The US Federal Reserve or Fed, and the UK Central Bank or the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC,) both made the decision on whether to cut interest rates on the same day, although, given the time difference, it happened at different points. The US Fed cut interest rates by ½% to a range of 4.75% to …
Another turbulent year looms – but so do opportunities
Last year was turbulent for the world economy, and this one may be no different. The Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 had its full effect in 2023, reducing real incomes by pushing inflation up, particularly for food and energy. In addition, interest rate increases, put in place to fight the sharp rise in inflation, …
Continue reading “Another turbulent year looms – but so do opportunities”
UK Bank rate has peaked
At its February 2023 Monetary Policy meeting, the Bank of England signalled the peak in the Bank rate had been reached. What are the likely reasons for this? Ten interest rate hikes have taken the rate from 0.1% to 4%. The effect has been a housing market in sharp reverse, business failures beginning to rise, …