One of the oddities about the narrative on the direction of interest rates is the argument that, because consumer price inflation is still above the 2% target, the Bank of England cannot cut interest rates. That suggests that interest rate policy changes immediately impact the current inflation rate in the short term. However, this view …
Bank of England base rate on hold, but cuts could be coming sooner than it forecasts
As expected, the Bank of England left interest rates on hold at its November quarterly meeting. Three members were still calling for rate hikes of a ¼ of one per cent even though the Bank of England lowered its forecast for GDP growth in 2024 from half a per cent to zero and its forecast …
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 …
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