UK Inflation Sticking Around: Bank of England Stuck Between a Rock and a Hard Place?
The UK’s persistent inflation problem is putting the Bank of England (BoE) in a seriously tricky position. Recent data shows inflation stubbornly refusing to fall as quickly as hoped, raising questions about the effectiveness of the BoE’s current strategy.
Why the Worry?
Despite repeated interest rate hikes aimed at cooling the economy and dampening demand, inflation remains significantly above the BoE’s target of 2%. This persistence is fueled by factors like strong wage growth and continued supply chain issues, making it harder to bring prices under control.
The Bank’s Dilemma:
The BoE faces a difficult balancing act:
Raise Rates Further: Higher interest rates could further squeeze households and businesses already struggling with the cost of living crisis, potentially tipping the UK economy into a deeper recession.
Hold Steady: Pausing or even cutting rates too soon risks allowing inflation to become entrenched, leading to even greater economic pain in the long run.
What’s Next?
The BoE will need to carefully weigh the risks of each path as it considers its next move. All eyes will be on upcoming inflation data and economic forecasts as policymakers attempt to navigate this complex situation and steer the UK economy toward stability.
The road ahead is uncertain, and the BoE’s decisions will have significant consequences for households, businesses, and the overall UK economy.
Raising interest rates is supposed slow growth. Talking about monetary policy, like interest rates, without fiscal policy, government spending, is somewhat meaningless anyway. Higher interest rates reduce inflation but slow growth. The reduced growth means governments often spend more to prop up social programmes and businesses – politically popular moves. This spending is inflationary though, undoing the raised interest rates. You can end up in a slow and pernicious cycle.
Inflation is running relatively high, though I am old enough to have experienced worse as a resident in Britain. Part of the high prices are a result of Brexit.
If you break it down, the largest part of the inflation calulation, is housing, yes, higher mortgages. Reducing interest rates would reduce rents and mortgages and thus reduce that inflation number. It would also help increase consumer confidence, turning the coming depression into a mere recession.
Bank of England caused this inflation with excessive money printing during the “pandemic”. They love it because it devalues the government’s debt which is now unpayble and the tax payer and non asset holding public pick up the tab through inflation.
And who gets rich.. the private central bank shareholders as with every crisis.
Good for FT for critiquing the BoE's monetary policy, which is not working at all. It must lower interest rates to fire up the economy. It has misdiagnosed what has caused inflation, it is not high wages and high spending but high food prices and high executive pay.
This is your BREXIT at work. It'll take a few more years before we hit the bottom
Raising interest rates is supposed slow growth. Talking about monetary policy, like interest rates, without fiscal policy, government spending, is somewhat meaningless anyway. Higher interest rates reduce inflation but slow growth. The reduced growth means governments often spend more to prop up social programmes and businesses – politically popular moves. This spending is inflationary though, undoing the raised interest rates. You can end up in a slow and pernicious cycle.
Welcome to Net Zero.
The lunatic power companies are still bouldering on with their cash cow wind farms and the lunatic politicians aren't stopping it.
Inflation is running relatively high, though I am old enough to have experienced worse as a resident in Britain. Part of the high prices are a result of Brexit.
Thanks to brexit
Sovrinty innit.
If you break it down, the largest part of the inflation calulation, is housing, yes, higher mortgages. Reducing interest rates would reduce rents and mortgages and thus reduce that inflation number. It would also help increase consumer confidence, turning the coming depression into a mere recession.
Bank of England caused this inflation with excessive money printing during the “pandemic”. They love it because it devalues the government’s debt which is now unpayble and the tax payer and non asset holding public pick up the tab through inflation.
And who gets rich.. the private central bank shareholders as with every crisis.
Oh to be a Rothschild
Good for FT for critiquing the BoE's monetary policy, which is not working at all. It must lower interest rates to fire up the economy. It has misdiagnosed what has caused inflation, it is not high wages and high spending but high food prices and high executive pay.
Well, according to a former BoE official: people need to know they are poor now…