The chart below is fascinating to us, particularly in light of the fairly modest in magnitude, but quite speedy rise in UK yields. The chart shows the difference between futures prices for sterling 3 month LIBOR expiring in September 2022 and 3 years later, in September 2025. They price at 100 minus the interest rate, so a price of 99.5 equates to a 0.5% prevailing rate at expiry. Roughly speaking, individually the contracts can be interpreted as the markets best pricing for interest rates at those points in time, the spread between them gives a look at how the path is priced to get there.

A year ago, rates were priced to be at about zero in September 2022, and not much higher – maybe 1 hike – by September 2025. At a starting point of functionally zero rates – that’s a pretty poor prognosis for 5 years time. Earlier this year, the spread between contracts increased as the nearer maturity contract dropped a little in price – implying higher yields – while the longer maturity contract fell more in price. The spread widened to a high of 78bps in early summer. That’s the market roughly saying things are a bit better economically – over the next few years we will see about a hike per year.

The interesting part is not even the most recent drop in the September 2022 contract, as the market is pulling forward all those hikes into the next 1 year. Higher inflation and a better economy allowing the Bank of England to hike. So far so good, a bit aggressive maybe, but sure, probably some natural gas inflation in there. The interesting part to our eye is that the spread has collapsed. It is as if the market is saying ‘Sure you can hike now – but you’ll get to 1% and have to stop as the economy can’t withstand it, that’ll be it, maybe you’ll end up cutting again’. Now there are other things at play here in terms of pricing along the curves and longer rates being driven by other things – but as a fairly clean barometer its reasonable. The rubber is hitting the road on markets determining escape velocity. Will we get a self-sustaining recovery and a more normal economy that can sustain these yield levels and maybe higher as things take off? Or not? Its fascinating to watch play out…