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No Rush for the BoE to push interest rates up still ...

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Ricky Bhurji

Member
Premium Member
Last week, The BOE's MPC meeting minutes were released and many points were discussed about the BoE's interest rate policy.
This is the tool which is used to see ascertain how close the committee is to enacting a change in future policy.

But, The Bank of England remains unhurried about raising interest rates, pointing on Thursday to a new fall in oil prices and slower wage growth as it kept borrowing costs at the record low where they have sat since 2009.

The British central bank's policymakers said they would not match an expected rate hike by the U.S. Federal Reserve next week, stressing there was "no mechanical link" with its thinking.

In minutes of its latest policy meeting which ended on Wednesday, the BoE expected the softer public spending cuts announced last month by finance minister George Osborne would give a boost to growth next year.

But overall, the tone of the minutes published on Thursday suggested the Bank was at least a few months away from any move to start weaning Britain off the stimulus of low rates.

"With inflation not expected to start edging up until next year, or reach target until well into 2017, there is simply no need for the Bank to consider changing tack," the British Chambers of Commerce's chief economist, David Kern, said.

Britain's economy has grown strongly for more than two years but inflation remains below zero and the BoE has kept rates at the level to which they were cut during the worst of the financial crisis nearly seven years ago.

Governor Mark Carney and other Monetary Policy Committee members said the "material news" in the month since they had last met was that oil prices had "fallen markedly again", which raised the likelihood of inflation staying subdued.

They also highlighted a leveling off in wage growth in Britain, something which is central to the Bank's deliberations on when interest rates need to rise.

"Despite lower unemployment, nominal pay growth appears to have flattened off recently," the minutes said.

It doesn't appear that rates are going anywhere anytime soon and I highly doubt that the UK will increase rates before the US do - whats your opinion?

Ricky.
 
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Le Seb

Member
The best time ever to borrow. Yet, also a time of expensive (excessive?) London prices.
Rest of UK may be good bet.
 
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