But the print only served to further convince traders that an interest rate cut is not imminent.
Money market pricing by 11 a.m. in London implied just a 5% probability of a trim of the Bank Rate during Thursday's BOE meeting — after recording stronger odds of such a step earlier in the week.
Policymakers are equally focused on services inflation, key to understanding domestic price pressures in the country's services-oriented economy, which came in at 5.7% — higher than the 5.5% forecast by economists in a Reuters poll.
"I think the most disturbing thing lots of economists like myself are looking at right now is what's happening in services inflation.
And those numbers have been proving a good deal stickier than we would like," Sproule said, with the BOE targeting services inflation of around 3%.
Persons:
BOE, —, We've, James Sproule, CNBC's, Sproule
Organizations:
Bank of England's, Bank of
Locations:
London, Bank of England