UK borrowing costs hit widest gap over German Bunds in 14 months
LONDON, Nov 5 (Reuters) -The difference between the yields on British and German short-maturity bonds grew further to reach its widest in almost 14 months on Tuesday, almost a week after the government's first budget pushed up its borrowing costs.
The gap between British and German two-year yields DE2GB2=RR increased by about 4 basis points on the day to 217.3 basis points at 1315 GMT, its mostsince September last year.
The spread between five-year gilts and Bunds DE5GB5=RR reached 210.2basis points, also the biggest difference since September 2023.
The yields on British two-year GB2YT=RR and five-year government bonds GB5YT=RR were up by 6 basis points at 1315 GMT, outpacing rises for their German and U.S. equivalents, while the 5-basis-point rise in 10-year gilt yields to 4.51% GB10YT=RRwas similar to that for Bunds.
British government bond prices fell sharply last week, pushing up yields, after finance minister Rachel Reeves delivered her budget on Oct. 30. The plan includes higher-than-expected spending and a jump in borrowing which is bigger than the 40 billion pounds ($52 billion)in tax increases.
The drop was attributed by many analysts to the likelihood of the Bank of England cutting interest rates by less than had previously been expected.
The selloff abated on Friday and Monday before Tuesday's revival of selling pressure as part of a wider rise in bond yields as investors braced for potential volatility as results come in from the U.S. presidential election.
Demand at a sale of 3.75 billion pounds of benchmark 10-year gilts on Tuesday was the weakest for any auction since December.
The BoE is widely expected to cut its benchmark rate by a quarter of a percentage point on Thursday. Investors are watching closely for any hint that the government's fiscal plans will cause it to slow the pace of future rate cuts.
The head of Britain's budget watchdog said earlier on Tuesday that thesurge in gilt yields since the budget had been slightly largerthan the agency expected.
"Where gilt yields have settled down I would say are broadly in line with that expectation, maybe a little bit above, but not significantly," Richard Hughes, chair of the Office for Budget Responsibility, told parliament's Treasury Committee.
($1 = 0.7705 pounds)
Writing by William Schomberg; additional reporting by David Milliken, editing by Ed Osmond
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