Data blunder sees BoE misreport gilt sales figures

The Bank of England has admitted to making errors in its reporting of foreign investors' purchases of UK government bonds in recent weeks.

This means figures released last week which showed foreign investors bought a record amount of gilts in March were wrong, it acknowledged. The central bank said on Wednesday that its account of UK debt purchases for both February and March was incorrect, owing to a “clerical error”. February’s net sales had given rise to talk of a “buyers’ strike” ahead of the general election, a theory seemingly put to bed by March’s record purchases. But a “notice of errata” from the Bank saw it halve the March overseas purchase amount from £28.2bn - a figure which would have represented a 33-yea...