Government bonds across the UK and Europe faced renewed selling pressure on Wednesday, with short-dated maturities leading the decline as escalating oil and gas prices weighed heavily on fixed-income markets.
The yield on the 10-year UK gilt climbed 5 basis points to reach 5.23%, while its German counterpart briefly rose by a similar margin, touching 3.42% during the trading session.
Traders have intensified their wagers on additional monetary tightening from both the Bank of England and the European Central Bank. Market pricing now reflects a cumulative 36 basis points of rate increases from the Bank of England by year-end, alongside 51 basis points of tightening anticipated from the ECB.
Furthermore, investors have fully priced in a total of 50 basis points of rate hikes from the Bank of England by February of next year.
Adding to the inflationary pressures, Brent crude oil has surged past the $100 per barrel threshold for the first time since July, while European natural gas prices have climbed to their highest levels observed since January 2023.