United Kingdom
BoE holds rates at 5.25%
The Bank of England has opted to keep rates on hold, as expected, following last month's cut and relatively favourable data on growth.
UK business leader warns against rushing reform
The British authorities must beware of hurrying through seismic supervisory changes in the wake of the run on Northern Rock, the head of the UK's biggest business lobby has warned.
UK government attacked for dithering on Rock sale
The UK government came in for more criticism over its handling of the Northern Rock crisis on Wednesday 5 March, when Peter Hitchens, the leader of PricewaterhouseCoopers's UK banking and capital markets practice, said it had wasted a lot of time…
BoE's Gieve calls for bigger buffers
Regulation must temper the pro-cyclicality of the credit cycle, said Sir John Gieve, a deputy governor at the Bank of England.
Rating agencies at core of lawmakers' grievances
An influential group of British members of parliament has slammed the big ratings agencies for their role in the subprime crisis.
Policy shifts improved inflation outlook
The decline in the level, persistence and volatility of inflation across industrialised countries since the mid-1980s is due in part to improvements in monetary policy, finds a Bank of England working paper.
BoE's Lomax notes dramatic shift in outlook
The persisting financial turmoil and the build up in global inflationary pressures have led to a dramatic change in the outlook for 2008 and beyond, Rachel Lomax, a deputy governor at the Bank of England, said.
UK lawmaker laments lack of chief regulator
John McFall, chairman of the Treasury Select Committee which published its comprehensive report on the Northern Rock crisis at the end of February, reiterated his suggestion that the lack of a central figure in charge of Britain's tripartite regulatory…
Progress masks greater threat of severe crisis
Financial innovation and greater macroeconomic stability may have made financial crises in developed countries less likely than in the past, but potentially more severe, research published by the Bank of England finds.
Sentance warns of slowdown
Andrew Sentance, a member of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee, has warned of the possibility of a "more significant and sustained" slowdown than those of the recent past.
Barker concerned with risks to growth
Kate Barker, a member of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee, has outlined why she is increasingly concerned over downside risks to growth.
Bank of England's February minutes
The minutes from the 6 and 7 February meeting of the Monetary Policy Committee show that eight out of the nine members voted to cut the Bank Rate by 25 basis points to 5.25%.
EU rules may scupper Northern Rock plan
A European Commission official said that if the British government continues to provide support for Northern Rock beyond 17 March, which under the plans for the nationalisation of the bank announced this week seems inevitable, it will have to prove that…
Northern Rock to be nationalised
Alistair Darling, the British chancellor of the exchequer, has announced that Northern Rock will be put into public ownership - the first nationalisation of a sizeable British bank for 25 years.
BoE's Besley sees reduction in consumption growth
Speaking at the Institute for Fiscal Studies, London, on 18 February, Timothy Besley, a member of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee, said that recent shocks to the UK economy "have created a challenge to policy."
US Treasury warns SWF rules could cause backlash
David McCormick, the US Treasury's undersecretary for foreign affairs, has said that rules forcing sovereign wealth funds to be more transparent could backfire.
Old Lady stays cautious in latest Inflation Report
The Bank of England maintained its delicate balancing act between emphasising the upside risks to inflation and signalling that it still has room to cut rates in its latest Inflation Report, published Wednesday 13 February.
UK inflation creeps higher
British CPI inflation edged further above the Bank of England's 2% target in January.
Chances of rate cut fall on UK inflation data
Further monetary loosening in Britain looked less likely after factory-gate inflation hit its highest level since 1991.
BoE makes expected rate cut
The Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee cut rates to 5.25%, as widely expected.
UK regulator wants above-inflation budget increase
The Financial Services Authority (FSA), Britain's beleaguered regulator, has asked the government for an extra £21.3m ($41.8m) for the 2008/ 2009 financial year.
Coordination was unprecedented, says Goodhart
The joint action by five of the world's leading monetary authorities was a move unprecedented in central banking, said Charles Goodhart, a former member of the Bank of England's monetary policy committee.
Old Lady could offer covert support under new rule
The British chancellor wants to introduce new rules allowing the Bank of England to give lender-of-last-resort support in secret.
Bank of England's King to get second term
Mervyn King has been granted a further five-year term as the governor of the Bank of England.