Investors ramp up bets on Bank of England rate hikes

LONDON - Investors increased their bets on the Bank of England raising rates in the coming months as global markets responded to the latest increase in tensions in the Strait of Hormuz and as Prime Minister Keir Starmer was battling to stay in power.

UK rate futures on Tuesday pointed to around 68 basis points of BoE policy tightening by December - approaching a full pricing of three quarter-point rate hikes - up from about 56 bps on Monday.

Investors were pricing three European Central Bank rate hikes this year.

(Writing by William Schomberg; editing by Sarah Young)

Copyright Reuters or USA Today Network via Reuters Connect.

This story was originally published May 12, 2026 at 2:56 AM.