UK gilts fall after EU agrees for co-operation in avoiding a 'Hard Brexit'

The UK gilts suffered Friday after the European Union has agreed to do every bit on its part to avoid a 'Hard Brexit' by the United Kingdom, leading to investors’ confidence in riskier assets, thus pulling bond prices down.

The yield on the benchmark 10-year gilts, rose 1 basis point to 1.39 percent, the super-long 30-year bond yields also climbed nearly 1 basis point to 1.95 percent and the yield on the short-term 2-year traded flat at 0.47 percent by 10:20 GMT.

For now, sterling appears to have locked in yesterday afternoon’s rebound, which seemed to respond to the Handelsblatt reports – ahead of next week’s key EU27 summit – that chief EU negotiator Barnier will seek support today at a meeting of EU ambassadors in Brussels for the authority to offer the UK a transitional 2-year membership of the single market and customs union, conditional on the UK committing to meet all its financial obligations and all other responsibilities of an EU member (e.g. full ECJ jurisdiction throughout the transition).

The FT has a slightly different take, i.e. that EU leaders next week will give the green light to start “internal preparatory discussions” without the UK about the transition deal and longer-term future relationship. Certainly, the UK will need to budge further on the first-round issues of the financial settlement, citizens’ rights and Northern Irish border to be able to participate in negotiations on the key longer-term issues.

After the BCC’s latest quarterly economic survey presented today judged overall conditions to be ‘uninspiring’, highlighting notable new weakness in the all-important services sector, it should be a quiet end to the week for euro area economic data, with no top-tier releases due.

Meanwhile, the FTSE 100 traded 0.18 percent lower at 7,542.25 by 10:20 GMT, while at 10:00GMT, the FxWirePro's Hourly Pound Strength Index remained neutral at -5.97 (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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