Bank of England leaves quantitative easing on hold
The Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee voted as expected today, and left the asset purchase programme unchanged at £375bn.
The nine-member committee also voted to keep the main interest rate at 0.5 per cent.
Worries about Britain’s stubborn inflation are likely to have dissuaded policymakers from taking further action this month, while they await clearer signals on the health of the economy and further indications on the progress of a central bank scheme aimed at boosting lending.
Nida Ali, economic adviser to the Ernst & Young ITEM club, said that while there was “never a realistic chance of a change” in policy today, but that the possibility of more asset purchases in the next few months remains.