The government has sold a gilt with a negative yield for the first time. An auction by the Debt Management Office of a gilt maturing in July 2023 sold at an average yield of -0.003 per cent.
A negative yield means that the government is effectively being rewarded to borrow as investors agree to be repaid slightly less than they lent.
Central banks have cut rates 148 times this year
Since the start of this year, research has calculated central banks around the world have cut their key interest rates 148 times by a cumulative 12,488 basis points (bp). While the US has cut rates by 150 bp so far this year and the European Central Bank has left rates on hold – at already very low levels – Argentina has cut by 1700bp, Ukraine by 550bp and Pakistan by 425bp. Source: Datastream, AXA IM