LONDON, Sept 19 — The Bank of England today said it had voted to keep its main interest rate at 0.75 per cent as it balances Brexit uncertainty and weak global growth.
The Monetary Policy Committee decided unanimously to hold borrowing costs at a regular meeting held Wednesday, the BoE said in published minutes.
“Since the MPC’s previous meeting, the trade war between the United States and China has intensified, and the outlook for global growth has weakened,” the Bank of England said.
It noted also that “shifting expectations about the potential timing and nature of Brexit have continued to generate heightened volatility in UK asset prices, in particular the sterling exchange rate”.
Unlike the European Central Bank and US Federal Reserve which are both cutting rates, the BoE is sitting tight, also as inflation weakens in Britain.
“In the event of a no-deal Brexit, the exchange rate would probably fall, CPI inflation rise and GDP growth slow,” the BoE said today. — AFP
