UK shifts to short-term borrowing, increasing Treasury bills issuance to £11 billion

The UK government is signaling a major shift in its borrowing strategy, moving away from long-term bonds and leaning heavily on short-term debt, particularly Treasury bills.

The body responsible for Britain’s sovereign debt issuance has increased the planned net contribution of short-term Treasury bills to its borrowing needs. The net issuance of T‑bills will now contribute £11 billion toward the fiscal year’s financing requirement.

Notably, Treasury bills are short-term, low-risk government debt securities that mature in one year or less. Currently, there are only about £78 billion of these bills available in the market. This figure represents a small portion of the total £2.9 trillion in UK government debt.

The government’s plan to expand the Treasury bills market sparks heated debates 

The UK is actively exploring possible solutions to shorten the duration of its debt, which averages around 14 years, significantly longer than that of many other nations. These efforts aim to reduce interest payments, as pension funds are showing less interest in bonds with long-term maturities. With these findings, analysts expressed their belief that expanding the market for Treasury bills could accelerate this trend.

This move also prompted several individuals to weigh in on the situation. An example is Moyeen Islam, an interest rate strategist at Barclays. According to Islam, the government’s efforts support the idea that they will experience a significant drop in the average maturity of gilt supply in the years ahead.

Under the current circumstances, sources pointed out that the UK finds it cheaper to issue short-term debt rather than long-term bonds. To support this claim, reports highlighted that one-month Treasury bills generate a return of 4.05%, while the yields on 30-year bonds have decreased from a high of 5.75% in September to 5.21% now.

Therefore, if the government relies more on short-term borrowing, it will be more vulnerable to shifts in interest rates. The primary reason behind this is that the government will need to return to the market to refinance its debt frequently. 

Several investors also weighed in on the matter. They argued that the Treasury’s plans are a response to shifting demand. According to them, it is not logical to hold UK debt with longer maturities now that private sector pension schemes, which used to purchase a significant amount of long-term gilts, have closed to new members and are decreasing in size.

As the debate heated up, Maya Bhandari, the chief investment officer for multi-assets at US asset manager Neuberger Berman, stated that it is beneficial to have more options available in the short-term market, as this would ease some of the pressure on long-term gilts. 

Another prominent figure who contributed to this discussion is James McAlevey, Head of Global Aggregate and Absolute Return at BNP Paribas Asset Management. McAlevey argued that a bigger bill market should act as a firm and active base for any fixed-income curve. He also mentioned that it was “only right” to make some adjustments to UK debt issuance in response to investors’ changing needs. 

Meanwhile, it is worth noting that United States Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent has stayed committed to short-term financing, which is part of the Biden administration’s policy that he once condemned.

Francis Diamond points out the need for natural demand in the Treasury bills market

Analysts discovered a big gap in the market. Their findings highlighted that while the big US bill market backs a well-established industry of money market funds, which serve as savings options that invest in very low-risk and short-term securities, the UK lacks this type of demand.

Francis Diamond, who leads European rate strategy research at JPMorgan, sparked hope in the UK market when he acknowledged that the consultation is a clear move to increase the number of bills issued significantly. 

However, he raised a crucial question: as the government boosts supply, where will the natural demand originate from?

In the meantime, the Debt Management Office, which is responsible for managing debt sales on behalf of the Treasury, released a statement dated Wednesday, November 26, highlighting that the government is committed to establishing the broadest possible investor base.

They also declared that any adjustments made after consultation will take into account costs and risks, illustrating how they impact the government’s refinancing risk. 

If you're reading this, you’re already ahead. Stay there with our newsletter.