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☆ VIEW Bank of England raises rates for a 14th time
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

The BoE raised interest rates by 25 basis points to 5.25% and said high inflation meant it was unlikely to stop raising rates any time soon. However, with Thursday's decision, traders began to price in a lower peak in UK rates. MONEY MARKETS: Interest-rate derivatives showed traders believe UK rates will peak around 5.67% by March, compared with an expected peak of 5.73% in the run-up to the decision. Rising interest rates means higher borrowing costs, which will lead to larger monthly mortgage payments for many homeowners." The Bank of England remains committed to bringing inflation down, unfortunately raising interest rates is one of the only tools the Bank can use to sap demand out of the economy."

Persons: BoE, Sterling, VIVEK PAUL, we’ll, STUART COLE, JEREMY BATSTONE, CARR, RAYMOND JAMES, MARCUS BROOKES, ” SEEMA SHAH, Rishi Sunak, GILES COGHLAN, THOMAS PUGH, JOHN LEIPER, Amanda Cooper, Samuel Indyk Organizations: Bank of England, FTSE, BLACKROCK, LONDON, TOM HOPKINS, Bank of, RSM, Bank, EMEA, Thomson Locations: LONDON, EUROPEAN, U.S

☆ Phillips 66 joins rival refiners with sharp profit drop on lower margins
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

General view of oil tanks and the Bayway Refinery of Phillips 66 in Linden, New Jersey, U.S., March 30, 2020. Phillips said realized margins fell to $15.32 per barrel in the second quarter, from $28.62 a year earlier. Despite the fall in margins, fuel demand remains resilient. Phillips 66's crude utilization rate was 93% in the second quarter, higher than 90% a year earlier, while total processed input was unchanged year-over-year at 1.9 million barrels per day (bpd). Phillips 66's second-quarter net income fell to $1.7 billion, or $3.72 per share, from $3.2 billion, or $6.53 per share, in the year-ago quarter.

Persons: Mike Segar, Phillips, Arunima Kumar, Sriraj Organizations: Bayway, REUTERS, Rivals Valero Energy Corp, Marathon Petroleum, Thomson Locations: Phillips, Linden , New Jersey, U.S, Ukraine, Houston, Bengaluru

☆ Bank of England's next move divides economists as data paints a mixed picture
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Andrew Bailey, Governor of the Bank of England, attends the Bank of England Monetary Policy Report Press Conference, at the Bank of England, London, Britain, February 2, 2023. Pool | ReutersLONDON — Market expectations are split over the Bank of England's next monetary policy move on Wednesday, as policymakers near a tipping point in their fight against inflation. The other 38% of market participants expect a second consecutive 50 basis point hike, after the central bank surprised markets with a bumper increase in June. watch nowThe British economy has proven surprisingly resilient, despite a run of 13 consecutive rate hikes from the Bank of England. "While core inflation surprised to the downside in June, services inflation momentum remains strong.

Persons: Andrew Bailey, Goldman Sachs, James Moberly, Ibrahim Quadri, Jari Stehn, BoE, Goldman, —, Abbas Khan, Mariano Cena, Silvia Ardagna, Matthew Swannell, Paul Hollingsworth, Andrew Bailey's Organizations: Bank of England, Press, Bank of, Monetary, British Retail Consortium, MPC, Fed, ECB, U.S . Federal Reserve, European Central Bank, PMI, Bank of England's, Barclays, BNP Paribas Locations: London, Britain, Sintra

☆ Marathon Petroleum quarterly profit slumps 63% on lower refining margins
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Aug 1 (Reuters) - U.S. refiner Marathon Petroleum Corp (MPC.N) reported a 63% drop in second-quarter profit on Tuesday, as improved fuel supplies and slowing economic activity compressed its margins. Despite a resilient fuel demand in the U.S., an increase in global refining capacity compared with last year and slowing economic activity has brought the market down from the peaks seen in 2022. Refining and marketing margin was $22.10 per barrel for the April-June quarter, down from $37.54 per barrel a year earlier. On an adjusted basis, Marathon reported earnings of $5.32 per share, beating average analysts' estimate of $4.59 per share, on the back of improvement in refining costs and lower tax rate. Rival Valero Energy Corp (VLO.N) last week also saw its quarterly profits dwindle as refining margins came under pressure, but beat estimates on strength in its renewable diesel business.

Persons: refiner, Arshreet Singh, Krishna Chandra Organizations: refiner Marathon Petroleum Corp, Refining, Reuters, Rival Valero Energy Corp, Thomson Locations: U.S, Marathon, West Coast, Findlay , Ohio, Bengaluru

☆ Nigeria's Tinubu appoints investigator to probe central bank
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Nigeria's Central Bank Governor Godwin Emefiele briefs the media during the MPC meeting in Abuja, Nigeria January 24, 2020. REUTERS/Afolabi SotundeCompanies Tinubu Square Sa FollowABUJA, July 30 (Reuters) - Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu has appointed a financial watchdog to investigate the central bank, weeks after he suspended its governor, a copy of a letter from the president showed on Sunday. Tinubu on June 9 suspended Godwin Emefiele, who was then detained by state security agents for allegedly misappropriating funds and a "criminal breach of trust." In a letter dated July 28, Tinubu appointed the chief executive of Nigeria's Financial Reporting Council as special investigator of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and other government-owned entities. The investigator was to "provide a comprehensive report on public wealth currently in the hands of corrupt individuals and establishments."

Persons: Nigeria's Central Bank Governor Godwin Emefiele, Bola Tinubu, Tinubu, Godwin Emefiele, Dele Alake, Felix Onuah, MacDonald Dzirutwe, Christina Fincher Organizations: Nigeria's Central Bank Governor, MPC, REUTERS, Nigeria's, Central Bank of Nigeria, Thomson Locations: Abuja, Nigeria, ABUJA

☆ On tap this week: Jobs report plus 10 key earnings. Here's what we want to see
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-29 | by ( Zev Fima | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +18 min

All three major averages advanced for the week, powered by strong mega-cap earnings and favorable inflation data. Looking to next week, earnings season enters its second half with the last of our mega-caps — Apple (AAPL) and Amazon (AMZN) — set to report on Thursday. We'll get a better read on the employment picture on Wednesday with the ADP report and then, more importantly, on Friday's nonfarm payrolls report for July. Thursday after the close brings us to the main events of the week: Earnings from Apple and Amazon. For those looking to review first quarter performance ahead of these releases, be sure to keep our first-quarter earnings report card handy.

Persons: We'll, that's, Stanley Black, Decker, Emerson, Bausch, Leggett, Platt, SIRI, Ares, COLM, PERI, Kraft Heinz, Phillips, Ferrari N.V, Johnson, Robinson, COOK, BUD, Kellogg, Papa, Pitney Bowes, Parker, Trimble, Ziff Davis, Nonfarm, Jim Cramer's, Jim Cramer, Jim, Apple Tim Cook, Kevin Dietsch Organizations: Nasdaq, Dow, Federal Reserve, Federal, ISM Manufacturing, Services PMI, Investors, Caterpillar, Devices, Starbucks, Natural Resources, AMD, Management, Emerson Electric and, Humana, Bausch Health, Apple, Microsoft, Resource Partners, AerCap Holdings, CNA Financial Corp, CNA, Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Bank, SJW, Hutchison China MediTech, Camtek Ltd, Silvercrest Asset Management, Loews Corp, Oxford Lane Capital Corp, Banco Santander, Silicom Ltd, SuperCom Ltd, Arista Networks, Avis Budget Group, Diamondback Energy, Lattice Semiconductor Corp, Republic Services, Yum China Holdings, Western Digital Corp, Power Systems, Tenet Healthcare Corp, Vornado Realty, BioMarin Pharmaceutical, PetMed, SBA Communications Corporation, Brixmor, Snack Foods Corp, Cushman & Wakefield, Sanmina Corporation, TFI, PMI, Cruise Line Holdings Ltd, Uber Technologies, Pfizer, Enterprise Products Partners, Merck, JetBlue Airways Corporation, Allegro MicroSystems, Altria, SunPower Corp, SiriusXM Holdings, Molson Coors Beverage, Marriott International, Toyota Motor Corp, BP, SYSCO Corp, Marathon Petroleum Corp, Ares Management, Equitrans Midstream Corporation, Game Technology, Illinois Tool, IDEXX Laboratories, Rockwell Automation, Packaging International Corp, Gartner, Zebra Technologies Corp, IQVIA Holdings, Oshkosh Corporation, Leidos Holdings, Eaton Corp, yte Corp, Lear Corp, Starbucks Corp, Devon Energy Corp, SolarEdge Technologies, Lumen Technologies, Virgin Galactic Holdings, Caesars Entertainment, VF Corp, Sciences Corp, Paycom, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Suncor Energy, Holdings, Chesapeake Energy Corp, Boston Properties, American International Group, AIG, Allstate Corp, Aspen Technology, Electronic Arts, EA, Flowserve Corporation, Denny's, Corp, Prudential Financial, Store, Ternium S.A, Vimeo, Emerson, Lomb, CVS Health, Generac Holdings, Cameco Corp, Perion Network Ltd, Builders, Carlyle Group, Scorpio, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Ltd, Rithm Capital Corp, AeroSystems Holdings, Vertiv Holdings Co, Johnson Controls, CDW Corp, DuPont, Brands Holdings, Scotts Miracle, Gro, SMG, Brands, Allegheny Technologies, AmerisourceBergen Corporation, ABC, Real Estate Corporation, Adient plc, Editas, Garmin Ltd, WWE, Bunge Ltd, Criteo S.A, PayPal, QUALCOMM, Occidental Petroleum Corp, Apache Corp, Albemarle Corp, MGM Resorts International, MGM, Marathon Oil Corp, Joby Aviation, Industrial, CF Industries Holdings, Goodyear Tire &, Realty ome Corp, Metlife, Pacific Biosciences of, Rush Street Interactive, Zillow, JFrog Ltd, Herbalife Nutrition Ltd, Simon Property Group, McKesson Corp, Storage, Cerus Corporation, GXO Logistics, MAX Holdings, Health, Anheuser, Busch InBev, Warner Bros ., Cheniere Energy, ConocoPhillips, Hasbro, CIGNA Corp, Lantheus Holdings, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Fiverr International, Air Products & Chemicals, TopBuild Corp, EPAM Systems, Lightspeed Commerce, Aurinia Pharmaceuticals, Cummins, CMI, Slair Corporation, Starwood Property Trust, Vulcan, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, New Energy Corp, Cedar Fair Entertainment, Intellia Therapeutics, Lending, Privia Health, Dickinson, Chimera Investment, CIM, Hyatt Hotels Corp, Lion Electric, LEV, Deluxe Corp, Murphy Oil Corp, PBF Energy, Papa John's, Targa Resources Corp, Wix.com Ltd, Apollo Global Management, LLC, Butterfly, Sempra Energy, Aptiv PLC, Brookfield Infrastructure Partners, Canada Goose Holdings, Hannifin Corporation, WESCO International, WCC, Arrow Electronics, Constellation Energy Group, Midstream Partners, Coinbase, Petroleo Brasileiro SA Petrobras, Gilead Sciences, Opendoor Technologies, Booking Holdings, Atlassian Corporation, International, Redfin Corporation, Motorola Solutions, Monster Beverage Corporation, Consolidated Edison, Rocket Companies, Apple Hospitality, Cirrus, Resources, Universal Display Corporation, Chesapeake Utilities Corp, Social, Defense, Security Solutions, Post Holdings, Tandem Diabetes Care, Nikola Corporation, Magna International, Dominion Energy, ACM Research, Frontier Communications, Brookfield Renewable Partners, inTEST Corporation, American Pipeline, TELUS International, XPO Logistics, Fluor Corp, Gray Television, Cboe, LyondellBasell Industries, Twist Bioscience, Global, Jim Cramer's Charitable, CNBC, Allen & Company Sun Valley, Getty Locations: U.S, China, India, Oxford, Chile, Illinois, Columbia, Pacific, Pacific Biosciences of California, Southern, PBI, Gilead, Sun Valley , Idaho

☆ Bank of England set to raise rates to 5.25% as high inflation persists
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( David Milliken | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Expectations for peak BoE rates reached 6.5% on July 11 after data showed record wage growth. But they fell back after a bigger-than-expected decline in consumer price inflation. Still, that inflation rate is nearly four times the BoE's 2% target and double the rate in the United States. Following the end of Silvana Tenreyro's tenure on the BoE's Monetary Policy Committee, fellow external member Swati Dhingra is likely to be alone in making the case that producer price inflation - rather than wage growth - is a better guide to future consumer price inflation trends. Annual producer price inflation fell to 0.1% in June, its lowest since December 2020, down from a high of nearly 20% last July, which it hit just a few months before CPI peaked at 11.1%.

Persons: BoE, Andrew Goodwin, BoE Governor Andrew Bailey, Dave Ramsden, Ramsden, Peter Schaffrik, Cathal Kennedy, Silvana Tenreyro's, Swati Dhingra, Megan Greene, Bailey, Huw Pill, David Milliken, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: Bank of England, U.S . Federal Reserve, European Central Bank, Oxford Economics, Reuters, MPC, HSBC, RBC, Committee, Kroll Institute, Tenreyro, Monetary, Thomson Locations: Britain, United States, Germany

☆ Israeli financial markets slide after judicial overhaul vote
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( Steven Scheer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

JERUSALEM, July 24 (Reuters) - Israeli financial markets tumbled on Monday, with the shekel hitting a two-week low versus the dollar, after lawmakers ratified the first bill of a judicial overhaul sought by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In protest at the vote, a forum of some 150 of Israel's largest companies held a strike on Monday. Azrieli (AZRG.TA) and Big (BIG.TA), two of Israel's largest malls, said stores in their shopping centres would be closed. But news that compromise talks collapsed erased early gains and sent the shekel weaker, with losses deepening after the vote. The shekel has weakened some 10% versus the dollar since late January when the government unveiled its controversial judicial overhaul plan, setting off mass protests and harming foreign inflows.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Nir Elias, Arnon Bar, Netanyahu, Steven Scheer, Bansari Mayur, Karin Strohecker, James Mackenzie, Christina Fincher, Sharon Singleton Organizations: REUTERS, Bank of Israel, MPC, Supreme, Thomson Locations: Tel Aviv, Washington

The South African Reserve Bank's (SARB) monetary policy committee (MPC) kept rates at 8.25% as inflation forecasts came in lower than previous ones and economic conditions improved. Kganyago said future rate decisions would continue to depend on economic data and risks to the inflation outlook. The bank expects inflation to fall back to the midpoint of the target range sustainably only by the third quarter of 2025. Jason Tuvey, deputy chief emerging markets economist at Capital Economics, said in a note that rate cuts were likely to materialise only early next year. "The split vote suggests that inflation concerns continue to linger and it is likely to take some time before a majority on the MPC are in favour of rate cuts," Tuvey said.

Persons: Lesetja Kganyago, Kganyago, Jason Tuvey, Tuvey, Kuben Naidoo, Nellie Peyton, Tannur Anders, Kopano, Anait Miridzhanian, Promit Mukherjee, Rachel Savage, Alexander Winning, Olivia Kumwenda, Frances Kerry Organizations: South, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Capital Economics, MPC, Thomson Locations: PRETORIA

☆ British workers keep getting pay raises — despite the Bank of England urging them not to ask for more money
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Both Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey and U.K. Finance Minister Jeremy Hunt on Monday told an audience in the City of London that high wage settlements were harming their efforts to contain inflation. Much of the increase in pay has been driven by the private sector, with annual wage growth increasing to 7.6% in the three months to April. However, Bank of England Governor Bailey noted in his Mansion House speech on Monday that the British economy has proven unexpectedly resilient. Last summer saw a slew of strikes and protests as real wages, which reflect the power of a worker's pay after accounting for inflation, declined at a record rate. "No question about it, current nominal wage growth remains far too high relative to the sustainable rate of probably around 3.5-4.0% yoy.

Persons: Mark Kerrison, Andrew Bailey, Jeremy Hunt, Stuart Cole, BoE, Rishi Sunak, Danni Hewson, AJ Bell, Bank of England Governor Bailey, Sanjay Raja, Raja, Equiti's Cole, Bailey, Kallum Pickering, Pickering Organizations: National Education Union, Department for Education, Getty, LONDON, Bank of England, National Statistics, . Finance, City of, Equiti, Monetary, Deutsche Bank, MPC, Treasury, Bank, The, England's Locations: London, United Kingdom, City, City of London, Ukraine

☆ UK wage growth matches record high, keeping BoE under pressure
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( William Schomberg | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"The labour market became less tight in May and there are some signs of momentum in wage growth slowing a bit," Ashley Webb, an economist with Capital Economics, said. "But with wage growth still well above the levels consistent with the 2% inflation target, this won't ease the Bank of England's inflation fears significantly." The BoE is monitoring pay growth closely as it assesses how much inflationary pressure remains in Britain's economy even after its 13 back-to-back interest rate increases. "But it always has taken a little time for changes in labour market slack to influence wage growth and some leading indicators remain encouraging." Annual pay growth including bonuses sped up to 6.9%, the fastest on record excluding the coronavirus pandemic period when government job subsidies distorted the data, the ONS said.

Persons: Sterling, Ashley Webb, BoE, Andrew Bailey, Samuel Tombs, William Schomberg, Sachin Ravikumar, Kate Holton, Christina Fincher Organizations: Reuters, of England, Sterling, Bank of England, National Statistics, Capital Economics, of, Pantheon, MPC, Thomson

☆ More than $120 million of a crypto firm's assets were moved to an unknown address - weeks after its CEO disappeared, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Zahra Tayeb | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

More than $120 million of a crypto firm's assets were "abnormally" moved to an unknown address, Bloomberg reported. "The lockup assets on the Multichain MPC address have been moved to an unknown address abnormally. "More than 120M assets were transferred from Multichain: Fantom Bridge and Multichain: Moonriver Bridge and are now distributed across 6 addresses. In a separate event, Binance, the world's largest crypto exchange, experienced a $100 million worth crypto hack last October after an exploit on a cross-chain bridge. Crypto investing clearly has its risks and drawbacks, but there are upsides to digital assets including potentially hefty returns.

Persons: —, Multichain, –, Zhaojun, Bitcoin Organizations: Bloomberg, Service, MPC, Twitter, ICE, BlackRock Locations: Multichain, Fantom, Moonriver

☆ Inflation blame game: UK economic woes set government and central bank on a collision course
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Sunak has reiterated his "total support" for the Bank of England and under fire Governor Andrew Bailey. Meanwhile, economic growth has all but stagnated and public debt has surpassed 100% of gross domestic product for the first time since March 1961. "What is perhaps surprising is that the energy shock in the U.K. was larger than in most of mainland Europe." In a recent CNBC-moderated panel at a monetary policy forum in Sintra, Portugal, Bailey noted that the U.K. labor force is unique in remaining below its pre-Covid levels. Thanos Papasavvas, founder of ABP Invest, also alluded to the unique susceptibility of the U.K. to high inflation, but said the Bank of England should have been alive to this far earlier.

Persons: Sunak, Andrew Bailey, STEFAN ROUSSEAU, Rishi Sunak, Shaan Raithatha, CNBC's, We've, they've, Raithatha, we've, Richard Flax, Panmure Gordon, Simon French, Bailey, it's, Brexit, Catherine Mann, It's, Panmure Gordon's, French, Thanos Papasavvas Organizations: Bank of England, Getty, Sunak's Conservative, The Bank of, Vanguard, CPI, CNBC, Bank, Monetary, Committee, Panmure, ABP Invest Locations: The Bank of England, U.S, Ukraine, Europe, Moscow, Sintra , Portugal, U.K, British

☆ Pakistan central bank raises main interest rate by 100 bps to 22%
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Karachi, PAKISTAN, June 26 (Reuters) - Pakistan's central bank raised its benchmark interest rate by 100 basis points to 22% at an emergency meeting on Monday, a day after the country revised its budget for the fiscal year from July 1 in a bid to rescue an IMF programme that expires in days. The central bank has now raised its main rate by 12.25 percentage points since April 2022, mainly to curb soaring inflation. "The MPC views this action as necessary to keep real interest rate firmly in positive territory on a forward-looking basis," the central bank said in a statement. On June 12 the central bank had left its key rate unchanged. The KSE100 index on the Pakistan Stock Exchange closed up 3.42% on expectations of a deal begin reached with the IMF.

Persons: Fahad Rauf, Ismail Iqbal, Shivam Patel, Sanjeev Miglani, Hugh Lawson Organizations: IMF, Analysts, International Monetary Fund, MPC, Ismail, Ismail Iqbal Securities, Pakistan Stock Exchange, Thomson Locations: Karachi, PAKISTAN, New Delhi, Shahid

☆ Sterling volatile, Norwegian crown surges and Swiss franc falls on rate hikes
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Joice Alves | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The BoE's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted 7-2 to raise its main interest rate to 5% from 4.5%, its highest since 2008 and its largest rate increase since February. SWISS FRANCThe Swiss franc fell after the Swiss National Bank (SNB) hiked its benchmark interest rate by 25 basis points to 1.75%, defying some market expectations of a bigger increase. However, economists polled by Reuters had expected the SNB to hike rates by 25 bps. The Swiss franc fell 0.15% to 0.8942 against the dollar, moving away from a six-week high it touched last week. In an attempt to curb inflation, Norges Bank raised interest rates to 3.75%, sending the crown more than 1% higher both against the euro and dollar.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, BoE, Sterling, BOE, Paul Oberschneider, Alex Livingstone, Thomas Jordan, Thomas Gitzel, POWELL, Jerome Powell, Joice Alves, Alexander Smith, Conor Humphries Organizations: U.S, REUTERS, Norges Bank, Swiss, Bank of England, Swiss National Bank, MPC, Reuters, Hilltop Credit Partners, Trading, Titan Asset Management, SWISS, ECB, European Central Bank, Fed, Federal, Bank Group, bps, Bank, Capitol, The U.S, Thomson Locations: Norwegian, London, Liechtenstein, NORWEGIAN, The, Asia, Hong Kong, China

"There has been significant upside news in recent data that indicates more persistence in the inflation process," the MPC said. BoE policymakers had given little indication that a half-point rate increase was under consideration in the run-up to Thursday's announcement. Expectations for BoE rate tightening have surged in recent days - sharply raising the cost of new mortgages - and before Thursday's decision financial markets expected the BoE's Bank Rate to peak at 6% by the end of the year. The central bank also noted that short-dated British government bond yields had risen sharply - pricing in an average level of Bank Rate of 5.5% for the next three years. Last month the central bank forecast that inflation would fall to just over 5% by the end of this year and be below its 2% target in early 2025.

Persons: BoE, Silvana Tenreyro, Swati Dhingra, Andrew Bailey, Jeremy Hunt, Joachim Nagel, Jerome Powell, David Milliken, Suban Abdulla, BRITAIN BOE Organizations: Bank of England, MPC, Reuters, Central, U.S . Federal, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Swedish, Norwegian, Britain

☆ Bank of England surprises with 50 basis point rate hike to tackle persistent inflation
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

A passageway near the Bank of England (BOE) in the City of London, U.K., on Thursday, March 18, 2021. Hollie Adams | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesLONDON — The Bank of England on Thursday surprised markets with a 50 basis point hike to interest rates, its 13th consecutive increase as policymakers grapple with persistently high inflation. The Monetary Policy Committee voted 7-2 in favor of the half percentage point increase, which takes the bank's base rate to 5%. The move defied market expectations, which had priced in around a 60% chance of a 25 basis point hike. The MPC said that the high number of fixed-rate mortgages means that the full impact of the increase in the Bank Rate so far "will not be felt for some time."

Persons: BOE, Hollie Adams, Sterling, —, we've, Andrew Bailey, Joseph Little, Little Organizations: Bank of England, City of, Bloomberg, Getty, Monetary, MPC, Bank, HSBC Asset Management Locations: City, City of London

☆ VIEW Bank of England delivers hefty rate hike
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Traders scrambled to price in a peak to UK rates of as much 6% and its implications for the risk of recession, and rate-sensitive stocks like banks and homebuilders slid. MONEY MARKETS: UK 2-year gilts dropped sharply, then rose after the decision but were last unchanged at 5.04%. But even if the bank hasn't offered up any new guidance, the rate decision itself is revealing. The UK has the unenviable title of highest core inflation rate in the G7, and by quite some margin. "Having said that, their policy is now more data dependent, the bank had to deliver a rate increase.

Persons: homebuilders, Sterling, gilts, JAMIE NIVEN, JAMES SMITH, hasn’t, hasn't, BoE, SEEMA SHAH, CHRIS BEAUCHAMP, Bailey, PAUL OBERSCHNEIDER, BOE, ” ROBERT JEFFREE, GARY SMITH, EVELYN, Yoruk Organizations: Bank of England, MPC, Traders, CANDRIAM, ING, LONDON, IG GROUP, Treasury, EMEA, Thomson

☆ Bank of England poised to raise rates after inflation shock
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( David Milliken | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Economists polled by Reuters last week were unanimous that the BoE would raise rates to 4.75%, their highest since 2008, from 4.5%. But after inflation held at 8.7% in May, financial markets priced in a nearly 50% chance that the BoE would opt for a bigger move and raise rates by half a percentage point. "The UK has a uniquely bad inflation problem," Krishna Guha, a vice chairman at U.S. investment banking advisory firm Evercore, said. Core inflation - which strips out more volatile prices to show an underlying trend - rose to a 31-year high in May. "Unfortunately, the Bank of England is in a situation where they will have to hike until something breaks," he said.

Persons: BoE, Tomasz Wieladek, Rowe Price, Krishna Guha, Evercore, Rishi Sunak, Andrew Bailey, Megan Greene, Wieladek, David Milliken, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: Bank of England, Reuters, U.S . Federal, European Central Bank, Sky News, MPC, Nomura, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, United States

That threw a new curveball at UK markets, as just last week economists polled by Reuters had unanimously expected the BoE to raise by 25 basis points. I would not be surprised if we see a 50-bp rate rise from the Bank of England tomorrow." Other analysts said delivering a larger rate rise on Thursday risked further undermining the BoE's messaging. Bets on where BoE rate hikes might peak rose as high as 6% on Wednesday. The rise in yields hit UK housebuilders (.FTNMX402020), which were down as much as 3.1%.

Persons: BoE, Melanie Baker, Liz, Nick Rees, Richard McGuire, Rabobank's McGuire, Yoruk Bahceli, William Schomberg, Dhara Ranasinghe, Danilo Masoni, Alun John, Peter Graff Organizations: Bank of England, Reuters, Royal London Asset Management, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Wednesday's, MPC, FX, Monex, Rabobank, Sterling, Thomson Locations: Monex Europe

☆ Credibility crisis requires BoE to write new plot
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( Francesco Guerrera | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

LONDON, June 20 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Since May 24, thousands of British people have had their homeowning dreams dashed by a sudden spike in mortgage rates. Unlike many other central banks, the BoE doesn’t provide its own forecasts of how consumer prices will evolve in coming years. The whiplash occurred because traders had to digest the inflation shock without any interest rate guidance from policymakers. Because most banks price home loans off those derivatives, it sent mortgage rates rocketing. The BoE announces its latest interest rate decision on June 22, with traders expecting a 25-basis-point hike, to 4.75%.

Persons: “, Paul Gascoigne, BoE, Andrew Bailey, That’s, Bailey, ”, Charles Goodhart, ’, apocryphally, Seneca, David Roberts, George Hay, Oliver Taslic Organizations: Reuters, Bank of England, Monetary, U.S . Federal Reserve, European Central Bank, Reuters Graphics Reuters, MPC, Financial Times, Fed, Thomson Locations: policymaking, BoE’s

☆ Bank of England's conundrum deepens as inflation and labor market stay hot
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

A member of the public walks through heavy rain near the Bank of England in May 2023. LONDON — The Bank of England is "caught between a rock and a hard place" as it prepares for a key monetary policy decision against a backdrop of sticky inflation and a tight labor market, economists say. May's consumer price index figure will be published Wednesday morning, the day before the Bank's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) announces its next move on interest rates. Data points since the last meeting have indicated persistent tightness in the labor market and strong underlying inflationary pressures, alongside mixed but surprisingly resilient growth momentum. Economists therefore now expect the Bank to prolong its tightening cycle and lift interest rates to a higher level than previously anticipated.

Organizations: Bank of England, LONDON, Organization, Economic Cooperation, Development

☆ Bank of England set to raise rates to 4.75% as inflation slow to fall
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( David Milliken | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

However, Neiss thinks the BoE is unlikely to raise interest rates as much as markets have priced in. In a Reuters poll this week, economists predicted the BoE would raise interest rates just twice more, taking rates to a peak of 5% by August or September. The BoE faces three big challenges when assessing how much more rate tightening it needs to do. Fewer households have mortgages and more are on fixed rates - so a key channel for higher interest rates to affect the economy now operates with a delay. "If the Bank of England accelerated policy tightening now, that would smack of panic or a loss of control," McGuire said.

Persons: Henry Nicholls, BoE, BoE Governor Andrew Bailey, Bailey, Katharine Neiss, Neiss, Christine Lagarde, Richard McGuire, Swati Dhingra, Silvana Tenreyro, Megan Greene, Tenreyro, McGuire, Yoruk Bahceli, David Milliken, Toby Chopra Organizations: Bank of England, REUTERS, of, U.S . Federal Reserve, European Central Bank, Italy, Fed, ECB, Reuters, homebuyers, Rabobank, MPC, Thomson Locations: City, London, Britain, of England

LONDON, June 13 (Reuters) - Incoming Bank of England rate-setter Megan Greene signalled on Tuesday that the central bank may have a tough job returning British inflation to its 2% target, even if it drops quickly at first from double-digit figures. British inflation fell in April from double digits to 8.7% but this was still jointly the highest reading among Group of Seven countries, along with Italy. Short-dated British government bond yields rose to their highest level since 2008 as Greene spoke. She described inflation expectations in Britain as pretty well-anchored, but said there were lessons from the 1970s on how not to conduct monetary policy. Greene will replace MPC member Silvana Tenreyro, who has voted against the BoE's rate increases in recent months.

Persons: Megan Greene, Greene, Kroll, BoE, Silvana Tenreyro, Kylie MacLellan, Suban Abdulla, Sarah Young, Catherine Evans Organizations: Incoming Bank of, Monetary, parliament's, MPC, Thomson Locations: Italy, Britain, U.S

LONDON, June 12 (Reuters) - Central banks like the Bank of England will find it hard to communicate the end of their rate-tightening cycle and should not sweat over this at the expense of taking steps to bring down inflation, BoE policymaker Catherine Mann said on Monday. "Fine-tuning is something that monetary policy is not very good at if the ultimate objective is to focus on inflation," Mann said at an event hosted by U.S. political strategists Signum Global Advisors. Many economists, by contrast, expect the BoE to stop sooner - or if not, to pause to assess the impact of the rapid series of rate rises. "Inflation expectations, in fact, are on the downswing even as some of these core and services prints have been more robust than we would have hoped for," Mann said. Economic activity had also continued to grow modestly and in line with expectations, Mann added.

Persons: BoE policymaker Catherine Mann, Mann, Signum, BoE, Jonathan Haskel, it's, David Milliken, Suban Abdulla, William James, Andrea Ricci Organizations: Bank of England, Signum Global Advisors, Bank of Canada, Monetary, MPC, Thomson Locations: Central, Britain, United States

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