Connect with us

Published

on

UK government borrowing costs have hit a 20-year high after the Bank of England confirmed its emergency bond-buying programme will end on Friday as planned.

On Wednesday morning, it said all temporary and targeted purchases of UK government bonds, known as gilts, would stop.

This has been the position throughout and has been “made absolutely clear in contact with the banks at senior levels”, the Bank said in a statement.

However, the clarification of its position did little to soothe investor nerves, with a sell-off taking 20 and 30-year gilt yields – the rate demanded to hold government debt – to their highest level since 2002.

Both exceeded 5.1% earlier on Wednesday.

The emergency 13-day bond buying programme was started to avoid “dysfunction” in the pension market which took hold amid bond market unease over UK borrowing requirements following the government’s mini-budget.

The programme is aimed at tackling the consequences of rising interest rates on government bonds, which increased the cost of holding the bonds and resulted in pension funds facing a liquidity crunch.

There had earlier been suggestions that the Bank could backtrack, however, and extend the bond-buying beyond Friday’s cut-off.

The Financial Times said the Bank had been privately telling those working in pension funds that it could be extended.

This came despite the governor, Andrew Bailey, firmly stating pension funds had “three days left… to get this done” at an event in Washington on Tuesday evening.

In its statement on Wednesday, the Bank reaffirmed it would continue to support the pension markets in other ways beyond Friday.

This would be done via the Bank’s temporary yet open-ended measure to help lenders facing liquidity issues who work with the corner of the pensions market that had experienced difficulties. The measure was announced on Monday.

The Financial Times report said those involved in derivatives needed more time to avoid the forced selling that led to the Bank’s intervention on 28 September.

Read more:
What on earth is happening in UK markets?
What are bonds and where do they fit in the mini-budget crisis?

It was revealed later in the day that the Bank accepted £1.9bn worth of offers in its daily index-linked bond buy-back operation.

It also accepted all £2.3754bn of long-dated conventional gilts which it was offered – the highest sum since the scheme began on 28 September but well below the £5bn it would have been prepared to buy.

The pound clawed back some of the losses versus the dollar incurred on Tuesday after Mr Bailey’s refusal to extend the bond-buying support beyond Friday, trading just shy of $1.11.

30-year bond yields were hovering just below their level before the Bank’s first intervention – at 4.9% – after striking the 20-year high earlier in the day.

The thinking behind the emergency bond-buying has been questioned by the Treasury Committee of MPs.

The chair of the Treasury Committee, Mel Stride, wrote to the deputy governor at the Bank on Wednesday and asked for an update on the emergency interventions, querying what further action will be required by the Bank to prevent risks to financial stability.

Mr Stride also asked how the Bank decided to expand its emergency intervention on Monday, to launch new liquidity support to lenders and start buying index linked gilts (with interest rates in line with inflation). He questioned why these interventions were not part of the original intervention announced on 28 September.

What is the Bank of England’s bond-buying programme?

The Bank signalled it is ready to increase interest rates again in November as it fights to bring inflation down to 2%. Most recent figures show inflation was at 9.9%.

Once again the Bank’s chief economist, Huw Pill, said interest rates likely need to rise.

“At present, I am still inclined to believe that a significant monetary policy response will be required to the significant macro and market news of the past few weeks.”

The Bank’s monthly financial policy summary was released on Wednesday and warned UK households will become more vulnerable to financial shocks.

“Rises in the cost of living and interest rates will increase pressure on UK household finances and make households more vulnerable to shocks,” the Bank’s Financial Policy Summary and Record said.

Further warnings on the economic health of businesses were issued: “For businesses, higher costs, lower household demand and rising interest rates will reduce earnings. Some may find it harder to repay debts.”

Households may be less impacted by rising interest rates due to being on fixed-term repayment plans and having less debt, the Bank said. Accordingly there is a reduced risk of defaulting on repayments.

“People have less debt (relative to their incomes) and the share of high loan-to-value mortgages is much lower than before the global financial crisis. This reduces the risk of them defaulting on debt and banks are now required to be flexible in their response,” the report said.

The banks are in a better position than the financial crash too and are able to help households should they fall into financial difficulty, the Bank concluded.

“The UK banking sector is substantially more resilient than before the global financial crisis, with significantly higher levels of capital and liquidity. They can continue to support households and businesses even if economic conditions get worse.”

Continue Reading

World

Donald Trump confirms Mexico and Canada tariffs – prompting a stock sell-off

Published

on

By

Donald Trump confirms Mexico and Canada tariffs - prompting a stock sell-off

Donald Trump’s 25% tariffs on goods from Mexico and Canada have come into effect, as has an additional 10% on Chinese products, bringing the total import tax to 20%.

The US president confirmed the tariffs in a speech at the White House – and his announcement sent US and European stocks down sharply.

The tariffs will be felt heavily by US companies which have factories in Canada and Mexico, such as carmakers.

Mr Trump said: “They’re going to have a tariff. So what they have to do is build their car plants, frankly, and other things in the United States, in which case they have no tariffs.”

There’s “no room left” for a deal that would see the tariffs shelved if fentanyl flowing into the US is curbed by its neighbours, he added.

Mexico and Canada face tariffs of 25%, with 10% for Canadian energy, the Trump administration confirmed.

And tariffs on Chinese imports have doubled, raising them from 10% to 20%.

More on Donald Trump

Canada announced it would retaliate immediately, imposing 25% tariffs on US imports worth C$30bn (£16.3bn). It added the tariffs would be extended in 21 days to cover more US goods entering the country if the US did not lift its sanctions against Canada.

China also vowed to retaliate and reiterated its stance that the Trump administration was trying to “shift the blame” and
“bully” Beijing over fentanyl flows.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

What is America’s trade position?

Mr Trump’s speech stoked fears of a trade war in North America, prompting a financial market sell-off.

Stock market indexes the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the Nasdaq Composite fell by 1.48% and 2.64% respectively on Monday.

The share prices for automobile companies including General Motors, which has significant truck production in Mexico, Automaker and Ford also fell.

👉 Follow Trump 100 on your podcast app 👈

Consumers in the US could see price hikes within days, an expert has said.

Gustavo Flores-Macias, a public policy professor at Cornell University, New York, said “the automobile sector, in particular, is likely to see considerable negative consequences”.

This is due to supply chains that “crisscross the three countries in the manufacturing process” and ” because of the expected increase in the price of vehicles, which can dampen demand,” he added.

Read more:
The effects of Trump trade tariffs explained
Trump hits out at Zelenskyy again

The Trump administration is gearing up to bring in other tariffs in the coming weeks.

On 2 April, reciprocal tariffs will take effect on all countries that impose duties on US products.

He is also considering 25% tariffs on goods from the EU “very soon” after claiming the bloc was created to “screw the United States”.

Continue Reading

World

More than 30 killed in Bolivia bus crash – second deadly collision within days

Published

on

By

More than 30 killed in Bolivia bus crash - second deadly collision within days

A truck has collided with a bus in southern Bolivia, killing at least 31 people, according to police – just two days after a deadly crash claimed at least 37 lives.

Officers said the bus rolled some 500m (1,640ft) down a ravine after the collision on Monday, which took place on the highway between Oruro, in the Bolivian Altiplano, and the highland mining city of Potosi.

The driver of the truck has been arrested, while the cause of the accident is under investigation.

Police spokesperson Limbert Choque said men and women were among the dead, and 22 people suffered injuries.

** on right of picture are bodies ** First responders work at the site after a crash between a vehicle and a bus along a highway in Lenas, Potosi, southern Bolivia, March 3, 2025, in this handout image obtained from social media. Bolivia's Attorney General/Handout via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES. MANDATORY CREDIT
Image:
Rescue teams operating at the site of the crash. Pic: Bolivia’s attorney general/Reuters

Bolivia’s President, Luis Arce, expressed condolences for the victims on social media: “This unfortunate event must be investigated to establish responsibilities,” he said in a post on Facebook.

“We send our most sincere condolences to the bereaved families, wishing them the necessary strength to face these difficult times.”

Map showing location of collision, which took place on the highway between Oruro, in the Bolivian Altiplano, and the highland mining city of Potosi.
Image:
The crash happened between Oruro and Potosi

On Saturday morning, a crash between two buses killed more than three dozen people in the same region.

More on Bolivia

It happened between Colchani and the city of Uyuni, a major tourist attraction and the world’s largest salt flat.

People stand near the wreckage of one of the two buses involved in the crash.
Pic: Reuters/Potosi Departmental Command
Image:
People stand near the wreckage of one of the two buses involved in a crash on Saturday. Pic: Reuters/Potosi Departmental Command

Coincidentally, one of the buses was heading to Oruro, where one of the most important carnival celebrations in Latin America is currently taking place.

Read more from Sky News:
Pope suffered ‘acute respiratory failure’
Drones weakening Russia’s combat ability

More than 30 people were also killed after a bus crash on 17 February.

In that crash, police said the driver appeared to have lost control of the vehicle, causing it to drop more than 800m (2,600ft) off a precipice in the southwestern area of Yocalla.

Bolivia’s mountainous, undermaintained and poorly supervised roads are some of the deadliest in the world, claiming an average 1,400 fatalities every year.

Continue Reading

World

The Pope has had ‘two episodes of acute respiratory failure’, Vatican says

Published

on

By

The Pope has had 'two episodes of acute respiratory failure', Vatican says

The Pope has had two episodes of “acute respiratory failure”, the Vatican has said.

The 88-year-old has been in hospital since 14 February with a severe respiratory infection that triggered other complications.

The Vatican said the respiratory failures were caused by “significant accumulation” of mucus in his lungs and a “bronchospasm”, akin to an asthma attack.

Doctors were then required to perform two bronchoscopies – a test which sees medics use a long, thin, telescope with a light to look into the lungs – to evaluate the Pope’s air passages, the statement said.

“In the afternoon, non-invasive mechanical ventilation was resumed,” the Vatican continued. “The Holy Father has always remained vigilant, oriented and collaborative. The prognosis remains reserved.”

Vatican sources said the situation had been calm this morning, before becoming worse this afternoon.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Behind the scenes at the Vatican

The respiratory issues the Pope suffered today are due to an ongoing infection rather than a new one but he is not out of danger, they added.

Asked if the Pope is in good spirits, they gave no answer. When asked if the Vatican’s apartment is getting ready to welcome Francis back, the source said it was too premature to discuss this.

His clinical picture remains complex, they said.

More from Sky News:
Artist found dead at his flat
Trump hits out at Zelenskyy again

Earlier on Monday, Pope Francis issued a written message after Vatican officials begged him to let his voice be heard following more than two weeks out of public view.

He thanked his doctors for their care and well-wishers for their prayers, before praying for peace in Ukraine and elsewhere.

“From here, war appears even more absurd,” he wrote.

Catholic faithful attend a nightly rosary prayer for the health of Pope Francis in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Sunday, March 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)
Image:
People at a nightly rosary prayer for the Pope in St. Peter’s Square yesterday evening. Pic: AP

This has become the longest public absence of his 12-year papacy.

Cardinal Konrad Krajewski presided over the evening rosary prayer in St Peter’s Square on Sunday night.

“Let us pray together with the entire church for the health of the Holy Father Francis,” he said.

Continue Reading

Trending