United Kingdom
King readies pen as BoE predicts prices to soar
Mervyn King acknowledged on Wednesday that he would almost certainly need to write at least one letter to the British chancellor in the coming months explaining why inflation is more than a percentage point above the Bank of England's target.
Liquidity scheme stabilising markets: BoE staff
The Bank of England's governor and head of markets said on Wednesday that its Special Liquidity Scheme, introduced in late April, had begun to temper money-market tensions.
Interbank spreads to stay above pre-crisis levels
A fundamental shift in money-market attitudes will mean spreads between interbank and official rates remain greater than their pre-August levels for the foreseeable future, the Bank of England's head of markets said on Wednesday.
Inflation surge surprises UK economists
Consumer price inflation in the UK soared to 3% in April, reducing the already-slim chances of a June rate cut to practically nil.
Probability of June rate cut falls on UK data
The chances of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) opting to cut rates next month looked slim after data out Monday showed producer price inflation (PPI) shot up in April.
Rock run calls for greater role: ex-Bank deputy
Andrew Large, a former deputy governor at the Bank of England, has urged government to grant more power to the Bank in the wake of the Northern Rock run.
UK parliament gives King the thumbs up
Mervyn King has fulfilled his responsibilities as governor of the Bank of England very well during his first term and deserves to serve for a further five years, an influential group of UK lawmakers has said.
A book launch to remember
One of those events that London does so well took place Thursday, 1 May, at the London School of Economics (LSE) where there was a short debate and a longer drinks party to launch 'Global Financial Regulation - The Essential Guide', written by Howard…
BoE: the worst is over
Financial conditions are set to improve in the coming months as investors recognise that prices in credit markets now overestimate risk, the Bank of England said on Thursday.
UK told to tighten supervision in territories
A group of British lawmakers has called on the government to improve financial supervision in several of its overseas territories.
UK's Blanchflower calls for bigger cuts
Aggressive easing is required to prevent the UK falling into recession, said David Blanchflower, a member of the Bank of England's rate-setting committee.
OMO changes must temper money-market woe: King
Mervyn King, the governor of the Bank of England, said the central bank must ensure its revised system for open market operations leads to overnight interbank rates remaining close to its official rate regardless of financial market conditions.
UK counterfeit seizures fall for 3rd straight year
The number of counterfeit banknotes in circulation confiscated by the British authorities plummeted by almost a quarter last year. The total face value of counterfeit notes found also fell by a similar degree.
Probe into rumour-mongering widens
The Financial Services Authority (FSA) in Britain is teaming up with other financial services watchdogs as part of an expanding investigation into allegations of market abuses surrounding sudden drops in the share prices of financial institutions.
FSA appoints new senior adviser after Rock fiasco
The Financial Services Authority (FSA) in Britain has appointed Naguib Kheraj as senior adviser to the newly created Supervisory Enhancement Programme (SEP).
Sentance: pound matters for monetary policy
The weakening pound is adding to the upward pressures on costs and prices from global markets, said Andrew Sentance, a member of the Bank of England's rate-setting committee, in a speech to the Confederation of British Industry.
BoE's Jenkinson on liquidity risk
Developments in financial markets have increased the importance and complexity of liquidity risk management over the past decade, said Nigel Jenkinson, the executive director responsible for financial stability at the Bank of England.
Three-way split underlines Bank's dilemma
The Bank of England's April vote saw members of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) backing three separate options for the first time since May 2006, minutes of the meeting published on Wednesday reveal.
BoE must remain focused on inflation
Monetary policy in the UK ought to remain focused on achieving price stability as defined by the inflation target, Tim Besley, a member of the Bank of England's rate-setting committee, has said.
BoE brokers MBS swap to ease tensions
The Bank of England will swap mortgage-backed securities for government bonds in a move which the Bank expects to generate £50 billion ($100 billion) worth of borrowing.
Chief economist underlines BoE's "tricky" task
The juxtaposition of the recent shocks to both inflation and growth makes the task of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee particularly tricky, Charlie Bean, the Bank's chief economist, noted.
BoE names former economist as communications head
Jenny Scott, a BBC journalist and former Bank of England economist, is to become the Bank's director of communications in June.
Old Lady could relax collateral rules
The Bank of England may swap mortgage-backed securities for government bonds to ease tensions in sterling money markets.
Little demand for BoE cash
Bids for £15 billion-worth ($29.4 billion) of three-month loans from the Bank of England only just exceeded the amount on offer in spite of strong tensions in sterling interbank markets.