Two-year gilt yields – which are sensitive to the near-term outlook for interest rates – sank 6 bps to 4.362%, a slightly bigger fall than for German or U.S. bonds, and at 0725 GMT had been as low as 4.348%, a level last seen on July 20.
Ten-year gilt yields dropped below 5%, falling 5 bps to 4.986%, while 30-year gilt yields were 3 bps lower at 5.69%, both also the lowest since July 20 and moving broadly in line with U.S. and German debt.
On Monday, British government bond yields dipped to their lowest point in a week, prompted by a significant drop in oil prices from recent highs. Two-year gilt yields plummeted by six basis points, performing poorer than both German and US bonds. Additionally, ten-year gilt yields fell below five percent, marking their lowest level since July 20.
“Markets are broadly moving in a risk-on fashion as we would expect,” strategists at RBC Capital Markets said in a note to clients on Monday.
Even when oil prices were at $100 a barrel, no economist polled by Reuters expected the Bank of England to raise interest rates from their current 3.75% this Thursday and most continued to see a 7-2 vote split on the Monetary Policy Committee.
On Monday, financial markets – which have been more aggressive in their rate hike bets – pencilled in a 50% chance of a BoE rate rise by September’s meeting and saw a second rate rise by March 2027.
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