UK gilts slump on investors’ higher risk appetite, profit-booking

The UK gilts slumped Friday as investors booked in profits on the last trading day of the week and as investors stayed away from safe-haven assets in muted trading activity ongoing Brexit negotiations.

The yield on the benchmark 10-year gilts, jumped nearly 3 basis points to 1.23percent, the super-long 30-year bond yields rose 1-1/2 basis points to 1.86 percent and the yield on the short-term 2-year also traded nearly 1 basis point higher at 0.26 percent by 10:30 GMT.

Overnight brought the GfK consumer confidence survey results for July. And having dropped to -11 in June, the headline index of consumer sentiment inched down once again this month to -12 to match the lowest level since the EU referendum. Among the various components, consumers’ assessment of the recent economic situation dropped to a four-year low, and the index reflecting their perceptions of the climate for making major purchases was also weaker.

The survey indicators related to the health of personal finances, however, remained broadly unchanged from levels seen in the first half of the year. So, while the tight labour market seems to be giving some support to consumers’ confidence in their own financial situation, high inflation, weak GDP growth, and the unstable political backdrop and Brexit risks seem to be exerting additional downward pressure on overall confidence.

"With little chance of a notable improvement in any of those factors over coming months, we expect consumer confidence to remain weak, contributing to the sluggish trend of household spending," Daiwa Capital Markets commented in its latest research report.

Meanwhile, the FTSE 100 slumped 0.81 percent to 7,383.25 by 10:30 GMT, while at 10:00GMT, the FxWirePro's Hourly Pound Strength Index remained neutral at 54.83 (a reading above +75 indicates a bullish trend, while that below -75 a bearish trend). For more details, visit http://www.fxwirepro.com/currencyindex

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