Bank of England (BoE)
BoE voted 8-1 to hold rates
The Bank of England's policy-making Monetary Policy Committee voted 8-1 to keep UK interest rates unchanged this month, with Stephen Nickell again as the sole member calling for a reduction.
Bank of England Payment Systems Oversight Report
The Bank of England published its second Payment Systems Oversight Report on Friday. It contains the Bank's latest assessment of UK payment systems against the internationally-recognised Core Principles for Systemically Important Payment Systems.
Bank of England Inflation Report, February 2006
The Bank of England published its February 2006 Inflation Report on 15 February. Governor Mervyn King told a press conference the outlook for the UK economy is "benign" and the slowing of consumer spending growth that began in the middle of 2004 "appears…
Committee says Gieve fulfils BoE criteria
The UK Treasury select committee said Wednesday that new Bank of England Deputy Governor Sir John Gieve 'fulfils the criteria' for his new position.
BoE leaves rates unchanged
The Bank of England left interest rates unchanged at 4.5% following its two-day monetary policy meeting. The bank's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) last cut rates in August 2005, when policy rates were reduced by 0.25%.
BoE legal eagle set to retire
According to the Guardian's City diary, Malcolm Glover would have retired from the Bank of England at the end of 2004 had it not been for the litigation brought by the BCCI liquidators.
Barker: BoE's growth forecast may be optimistic
Monetary Policy Committee member Kate Barker has warned that UK economic growth may fall short of the Bank of England's forecasts, UK daily the Guardian reported.
BoE's Gieve: Oil prices should not impact on rates
John Gieve, the new deputy governor of the Bank of England, on Thursday 26 January rejected suggestions that UK interest rates should rise simply because of very high energy costs.
Bank of England voted 8-1 to hold rates
Minutes of the Bank of England's last Monetary Policy Committee meeting, released Wednesday 25 January, showed that only dovish Stephen Nickell wanted to lower UK interest rates a quarter-point.
Comment: Lambert on CB communication
In a speech delivered in Mumbai earlier this week, Richard Lambert, an external member of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee, argued that although a disciplined communications strategy is an absolute necessity for all modern central banks,…
Britain's fiscal rule is more leaden than golden
Lectures to Britain from the European Union on fiscal discipline are hypocritical and pointless, according to this article published on Monday 16 January. However, the UK government's "golden rule" has masked an escalating deficit on state spending that…
Lull in hostile criticisms from politicians
The New Year seems to have started on an unusually harmonious note as far as relations between central banks and politicians are concerned. With policy interest rates on hold in the UK and euro areas, and perhaps soon to reach a plateau in the US,…
ECB paper The timing of central bank communication
This European Central Bank Working Paper explores whether there are systematic patterns as to when members of the decision-making committees of the Federal Reserve, the Bank of England and the ECB communicate with the public, and under what circumstances…
Lord Woolf chairs Financial Markets Law Committee
The Bank of England announced on Tuesday 20 December the appointment of Lord Woolf as Chairman of the Financial Markets Law Committee (FMLC), beginning 1 February 2006.
Why I decided to vote against the governor: Bean
In this article published on Sunday 18 December, Bank of England Chief Economist and MPC member Charlie Bean said that he has no regrets about voting against the governor to cut interest rates and says that we may not have to wait until spring for the…
Bank of England Inflation Attitudes Survey, Nov 05
The Bank of England published its November 2005 Inflation Attitudes Survey on Monday. When asked about the future path of interest rates, 46% expected rates to rise in the next 12 months, compared with 34% in August and 52% in May.
Bell calls Bank of England forecasts 'ambitious'
Former Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee member Marian Bell said in an interview that the central bank's forecasts for economic growth are "ambitious" and that if she was still on the MPC she would consider cutting rates.
Central bankers are not magicians says BoE's King
Bank of England governor Mervyn King said in an interview with a Swedish newspaper published on Wednesday 14 December that central bankers cannot do magic tricks and politicians shouldn't make comments about the monetary policy of independent central…
Bank of England Quarterly Bulletin, Winter 2005
The Bank of England released its Quarterly Bulletin for Winter 2005 on Monday 12 December. The latest Bulletin includes the article "Do financial markets react to Bank of England communication?".
Bank of England defends communication
A study published by the Bank of England on its communications on Monday 12 December that financial markets show the strongest reaction to minutes of its MPC policy meetings and the quarterly Inflation Report.
Interview with Bank of England's Walton
Speaking in an interview published on Wednesday 30 November, the most recent member of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee, David Walton, said the Bank of England should not rush to move interest rates until it has a clearer idea of whether…
BoE's Walton sees no rush for rate move
David Walton, the newest member of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee, told the Times that inflation could easily remain above the Bank's 2 percent target for some months while economic growth seemed to have recovered somewhat.
How should central banks communicate?
This European Central Bank Working Paper published on 25 November shows that central bank communication is a key determinant of the market's ability to anticipate monetary policy decisions and the future path of interest rates.
Brown's gold sale losses pile up as price surges
According to this article published on Monday 28 November, the recent increase in the price of gold should be something of an embarrassment for UK Chancellor Gordon Brown with the Bank of England offloading 300 tonnes of gold at close to a 20-year low…