Bank of England launches bond-buying programme to prevent ‘material risk’ to UK financial stability

Published

3 years ago

September 28, 2022

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The Bank of England has launched a temporary bond-buying programme as it takes emergency action to prevent “material risk” to UK financial stability.

It revealed that it would buy as many long-dated government bonds as needed between now and 14th October in a bid to stabilise financial markets in the wake of the mayhem that followed the government’s mini-budget last Friday.

In addition to the plunge in the value of the pound, it has also seen investors demand a greater rate of return for UK government bonds – essentially IOUs.

That is because the level of borrowing required to fund the government giveaway, including tax cuts and energy aid for households and businesses, shocked the market which immediately questioned the sustainability of the public finances.

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What this action is aimed at doing is tackling consequences of rising yields, in this instance a liquidity crunch facing pension funds.

WHY THE BANK OF ENGLAND HAS ACTED

Ian King

Business presenter

@iankingsky

There are some very, very specific reasons why the Bank of England is intervening in this particular asset class in long-dated gilts – that’s gilts of a 20 to 30 year duration.

It affects traditional pension funds where a retiree is guaranteed a certain payout at their retirement based on their final salary when they retire.

Now, a lot of these funds use long-dated gilts as part of their investments and what has been happening over recent days is a lot of the investment funds have been asking pension funds to post more collateral – to put up cash.

It has been reported in The Times that actually these cash calls have been running into tens of billions of pounds since the beginning of the week because of this spike in long-dated gilt yields.

That is why the Bank of England is specifically targeting that with this gilt intervention.

It is aimed at seeing off a crisis that’s potentially starting to emerge in pension funds.

The Bank said in a statement: “Were dysfunction in this (long-dated bond) market to continue or worsen, there would be a material risk to UK financial stability.

“This would lead to an unwarranted tightening of financing conditions and a reduction of the flow of credit to the real economy.”

The programme marked the Bank’s first policy intervention as it battles to bring down inflation and ease the cost of living crisis. Its chief economist signalled on Tuesday that a “significant” rise in Bank rate was also likely ahead.

The government’s growth plan is only seen as adding inflationary pressure to the economy, leaving it at loggerheads with the Bank’s mandate.

The Bank said the bond purchases, which would be fully covered by the Treasury in the event of any losses, would be sold back once market conditions had stabilised.

The announcement certainly had an immediate effect on the market.

Data showed that 30-year bond yields fell back to 4.3%, having risen to levels above 5% not seen since 2022 earlier in the day. There were similar falls for 20-year yields.

Those for ten-year bonds also fell back below 4% from 4.6%.

Stock markets, which had endured widespread falls Europe-wide amid recession fears, erased some of their losses.

The FTSE 100 had ben almost 2% down but was just 0.8% lower on the day just before 1pm.

The pound, however, was a cent and a half down versus the dollar to stand at $1.0578 and a cent lower against the euro.

The single European currency was also suffering against a resurgent US currency.

In addition to its bond-buying action, the Bank said it would postpone the start of its efforts to unwind the sale of bonds it acquired through financial crisis and COVID crisis era quantitative easing.

The Bank had planned to reduce its £838bn of gilt holdings by £80bn over the next year.

Neil Wilson, chief markets analyst at Markets.com, said the Bank’s move followed evidence of “severe liquidity stress”.

This would have been particularly evident for pension funds who have faced demands for additional cash to cover off rising yields.

“The question is whether (this Bank action) acts to stabilise longer-term or if the market retests the Bank’s resolve”, he wrote.

“We’re now seeing the Bank go toe-to-toe with the market and this might not lead to any decrease in volatility”, he warned.

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Tesla approves $29bn share award to Elon Musk

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47 mins ago

August 4, 2025

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Tesla approves bn share award to Elon Musk

Tesla’s board has signed off a $29bn (£21.8bn) share award to Elon Musk after a court blocked an earlier package worth almost double that sum.

The new award, which amounts to 96 million new shares, is not just about keeping the electric vehicle (EV) firm’s founder in the driving seat as chief executive.

The new stock will also bolster his voting power from a current level of 13%.

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He and other shareholders have long argued that boosting his interest in the company is key to maintaining his focus after a foray into the trappings of political power at Donald Trump‘s side – a relationship that has now turned sour.

Musk is angry at the president’s tax cut and spending plans, known as the big beautiful bill. Tesla has also suffered a sales backlash as a result of Musk’s past association with Mr Trump and role in cutting federal government spending.

The company is currently focused on the roll out of a new cheaper model in a bid to boost flagging sales and challenge steep competition, particularly from China.

The headwinds have been made stronger as the Trump administration has cut support for EVs, with Musk admitting last month that it could lead to a “few rough quarters” for the company.

Tesla is currently running trials of its self-driving software and revenues are not set to reflect the anticipated rollout until late next year.

Musk had been in line for a share award worth over $50bn back in 2018 – the biggest compensation package ever seen globally.

But the board’s decision was voided by a judge in Delaware following a protracted legal fight. There is still a continuing appeal process.

Earlier this year, Tesla said its board had formed a special committee to consider some compensation matters involving Musk, without disclosing details.

The special committee said in the filing on Monday: “While we recognize Elon’s business ventures, interests and other potential demands on his time and attention are extensive and wide-ranging… we are confident that this award will incentivize Elon to remain at Tesla”.

It added that if the Delaware courts fully reinstate the 2018 “performance award”, the new interim grant would either be forfeited or offset to ensure no “double dip”.

The new compensation package is subject to shareholder approval.

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Motor finance operators can breathe big sigh of relief

Published

47 mins ago

August 4, 2025

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Motor finance operators can breathe big sigh of relief

Bank stocks have enjoyed a boost as traders digest the Supreme Court’s ruling on the car finance scandal.

Some of the country’s most exposed lenders, including Lloyds and Close Brothers, saw their share prices jump by 7.55% and 21.62% respectively.

It came after the court delivered a reprieve from a possible £44bn compensation bill.

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Banks will still most likely have to fork out over discretionary commissions – a type of commission for dealers that was linked to how high an interest rate they could get from customers.

The FCA, which banned the practice in 2021, is currently consulting on a redress scheme but the final bill is unlikely to exceed £18bn. Overall, the result has been better than expected for the banks.

Lloyds, which owns the country’s largest car finance provider Black Horse, had set aside £1.2bn to cover compensation payouts.

Following the judgment, the bank said it “currently believes that if there is any change to the provision, it is unlikely to be material in the context of the group”.

The judgment released some of the anxiety that has been weighing over the Bank’s share price.

Jonathan Pierce, banking analyst at Jefferies, said the FCA’s prediction was “consistent with our estimates, and most importantly, we think it largely de-risks Lloyds’ shares from the ‘motor issue'”.

Bank stocks have responded robustly to each twist and turn in this tale, sinking after the Court of Appeal turned against them and jumping (as much as 8% in the case of Close Brothers) when the Supreme Court allowed the appeal hearing.

Concerns about this volatility motivated the Supreme Court to deliver its judgment late in the afternoon so that traders would have time to absorb the news.

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FCA considering compensation scheme over car finance scandal – raising hopes of payouts for motorists

Published

22 hours ago

August 3, 2025

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FCA considering compensation scheme over car finance scandal - raising hopes of payouts for motorists

Thousands of motorists who bought cars on finance before 2021 could be set for payouts as the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has said it will consult on a compensation scheme.

In a statement released on Sunday, the FCA said its review of the past use of motor finance “has shown that many firms were not complying with the law or our disclosure rules that were in force when they sold loans to consumers”.

“Where consumers have lost out, they should be appropriately compensated in an orderly, consistent and efficient way,” the statement continued.

The FCA said it estimates the cost of any scheme, including compensation and administrative costs, to be no lower than £9bn – adding that a total cost of £13.5bn is “more plausible”.

It is unclear how many people could be eligible for a pay-out. The authority estimates most individuals will probably receive less than £950 in compensation.

The consultation will be published by early October and any scheme will be finalised in time for people to start receiving compensation next year.

What motorists should do next

The FCA says you may be affected if you bought a car under a finance scheme, including hire purchase agreements, before 28 January 2021.

Anyone who has already complained does not need to do anything.

The authority added: “Consumers concerned that they were not told about commission, and who think they may have paid too much for the finance, should complain now.”

Its website advises drivers to complain to their finance provider first.

If you’re unhappy with the response, you can then contact the Financial Ombudsman.

The FCA has said any compensation scheme will be easy to participate in, without drivers needing to use a claims management company or law firm.

It has warned motorists that doing so could end up costing you 30% of any compensation in fees.

The announcement comes after the Supreme Court ruled on a separate, but similar, case on Friday.

The court overturned a ruling that would have meant millions of motorists could have been due compensation over “secret” commission payments made to car dealers as part of finance arrangements.

The FCA’s case concerns discretionary commission arrangements (DCAs) – a practice banned in 2021.

Under these arrangements, brokers and dealers increased the amount of interest they earned without telling buyers and received more commission for it. This is said to have then incentivised sellers to maximise interest rates.

In light of the Supreme Court’s judgment, any compensation scheme could also cover non-discretionary commission arrangements, the FCA has said. These arrangements are ones where the buyer’s interest rate did not impact the dealer’s commission.

This is because part of the court’s ruling “makes clear that non-disclosure of other facts relating to the commission can make the relationship [between a salesperson and buyer] unfair,” it said.

It was previously estimated that about 40% of car finance deals included DCAs while 99% involved a commission payment to a broker.

Nikhil Rathi, chief executive of the FCA, said: “It is clear that some firms have broken the law and our rules. It’s fair for their customers to be compensated.

“We also want to ensure that the market, relied on by millions each year, can continue to work well and consumers can get a fair deal.”