Interest rates at the Bank of England rise to 0.25 percent
Following data released this week showing that prices are rising at their fastest rate in ten years, the Bank of England raised the rates to 0.25 percent from 0.1 percent. The Omicron variety was accepted despite worries that it might slow the business by causing individuals to spend less. Some homeowners’ mortgage costs will rise as a result of the Bank’s move.
The cost of living grew by 5.1 percent in the year to November, as per the latest available figures. That was the highest rate since September 2011, and it was significantly above the Bank’s 2% objective. However, one industry group claimed that raising interest rates would do little to keep prices from rising because expenses were being driven up by global causes that were largely outside the Bank’s control.
The Bank of England’s decision will increase the average monthly repayment for a tracker mortgage customer by slightly over £15 per month. A normal variable rate mortgage holder will almost certainly pay an extra £10 each month. One of these 2 forms of mortgage is held by about 2 million people in the United Kingdom.
While investors may be pleased with the news of greater rates, experts warn that there is no assurance that the higher Bank rate will result in higher savings returns. Even if savings rates rise a little, returns will still be significantly below average.
The Bank of England has the power to boost interest rates to assist control inflation, but many experts anticipated it to wait because of the uncertainty around Omicron. It did, however, say on Thursday that worldwide asset prices, including stocks and bonds, had mostly recovered after an initial decline in response to the latest variant’s introduction.
The Bank also noted that previous waves of Covid-19 looked to have had less of an impact on economic growth, albeit the extent to which this would be the case this time remained unknown. It went on to say that consumer price inflation in advanced economies has risen faster than projected. According to the Bank, the Omicron variety could limit economic activity early next year, however, it is uncertain how big of an impact it will have on global inflation.
