BoE and ECB keep interest rates at record low
04/03/2010
The Bank of England today kept interest rates at a record low of 0.5 per cent and made no increase to its unprecedented scheme of pumping money into an economy struggling to get back on its feet.
The decision was widely expected and analysts expect no change in monetary policy until much later this year as the central bank waits for a clearer recovery from the worst economic downturn since World War II.
If anything, BoE policymakers have left the door open to more monetary easing in the form of expanding their £200 billion scheme to buy assets with newly created money — quantitative easing in the jargon — if the economy worsens.