London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Jul 29, 2025

Bank of England to stop government bond-buying scheme today

Bank of England to stop government bond-buying scheme today

Pressure on gilts - UK government bonds - eased on Thursday as the Bank of England sought to steady market sentiment by increasing its bond-buying activity.

The Bank of England is set to stop its government bond-buying scheme today after attempting to reassure the UK's financial markets.

The Bank launched the unprecedented intervention after the chancellor's mini-budget caused chaos within the markets, as well as a potential pension pots crisis.

It promised to buy up to £65bn in government bonds - which are known as gilts - from those who wanted to sell them.

The government issues bonds to raise money for public spending, often used to service pension funds and the life insurance market.

Banks and big financial institutions that buy the gilts from the government at auction can sell them on to smaller financial institutions, traders or investors on the open market.

The price - or rate - at which they are bought and sold will be higher if investors think the government is able to repay the debt when the bond matures.

But when confidence in the UK economy falls, so does the bond price.

This increases the yield, the rate of interest or cost of borrowing, as investors seek to protect their money.

How much did the BoE spend on bonds?


The scheme launched by the Bank of England was designed to restore confidence in the government's finances - increasing bond prices and decreasing the yields it has to pay on them.

Initially, the Bank's intervention seemed to push down yields on these gilts.

But on Wednesday, yields had surged as high as 5.1%, the same level they reached before the Bank's initial intervention.

As part of the programme, the Bank bought around £4.35bn of bonds on Wednesday and £4.7bn on Thursday in an increased effort to help soothe the markets.

It brings the total bond buying to £17.8bn.

Ultimately, it has helped to prop up pension funds at a time when they were already under a lot of strain from global financial pressures.

Another U-turn expected


Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng and Prime Minister Liz Truss are now under pressure to reinstate a planned increase in corporation tax from April.

On Thursday night, the chancellor announced he would be returning to the UK from the US earlier than planned, amid growing expectation of a government U-turn on corporation tax.

The widely anticipated move appeared to reassure the finance industry, after Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey spooked the markets by insisting that the emergency support would not be extended.

Mr Kwarteng has also that there would be "no real cuts to public spending", appearing to double down on comments made in the House of Commons by the PM on Wednesday.

The government's plans revolve around securing an increase in economic growth - with a target of an annual rise of around 2.5% in gross domestic product.

The crucial date will be 31 October, when the forecasts presented by the Office for Budget Responsibility alongside the chancellor's statement will give an assessment on whether such a plan is realistic.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
A family has been arrested in the UK for displaying the British flag
Mel Gibson refuses to work with Robert De Niro, saying, "Keep that woke clown away from me."
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
The British propaganda channel BBC News lies again.
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
×