Bank of England to leave interest rates higher for longer as inflation becomes embedded September 3, 2023 Economists are warning that interest rates will have to stay higher for longer as inflation remains persistently above the Bank of England’s two per cent target. Although the headline rate of inflation in the UK is starting to fall, core inflation increased month-on-month in July indicating that inflation is becoming increasingly embedded in the UK [...]
Manufacturing downturn ‘deepens’ as production drop among fastest on record September 1, 2023 UK manufacturing hit a steep slump this month, figures revealed, as production dropped by a rate “one of the fastest in survey history”. According to the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (CIPS) the UK manufacturing purchasing managers index (PMI) recorded 43.0 in August, down from 45.3 in July. This marked its lowest level since [...]
New borrowing slows as Bank of England’s rate hikes take effect August 30, 2023 Consumer borrowing increased at a slower rate than expected last month as the Bank of England’s interest rate hikes hit demand for new loans. Bank of England figures out this morning showed that the monthly increase in consumer credit was £1.2bn, £400m less than the £1.6bn increase seen in June. Although borrowing on credit cards [...]
Reeves: Latest interest rate hike is a ‘hammer blow’ which did not need to happen August 4, 2023 Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves has labelled the latest rise in interest rates as a “hammer blow for working people” which did not need to happen. The Bank of England raised the base rate for the 14th time in a row on Thursday, taking it to 5.25% in a bid to bring inflation under control. The [...]
Bank of England finally administers bitter medicine to treat inflation August 4, 2023 The City has been ahead of the Bank of England’s thinking for some time. Economists have for months known interest rates are set to stay higher for longer. Most expect them to peak at 5.75 per cent and stay there for, probably, at least a year. Governor Andrew Bailey and co have woken up to [...]
Bank of England interest rate decision today on a knife edge, City economists predict August 3, 2023 As the City gears up for what everyone expects to be the Bank of England’s 14th straight interest rate rise at midday today, economists are split over how much more pain they think the group of rate setters will heap on the UK economy. Are the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) poised to meet market expectations [...]
Tighter interest rates and inflation clobber UK business confidence August 1, 2023 Higher interest rates and elevated prices have thrown a wet blanket over UK business optimism, according to surveys out today. Confidence as measured by the lobby group the Institute of Directors (IoD) was largely unchanged last month at minus 30 points, up marginally from June’s minus 31 point reading. It solidifies signs that pessimism is [...]
Are central banks to blame for the inflation crisis? August 1, 2023 As we enter what looks like the final leg of central banks’ interest rate rising journeys, it’s as good a time as ever to trace why they have been jolted into action after over a decade of ultra loose policy and whether their response to the inflation crisis has been effective. Coming out of the [...]
Bank of England interest rate rises yet to pass fully through economy as borrowing ticks up July 31, 2023 The effects of the Bank of England’s aggressive interest rate rises have yet to fully feed through the UK economy as Brits continue to borrow and look to get on the property ladder, official data out today shows. A clutch of numbers released by the Bank of England today revealed consumers are not yet being [...]
Bank of England to hike interest rates for 14th time in a row to 2008 high of 5.25 per cent July 31, 2023 The Bank of England this week is tipped to hike interest rates for the 14th time in a row as it extends its fight against roaring inflation. Members of the nine-strong monetary policy committee (MPC) are expected on Thursday to back a 25 basis point increase to the UK’s official interest rate, which would send [...]