London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, May 09, 2025

Liz Truss resignation sparks recovery for pound, shares and government borrowing costs

Liz Truss resignation sparks recovery for pound, shares and government borrowing costs

The markets are likely to reflect jitters in the coming days on whether the new occupant of Number 10 will want to change direction again following the mini-budget U-turns of the past few weeks.

There has been a positive market reaction to the resignation of Liz Truss after just 44 days in office, following the fierce backlash against her economic plan and humiliating climbdown.

News that the prime minister was to make a Downing Street statement sparked a rally for sterling versus the dollar - leaving the UK currency almost a cent up on the day at one stage at almost $1.13 before settling at $1.12 in the late afternoon.

It originally rose half a cent following confirmation she was to leave office.

Shares also moved upwards initially on the FTSE 100 before closing higher than opening trading while government borrowing costs fell.

The 30-year gilt yield fell back to 3.8% - continuing its recovery since the post mini-budget highs of around 5% that sparked Bank of England intervention. As the afternoon progressed the figure rose to the 3.9% of Thursday morning.

It took a series of U-turns on the tax-cutting growth plan, demanded by new Chancellor Jeremy Hunt after the sacking of Kwasi Kwarteng, for market damage to ease.

The reaction to the departure of Ms Truss signalled a measure of relief that the architect of the Growth Plan - outlined during her campaign for the Tory leadership - was on her way out.


Nevertheless, there was also a measure of uncertainty at play for values, given the complete lack of vision on who would replace the prime minister in Number 10.

It will not be Mr Hunt, who has ruled himself out, leaving him free to continue preparations for the Halloween statement that is to set out the government's new medium-term fiscal plan.

There will be some jitters over whether its direction is likely to change - or even be delayed to allow the new Tory leader to get their feet under the desk.

There has been no indication that the statement will be delayed as it is expected that the successor will be in place before 31 October.

Susannah Streeter, senior investment and markets analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, said of the market moves: "Sterling is highly sensitive to economic policy uncertainty and even though the ship Britannia will still be left largely rudderless, with a successor still to be chosen, as far as investors are concerned, the future is marginally brighter without her in charge.

"Ten-year gilt yields eased further today, as speculation soared about her resignation, a sign of tacit approval from the bond vigilantes who punished the UK by deserting its government's debt as worries raced up about fiscal responsibility."

Business appealed for a more stable period ahead.

Tony Danker, the director-general of the CBI, said: "The politics of recent weeks have undermined the confidence of people, businesses, markets and global investors in Britain.

"That must now come to an end if we are to avoid yet more harm to households and firms.

"Stability is key. The next prime minister will need to act to restore confidence from day one.

"They will need to deliver a credible fiscal plan for the medium term as soon as possible, and a plan for the long-term growth of our economy."

Pantheon Macroeconomics, the economic research consultancy, said in its October UK economic chartbook: "The economy is heading for a prolonged recession … the MPC [the interest rate setting Monetary Policy Committee] will hike Bank Rate further, but will relent at about 4%."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Historic Papal Conclave Set to Commence in Rome
Huge Copper, Gold, and Silver Discovery in Argentina and Chile — But the Profits Go Abroad
Prince Harry is pleading for reconciliation — but the royals are just as sick of his victimhood as everyone else
The Road to Freedom: She Protested Putin, Escaped House Arrest, and Survived a 2,800-Kilometer Journey
OpenAI's Flip-Flop: No Longer Going Commercial, Back to Nonprofit, After Musk Lawsuit and Backlash
“Trump Supporter” Aims to Bring a MAGA-Style Shift to Romania
First From China: Zhao Xintong Wins the Snooker World Championship
Nvidia Faces Billion-Dollar Losses – Warns: China Is on Its Way to Becoming an AI Superpower
Trump Rules Out Third Term, Names JD Vance and Marco Rubio as Potential Successors
Mexico Says ‘No’ to U.S. Troops: President Sheinbaum Rejects Trump’s Offer to Fight Cartels
Nigel Farage’s Reform UK Storms the Map, Wrecking the Two-Party Monopoly
DOGE: Reimagining Government Operations with AI
Common Sense Returns to Britain's Legal System: UK Supreme Court Declares a Woman Is… a Woman
Beijing Says U.S. Is ‘Reaching Out’ for Tariff Talks Amid Soaring Trade Tensions
U.K. Court Rejects Prince Harry’s Final Appeal Over Police Security
Prince Harry’s Heartfelt Outburst Rocks the Royal Family
Trump Shares AI-Generated Image of Himself as… Pope, Prompting Outrage Reaction
Transgender Swimmer Secures Five Gold Medals at U.S. Masters Championship
Prince Harry: “I Want Reconciliation with My Family”
Germany's Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party has now been officially labeled “right-wing extremist” by the federal office for the so-called “protection of the constitution.”
Amazon Launches Satellite Internet Service Amidst Competition with SpaceX
Transformative Changes in Women's Wrestling: The Rise of WWE Superstars
The Rush to the White Gold: Global Investment Surge in Natural Hydrogen Exploration
This is a day in Spain without electricity and internet
Reform UK Surprises in British Elections, Challenging Traditional Two-Party System
180-Year-Old Christian University in South Carolina Announces Closure Due to Unmet $6 Million Fundraising Goal
Brazilian Woman Jailed for Fourteen Years for Writing “You Lost, Idiot” on Statue During Protest
Trump Administration Removes National Security Adviser Mike Waltz Amid Signal Chat Controversy
Dutch Politician Eva Vlaardingerbroek Receives Spyware Threat Alert from Apple
Paramount Board Considers Settlement in Trump’s $20 Billion Lawsuit Over "60 Minutes" Interview
U.S. Economy Shrink in Trump’s First Quarter as Tariff Policy Raises Questions
Deadline Looms for RTS Meter Replacement: Hundreds of Thousands at Risk of Heating Disruption
Sweden Grapples with Deadly Gun Violence: Suspect Arrested After Three Young Men Killed in Uppsala Hair Salon
Walz Reveals Why Harris Chose Him as Her Running Mate and Reflects on Democratic Losses
Spain Restores Power After Unprecedented Nationwide Blackout
Carney Secures Liberal Mandate in Canada’s Federal Election
Death Penalty Sought as Luigi Manion Pleads Not Guilty in CEO Murder Case
President Trump contacts Jeff Bezos after reports of Amazon considering listing tariff surcharges; company clarifies no such plan for main platform
Spain and Portugal Recover from Massive Blackout
Liverpool Clinches Record-Equalling 20th English League Title Under Arne Slot
Singapore Politicians Warn Against Foreign Interference in Election
Driver Ploughs into Vancouver Festival Crowd, Killing Nine
Depression, Fear of Defamation, and a Tragic End: New Details on Virginia Giuffre’s Suicide
“Sharia for UK, Allah Akbar!”
Massive Explosion at Iran's Bandar Abbas Port Linked to Suspicious Chemical Shipments
Incident Reflection: A Harsh Reality Check
Pakistani migrants to Danish man: “ “We have 5 children while you have 1 or 2. In 10 years, there will be more Pakistanis than Danes here.“
Clashes Erupt in London as Tensions Rise Between Indian and Pakistani Communities
Specialized anti-drone weapons deployed among security personnel Ahead of Papal Funeral
How do you fix this culture?
×