The Bank of
England (BoE) announced its Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted unanimously
to maintain Bank Rate at 0.75 percent at its latest meeting.
The MPC also
voted unanimously to maintain the corporate bond purchases at £10 billion and
UK government bond purchases at £435 billion.
In its
statement, the BoE says:
- its updated
projections, set out in the accompanying August Inflation Report, do not
include a no-deal Brexit possibility
- MPC continues
to assume a smooth Brexit scenario. In such an
outcome, increases in interest rates, at a gradual pace and to a limited extent,
are seen to be appropriate
- monetary policy
response to Brexit, whatever form it takes, will not be automatic and could be
in either direction
- subdued near-term
growth outlook reflects more entrenched Brexit uncertainty
- it estimates GDP
growth to be flat q/q in Q2 2019, slightly weaker than anticipated in May
- it forecasts GDP
growth of +0.3% q/q in Q3 2019
- FY 2019
GDP growth of +1.3% (previously +1.5%)
- FY 2020
GDP growth of +1.3% (previously +1.6%)
- FY 2021
GDP growth of +2.3% (previously +2.1%)
- inflation estimated
at 1.90% in one year's time (previously 1.72%)
- inflation estimated
at 2.23% in two years' time (previously 2.05%)
- inflation estimated
at 2.37% in three years' time (previously 2.16%)