BANK OF ENGLAND RATE SETTER HINTS AT MPC DISAGREEMENT OVER NEGATIVE RATES

By Laurie Laird LONDON (MaceNews) – A top Bank of England official suggested Friday that rate setters have yet to agree on the merits of implementing negative rates in the UK. “Different members of the MPC will have a different take” on the efficacy of sub-zero interest rates, said Dave Ramsden, a member of the […]

BOE GIVES BANKS 6 MONTHS NOTICE TO PREPARE FOR POSSIBLE SUB-ZERO RATES

— Leaves rates, QE Programme Unchanged After February Rate-Setting Meeting By Laurie Laird LONDON (MaceNews) – The Bank of England has asked UK financial institutions to begin a six month preparation period in the event the UK economy requires the additional stimulus of a sub-zero base rate. The Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee “concluded that it would […]

BOE RATE SETTER: UK CONTRACTION EXAGGERATED BY STATISTICAL ANOMALIES

— MPC Member Broadbent suggests inflation has fallen by less than feared By Laurie Laird LONDON (MaceNews) – The UK economic contraction may have been exaggerated by the statistical measurement of public services, according to a Bank of England official, who also downplayed sustained below-target inflation in Britain.  “Part of the drop in GDP reflects an […]

BOE OFFICIAL MAKES FORCEFUL CASE FOR NEGATIVE UK INTEREST RATES

—Tenreyro Sees Diminishing Benefit of QE as UK Output Contracts Sharply By Laurie Laird LONDON (MaceNews) – A top Bank of England rate setter forcefully endorsed the case for sub-zero interest rates, raising questions over the continued benefits of quantitative easing with UK output in the midst of another severe contraction. “My overall assessment is […]

BANK OF ENGLAND LEAVES POLICY UNCHANGED, BUT EXTENDS LENDING SCHEME

—MPC Hints at Symmetric Stance on Inflation Target, Willing to ‘Tolerate’ Inflation Overshoot By Laurie Laird LONDON (MaceNews) – The Bank of England left its main policy tools on hold after its latest rate-setting meeting on Wednesday, but extended the time frame of its supplemental lending scheme and hinted at a more symmetrical approach to […]

NOTED BOE DOVE ADOPTS MORE CAUTIOUS TONE ON NEGATIVE RATES

By Laurie Laird LONDON (MaceNews) – One of the more dovish Bank of England rate setters has adopted more cautious view toward sub-zero interest rates in the UK, stressing that the development of a Covid vaccine could herald a more-rapid-than-expected return to normal financing conditions.  Silvana Tenreyro, an external member of the Bank’s Monetary Policy […]

BOE OFFICIAL: FURTHER UK QE MORE EFFECTIVE WITH RATE CUT

—MPC External Member Saunders Also Sees Merit in Sub-Base Rate lLnding to Corporates By Laurie Laird LONDON (MaceNews) – Any expansion of quantitative easing will pack a greater punch if coupled with a rate cut, according to a key Bank of England official, who believes that borrowing rates in the UK have yet to reach […]

BOE RATE SETTER: COVID VACCINE DOES NOT REDUCE NEED FOR ASSET PURCHASES

— External MPC member Tenreyro makes strong case for negative interest rates in the UK By Laurie Laird LONDON (MaceNews) – The rapid development of a Covid vaccine could actually strengthen the case for expanded quantitative easing in the UK, with the benefits of a jab likely to lift the economy only gradually, a Bank of England […]

BOE SEES DIMINISHING MARGINAL RETURNS FROM ASSET PURCHASES

— External Rate Setters Lament Low Inflation, Raising Questions Over MPC Rift and Future Policy By Laurie LairdLONDON (MaceNews) – Top Bank of England rate setters agreed that quantitative easing will exert a diminishing influence on the UK economic recovery, raising questions about the tools available to the central bank as two external officials lamented […]