Managing the UK national debt 1694-2018
We examine UK debt management using a new monthly dataset on the quantity and market price of every individual bond issued by the government since 1694. Our bond-by-bond dataset identifies variations in the market value of debt and so captures investors' one-period holding returns, which is the...
Main Authors: | , |
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Format: | Journal article |
Language: | English |
Published: |
American Economic Association
2020
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Summary: | We examine UK debt management using a new monthly dataset on the quantity and market price of every individual bond issued by the government since 1694. Our bond-by-bond dataset identifies variations in the market value of debt and so captures investors' one-period holding returns, which is the cost of debt management in the government's intertemporal budget constraint. We find a substantial cost advantage in favor of issuing short bonds, even when considering some of the operational risks implied by cash flows and gross redemptions. |
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