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The solid victory for the Conservative Party in the UK election has given investors a burst of confidence. But the rise in rates has proved short-lived and is unlikely to spark any supranational, sovereign and agency sterling issuance. Meanwhile, the outlook for the Bank of England has become slightly more hawkish.

Nerves in the foreign exchange market had been tense in the run-up to Thursday night’s UK election, with a rumour that Labour would win more seats than predicted sparking some volatility in the FX options market. But that was swiftly quashed when TV broadcasters’ exit poll showed a Conservative majority and brought volatility to a swift halt.

With a Conservative majority in Parliament meaning the UK will almost certainly leave the EU in January, attention turns to the transition period —market participants expect prime minister Boris Johnson to break his pledge not to extend it. Meanwhile, the UK’s financial sector now knows it will become less aligned to the EU, and bankers on contingent contracts could be about to move across the Channel.

There were audible sighs of relief on equity capital markets desks on Friday morning as Boris Johnson delivered a hefty Conservative majority in the UK general election. Bankers are now prepping for a busy 2020 and a solid UK issuance calendar. A state block trade of Royal Bank of Scotland shares is among the most anticipated chunks of business for next year.

The Conservative Party’s strong win in Thursday’s general election is thrilling the UK’s financial sector and business world on Friday. Shares in UK banks and house builders — the very domestic sectors seen as most at risk of a hard Brexit or weak UK economy — have soared by 10% and more, while bond yields, especially for banks, have tightened sharply.

Capital markets are set for a surge of adrenalin on Friday after Boris Johnson’s Conservative Party secured a thumping majority in the UK’s general election, removing a huge weight of uncertainty about Brexit. With hopes also leaping of a US-China trade deal, government bonds, equities and sterling will all move in a risk-on direction on Friday — the only question is how far.

In this round-up, US president Donald Trump reportedly signed the phase one trade deal on Thursday, China concluded the Central Economic Work Conference and the Mainland government is set to turn Macau into a financial hub with new policies.

In this round-up, surging pork price drove China’s consumer price index (CPI) up again, new loans growth beats market expectation and the Mainland has revealed plans to shake up the country’s natural gas market.

In 2019, public sector borrowers led the way in the implementation of the new risk-free rates, with Sonia becoming a mainstream product. The question is whether Sofr and €STR can become as widely adopted as financial markets prepare for the end of Libor. Burhan Khadbai reports

With the resumption of the ECB’s quantitative easing programme, any hopes of a normalisation of European monetary policy receded further into the distance. With “lower for longer” firmly established as the consensus call, SSA borrowers and investors will have to settle in and learn to love the world they inhabit

The mighty dollar has lost its position as the default borrowing currency of the SSA market, and with a presidential election in 2020, that is unlikely to be reversed next year. However, that doesn’t mean that SSA borrowers can ignore it. Lewis McLellan reports

Sterling is set to take a bigger slice of the socially responsible bond market as a result of a number of initiatives, including reforms that are putting the pressure on UK pension funds to focus on environmental, social or governance (ESG) factors in their investments. Burhan Khadbai reports