LONDON: Homeowners and renters in the United Kingdom faced further grim news on Tuesday as mortgage rates hit levels not seen since unfunded tax cuts announced by the government last fall spooked investors.
With the Bank of England raising interest rates to a 15-year high of 5 percent to battle high inflation, it’s natural for lenders to increase the cost of borrowing to consumers and businesses. But inflation is proving more stubborn than expected, and the bank is expected to keep hiking rates, potentially to 6 percent, a level not seen since 2001.
That prospect is having a knock-on effect in the cost of mortgages. According to financial information company Moneyfacts, the average rate for a five-year fixed-rate mortgage in the UK hit 6.01 percent on Tuesday from 5.97 percent the previous day.
That is the highest since the aftermath of last fall’s tax plan from Liz Truss’ short-lived government, which caused investors to lose faith in the state of Britain’s public finances.
The worry is that mortgage rates could surpass those levels if the central bank keeps hiking, creating another pain point amid a cost-of-living crisis that has fueled strikes by workers seeking higher pay.
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