Updated
Updated · BBC.com · Jul 23
UK Mortgage Rates Climb to 5.58% as $100 Oil Revives Rate-Cut Fears
Updated
Updated · BBC.com · Jul 23

UK Mortgage Rates Climb to 5.58% as $100 Oil Revives Rate-Cut Fears

3 articles · Updated · BBC.com · Jul 23

Summary

  • UK lenders have pushed average new fixed mortgage rates back to a one-month high, with the average two-year deal at 5.58% and the five-year at 5.6%.
  • Oil hit $100 a barrel on Thursday after fresh strikes and Houthi attacks on Red Sea tankers, lifting lenders' funding costs and weakening expectations for central-bank rate cuts.
  • The five biggest High Street banks are among lenders raising rates, and about 100 mortgage deals were temporarily withdrawn as firms reassessed pricing.
  • More than 80% of mortgage borrowers are on fixed-rate deals, but Bank of England projections still show just over 5 million homeowners facing higher monthly repayments by the end of 2028.
  • The latest rise reverses much of June and early July's easing, though the two-year average remains below the 5.9% peak reached during the Iran war in April.

Insights

As Middle East tensions push UK mortgage rates higher, what is the breaking point for the British housing market?
How will escalating Red Sea conflicts and soaring oil prices reshape the future of UK mortgage affordability?