United Kingdom
UK inflation statistic surprises
The British CPI inflation statistic for the year to February, out Tuesday, confounded analysts' expectations of a steep fall, rising by a fifth of a percentage point from the January figure.
UK rejigs inflation basket
Rose wine, hot rotisserie chicken and internet-based DVD subscriptions are some of the items that have been added to Britain's new inflation basket.
Household consumption key for rate riddle
Households' consumption habits explain the uncovered interest rate parity puzzle, a new paper from the Bank of England reveals.
Bank to begin buying corporate bonds next week
The Bank of England said on Thursday that it would begin buying corporate bonds outright next week.
Morgan Stanley economist new MPC member
Alistair Darling, the chancellor of the exchequer, announced on Thursday that David Miles will replace David Blanchflower as an external member of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) on 1 June.
BoE unanimous on March decision
The minutes from the March meeting of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee show members voted unanimously to cut bank rate by 50 basis points to a fresh all-time low of 0.5% and to buy £75 billion-worth ($104.8 billion) of assets using central…
King moots Glass-Steagall revival
Mervyn King, the governor of the Bank of England, has called for a debate on whether the global financial crisis has shown that a Glass-Steagall type provision is needed to prevent retail deposits from being used to fund investment-banking activities.
FSA's Turner unveils blueprint for reform
Lord Adair Turner, the chairman of Britain's Financial Services Authority (FSA), on Wednesday published proposals for fundamental regulatory overhaul of the financial system, which includes a shift in the approach of the industry watchdog, whose…
Policy can make deflationary episodes more costly
The costs of previous deflationary episodes have been exacerbated by inappropriate policy responses, a new paper from the Bank of England posits.
FSA's Sants heralds "supervisory revolution"
Limitations of a purely principles-based regulatory regime have to be recognised, Hector Sants, the chief executive of the Financial Services Authority (FSA), the British industry regulator, has conceded.
BoE's Barker confident on quantitative easing
Increasing the money supply is a significant move that will prop up the economy, said Kate Barker, a member of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee.
Old Lady begins quantitative easing
The Bank of England began its first round of gilt purchases on Wednesday, buying £2 billion ($2.8 billion) of the instruments outright in an attempt to boost the money supply.
Tory report backs greater BoE role
A report commissioned by the opposition Conservative Party in the United Kingdom has suggested that the tripartite system for financial stability, involving the Bank of England, the Treasury and the Financial Services Authority (FSA) has failed and…
Bank begins £150 billion money-supply boost
The Bank of England on Thursday said it would boost the money supply by up to £150 billion ($211 billion) in a bid to revive the health of Britain's ailing economy. The Bank's Monetary Policy Committee also cut rates to a fresh all-time low of 0.5%.
BoE's Blanchflower: employment needs fiscal boost
There is now a case for a large fiscal package aimed at boosting employment, said David Blanchflower, an external member of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee.
We must review our reliance on ratings: King
Central banks must rethink their reliance on credit ratings to assess financial products' suitability for open-market operations, Mervyn King, the governor of the Bank of England, has said.
UK regulator issues code to curb risks from pay
The Financial Services Authority (FSA), Britain's industry regulator, on Thursday outlined a reform agenda for financial sector pay aimed at curbing the excessive risk taking of recent years.
UK regulator hires Credit Suisse top brass
The Financial Services Authority, the British regulator, has recruited Credit Suisse's chief operating officer for its UK private banking business.
Risk premia can be procyclical
New research from the Bank of England shows that risk premia can be procyclical.
Bank's MPC wants money levers to hit target
The Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee has unanimously called for the use of tools to boost the money supply to meet its inflation target, minutes of its latest rate vote reveal.
Banking will never be the same: BoE's Besley
The credit crisis has irrevocably and fundamentally altered the banking system and its regulation, Tim Besley, a member of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee, has said.
UK inflation stays in letter-writing territory
British CPI inflation edged down in January but less so than analysts' expected. However, RPI inflation slid sharply to a near 49-year low as mortgage costs plunged on the back of the Bank of England's rate cuts.
Leaning against the wind talk hot air: BoE's Bean
Charlie Bean, the deputy governor responsible for the Bank of England's monetary policy, has rejected claims that countering asset-price bubbles with rate hikes would have tempered the worst of the financial excess that triggered the credit crisis.
Crisis must prompt risk-management reassessment
A new wave of transformation in the standards of risk management is now a priority, Andrew Haldane, the executive director responsible for financial stability at the Bank of England, has said.