Watch out for the deflationary impact of a tight monetary stance

Some of the policies announced by the Bank of England at its last meeting (21 September 2023) are flying under the financial markets radar. Although attention was rightly focused on the Bank of England’s decision to leave interest rates on hold at 5.25% – the first hold in 14 meetings –another announcement at the meeting …

Bank of England in the news – its arguments do not stack up

In recent weeks Bank of England officials have made comments which have garnered lots of attention. I want to focus on four of those because they show different aspects of the Bank of England’s views that economists usually debate without much public fanfare. But since they have gone public, it’s worth discussing them in this …

The extraordinarily low-interest rate era is ending – what are the implications for financial markets and policymakers?

Following a sharp rise in inflation precipitated initially by the supply-side disruption as the pandemic ended and supply lagged demand, then the Russian invasion of Ukraine, central banks are tightening policy. The US Federal Reserve is at the forefront of this charge, raising interest rates at the fastest pace since the 1980s. There is no …