BoE stands ready to take whatever steps are needed - Carney
The Bank of England is ready to take whatever action is needed, said Bank of England Governor, Mark Carney, after the MPC voted unanimously to cut the main rate to a new record low of 0.25% and to expand the QE programme to combat the effects of the so-called Brexit.
Although Carney acknowledged they cannot offset completely the Brexit shock, he said they can cut rates further, if needed.
“If the incoming data prove broadly consistent with the August Inflation Report forecast, a majority of MPC members would anticipate a further cut in the Bank Rate to its effective lower bound at one of the MPC’s forthcoming meetings,” said Carney in a press conference.
However, when asked, Carney downplayed the prospects of negative rates. "I'm not a fan of negative rates and we have other tools to use if needed", he said.
On Thursday, the BoE decided to cut the Bank Rate by 25 bps to 0.25%, for first time since 2009, and expanded its Asset Purchase Facility by £60 billion to £435 billion.
Author
Ani Salama
FXStreet
Ani Salama is an Economist specialized in financial markets and statistics analysis. In 2010, she joined FXstreet where she now contributes with the news section.
