UK bond yields hit fresh 18-year high, adding to pressure on Healey

British government bond yields hit fresh 18-year highs on Wednesday, tracking a broad global sell-off after the latest escalation of the Iran war and adding to the challenge facing finance minister John Healey ahead of his first budget.

The yield on 10-year gilts rose to its highest since June 2008 and hit 5.268 percent shortly after 0700 GMT, up about 4 basis points on the day and adding to a 15 bps increase on Tuesday.

The move was largely in line with rising borrowing costs for other European governments as investors worry about the inflationary impact of rising oil prices caused by the resumption of conflict in the Gulf.

But the increase in debt servicing costs for the government comes at a sensitive time for Britain's new Prime Minister Andy Burnham and Healey who are preparing for their first budget on October 28.

Economists at Pantheon Macroeconomics said the jump in gilt yields had sharply reduced Healey's margin of error for hitting the government's targets for improving the public finances.

"Higher interest costs cut fiscal headroom to about £13 billion (HK$137.68 billion), from £23.6 billion in the Spring Statement," they told clients in a note.

"The Chancellor needs to raise taxes or reduce spending by £11 billion per year just to get the thin margin of headroom back to where it was. Markets will be on edge as the budget approaches and the government keeps making spending commitments."

Shorter-dated borrowing costs also rose on Wednesday with five-year gilt yields hitting their highest since October 2023, up 4 bps to 4.7534 percent.

Reuters

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