On Nov. 3, 2022, the Bank of England followed the U.S. Federal Reserve by codifying the eighth consecutive benchmark bank rate hike by 75 basis points (bps). The increase brings the United Kingdom’s main lending rate to 3%, after a majority of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) members voted in favor of the 75bps increase.
Bank of England Hikes Repo Rate by 75bps, Monetary Policy Committee Insists More Rate Increases Will Be Needed to Obtain 2% Inflation Rate Goal
Seven out of nine MPC members voted in favor of a 75bps rate hike, while two MPC members voted for lower increases. According to the MPC, one member wanted a 50bps hike, while another voted for a 25bps increase. The Bank of England’s rate hike on Thursday was the largest jump in 33 years or since 1989, and the MPC expects more rate increases will be required to tame inflation.
“The majority of the Committee judges that, should the economy evolve broadly in line with the latest Monetary Policy Report projections, further increases in Bank Rate may be required for a sustainable return of inflation to target, albeit to a peak lower than priced into financial markets,” the MPC explained on Thursday.
The news follows the Fed’s rate hike the day prior, when the U.S. central bank raised the rate by 75bps on Wednesday. At first, global markets took the Fed’s announcement as positive news, but Fed chair Jerome Powell’s commentary with the press that followed soon after, changed the mood. Powell remarked that the Fed anticipates “that ongoing increases will be appropriate” and he further stressed that “it is very premature, in my view, to think about or be talking about pausing our rate hikes.”
Members of the Bank of England, the MPC, and economists think that the growth projections for the United Kingdom look dismal. The MPC noted on Thursday that things currently look “very challenging” for the U.K.’s economy. Similar to the U.S. central bank’s goals, the Bank of England is attempting to bring inflation down back to the 2% target. The U.K. and London-listed gilts (bonds) saw some gains after the announcement, while the British pound sterling slid 1.84% against the U.S. dollar.
“For the current November forecast, and consistent with the Government’s announcements on 17 October, the MPC’s working assumption is that some fiscal support continues beyond the current six-month period of the Energy Price Guarantee (EPG), generating a stylised path for household…
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