Bond investors on Tuesday tripped over themselves to land the first U.K. green bond.
The U.K. gilt yielding 0.875% maturing in 2033 had over £100 billion ($ 137 billion) of orders for the £10 billion issue, and priced at 7.5 basis points over the 2032 gilt, according to Reuters.
The U.K. said it will allocate proceeds to expenditures that meet environmental eligibility criteria, such as clean transportation and research and development. Expenditure on fossil fuel exploration, nuclear power, weapons, tobacco, gaming, palm oil industries and alcoholic beneverage manufacture will be excluded.
The U.K. will publish annual report on how the funds are being allocated, as well separate reports on the environmental and social impact.
According to BMO Asset Management, there was more than $ 1 trillion in global green bond market issuance last year.
“Disappointingly, the U.K. accounted for less than 5% – not a market-leading percentage. But, as the U.K. government has been late to market, its issuance is likely to grow significantly. And the hope is that this will create impetus for corporates to issue more green bonds; more financing to go towards sustainable initiatives,” said Keith Balmer, a BMO portfolio manager.
The FTSE 100 UKX, +1.18%, which outperformed other global markets on Monday when worries about China Evergrande roiled stocks, gained 1.1%.
Kingfisher KGF, -4.97%, the operator of home-improvement chains including B&Q, dropped 5%, even as it reported a 23% rise in like-for-like sales, lifted its second-half sales forecast, increased its dividend and announced a £300 million stock buyback plan. The stock is still up 29% this year.