its bid-to-cover ratio, a measure of demand, sink to levels last seen in 2012, while the auction’s tail, the gap between average and lowest-accepted prices, widened to the longest since 1987, in another sign [...]
Rachel Reeves or Liz Truss: Who really ‘crashed the economy’? Opinion Amid UK bond market turmoil, how does Reeves' budget compare to Truss' - and who is really responsible for 'crashing the economy'?
Tory leadership: I’ll return us to ‘party of sound money’, Robert Jenrick pledges Politics Tory leadership contender Robert Jenrick has pledged to return the Conservatives to “being the party of sound money”, if elected. The former migration minister outlined his economic plans in a speech this morning in which he admitted the Conservatives “abandoned fiscal responsibility in the mini-Budget.” Jenrick told an audience of journalists and MPs at a [...]
Pound’s strength against the dollar risks ‘damage’ to UK’s competitiveness September 25, 2024 The pound reaching its highest level in over two years against the dollar risks damaging the international competitiveness of the UK, City analysts have warned. Sterling now sits at $1.34, its highest since February 2022 and far from its low point of $1.03 in the days after Liz Truss’ mini budget. However, while the strength [...]
Fiscal prudence? The iron chancellor doth protest too much July 24, 2024 Rachel Reeves’ decision to expand the powers of the OBR suggests apprehension, not confidence, writes Tim Focas. Rachel Reeves has promised to be an “iron chancellor” embodying fiscal constraint and discipline. Yet, her first legislative move to enhance the powers of the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) raises questions about her own confidence in living [...]
Which is the real party of business? June 26, 2024 Rishi Sunak has won praise from political strategists for finally distancing himself from his short-lived predecessor, saying “I was right when I warned you about Liz Truss”. But what should the City make of the Conservative leader drawing such a firm line under his party’s experiment with free market ideology? To answer that question, it’s [...]