The past few weeks in the U.K. financial markets have been extraordinary. The risk premium placed on the issuance of public and private debt has roiled both domestic and global financial markets. The demise of the Truss government and the prospect of a new prime minister with a more fiscally ... READ MORE >
RSM UK Financial Conditions Index
RSM UK Financial Conditions Index implies rising risk of instability
The RSM UK Financial Conditions Index is warning of a dramatic increase in credit risk that, along with the depreciation of sterling, has the potential to derail commercial activity in the United Kingdom. Growing financial stress has exposed the difficulties that global central banks face in ... READ MORE >
Confusion has its cost: RSM UK Financial Conditions Index shows growing drag
The Bank of England announced on Wednesday that it would temporarily step in to purchase long-dated bonds to tamp down disorderly market conditions that have prevailed since the Truss government announced its plan to cut taxes. The £45 billion ($50 billion) plan comes on top of the government’s ... READ MORE >
RSM UK Financial Conditions Index: Holding steady
Financial conditions in the UK remain accommodative, signaling confidence that the policies of the monetary and fiscal authorities have created the framework for a sustained economic recovery. Ahead of the Bank of England’s critical decisions on policy normalization on Thursday, this should provide ... READ MORE >
RSM UK Financial Conditions Index: Gimme shelter
Financial conditions in the U.K. have settled into a groove that would be rivaled only by the late Charlie Watts. As a result of this stability, the RSM UK Financial Conditions Index in August moved to its highest level since 2014, reaching 1.1 standard deviations above levels of risk that are ... READ MORE >
RSM UK Financial Conditions Index remains stout despite risk of virus resurgence
The Bank of England maintained its accommodative policy stance in its announcement on Aug. 5, keeping short-term interest rates at the zero-bound while continuing to put downward pressure on long-term interest rates through purchases and holdings of fixed-income securities. As a result, our RSM UK ... READ MORE >
RSM UK Financial Conditions Index: A milestone after 7 years of stress
Financial markets continue to signal little to no unease over the spread of the delta variant in the latest manifestation of the global pandemic as the United Kingdom moves toward a wider reopening on July 19. Despite the public health risks around the variant, financial conditions imply rising risk ... READ MORE >
RSM UK Financial Conditions Index: A third month of stability in May
The British financial sector and economy are showing signs of entering a new phase in the business cycle. We have consistently made the case that V stood for vaccine and not the shape of the recovery. Thanks to the life sciences community and National Institutes of Health, there is now a vaccine, and we ... READ MORE >
RSM UK Financial Conditions Index: Setting the stage for recovery
The U.K.’s vaccination and shutdown programs are an apparent success. The percentage of the most vulnerable people, ages 50 and over, who have received at least one dose of the vaccine ranges from 87% in London to 98% in Scotland, and the results speak for themselves. Newly reported COVID-19 cases ... READ MORE >
RSM UK Financial Conditions Index improves even as the economy lags behind
The U.K. public appears to be winning its race with the pandemic. Newly reported cases of COVID-19 infections have plunged since January’s post-holiday surge and are now averaging 5,200 per day. The number of deaths has dipped as well, to 62 per day. These are encouraging signs that the public has taken ... READ MORE >