In the European session today, Thursday, March 17th, the Bank of England will announce its monetary policy and interest rates, as expectations indicate that the Bank of England will raise interest rates for the third time in a row by 25 basis points to reach 0.75%.
Inflation in the United Kingdom reached its highest level in 30 years in January’s reading of 5.5%, when analysts estimated that inflation would peak at 8-10% this year, more than three times the bank’s target of 2%. 7.25% before the Russian-Ukrainian war, which had a direct impact on the prices of crude, gas, electricity and fuel and thus put pressure on the living standards of families in the United Kingdom.
So far, estimates indicate that interest rates may be at 1.75% or 2% by the end of this year, which means that we will witness four times an increase in interest rates after Thursday’s meeting to reduce the risks of high inflation. Global economic recession.
The Bank of England and President Andrew Bailey will be forced to balance the fight against high inflation, but without harming the levels of economic growth in the United Kingdom, and this is what is called the most difficult equation.
Will the Bank of England raise interest rates for the third time in a row? Market movements and the pound sterling will be based on the extent of the division among members about the tightening required from the bank and the number of expected future interest rate hikes, in addition to inflation and growth expectations from the bank for the UK economy.