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Bloomberg
The Bank of England will hold off increasing interest rates next week and cut its forecasts for both growth and inflation, according to economists surveyed by Bloomberg.
Just three out of the 54 banks questioned expect a rate hike at the May 10 meeting, compared with about three-quarters of those asked last month. The survey also showed economists are unanimous in predicting officials will lower their growth outlook for 2018, with none expecting any upgrade to GDP or
inflation through 2020.
The survey results underscore the abrupt turnaround in expectations for both the BOE’s May meeting — which until recently was almost universally seen as nailed-on for a rate hike — and the longer-term outlook for the UK economy.
Since early April, when Bloom-berg’s last survey was carried out, the nation has seen weaker-than-expected growth and inflation figures, as well as a warning from BOE Governor Mark Carney that a May hike was far from certain.
While bad weather played a part in the disappointing data for the early part of 2018, the underwhelming run has continued, with reports suggesting that economic expansion remained subdued at the start of the second quarter.