#interest-rates

#interest-rates

"That's a dangerous thing," he said Thursday during an interview with Bloomberg TV, describing a scenario where demand and prices for Treasuries fall as foreign interest in the market declines.

It's obviously welcome to see savings rates go up. Albeit from a low enough base. Several new providers such as Moco, Monzo, and Bankinter are all now quite active in the savings space in Ireland, so this is perhaps a response to increased competition.

Capital Southwest is an internally managed BDC that provides loans to lower-middle-market companies and earns interest on those loans. It borrows at lower rates, lends at higher rates, and passes the spread through to shareholders as income.

The current pressure is largely driven by tensions in the Middle East, as signals from the U.S. and Iran remain conflicting. While the U.S. has indicated that negotiations are ongoing, Iran has firmly denied any talks, increasing uncertainty around the prospects of de-escalation.

Brevan Howard's Master fund has given back its 2026 gains after falling 6% this month through last Friday, while Caxton Associates is down 15% on the month.

By Q4 2025, management acknowledged the math. The quarterly dividend was cut to $0.09 per share, down from $0.25, with CEO Theodore Koenig citing 'the decrease in base rates' as a key driver.

The Bank of England has held rates at 3.75 percent, with global tensions including the conflict in Iran keeping inflation risks alive and delaying hoped-for cuts.

Sterling fell by 0.5% against the dollar, dropping below $1.33, as the US currency strengthened due to a flight to safety. The dollar index increased by 0.3%.

Financial markets were firmly in the red as investors reacted to the Middle East conflict intensifying, with stocks down across Asia and Europe. Gold also fell, which suggests investors are once again liquidating assets that have previously served them well, or they are reacting to a further strengthening in the US dollar.

War in the Middle East has pushed up energy prices. You can already see that at the petrol pump and, if it lasts, it will feed into higher household energy bills later in the year. Whatever happens, our job is to make sure inflation gets back to its 2% target.

Money expert Martin Lewis has urged savers to ensure they are getting tax-free returns of nearly five per cent on their money as a key deadline looms. The new financial year begins on 6 April, marking the last date individual savings account (Isa) holders can use their full 20,000 allowance for the year.

Refinance applications increased for the fourth straight week to the strongest pace since 2022, with conventional refinances up 20%. The increase in the average loan size for refinances indicates that more borrowers with larger loan sizes are seeking to lower their monthly payments.