About Monetary Policy
Monetary policy is the policy adopted by the monetary authority of a country that controls either the interest rate payable on very short-term borrowing or the money supply, often targeting inflation or the interest rate to ensure price stability and general trust in the currency.
Argentina election: Javier Milei's radical proposals face test of reality
... Some economists have also questioned whether Mr Milei s plans are feasible, saying they would weaken his government s ability to manage domestic Monetary Policy...
Inflation: Not yet party time for our finances
... The Bank of England s Monetary Policy Committee has set the so-called benchmark rate at 5...
Can government claim credit for fall in inflation?
... Bringing inflation down is officially the job not of the government but the Bank of England, which is expected to regulate inflation through Monetary Policy - meaning measures such as raising or cutting interest rates...
Higher rates punish low paid, says Bank's Swati Dhingra
... Dr Swati Dhingra is one of the Bank of England s nine-strong Monetary Policy Committee...
Average five-year mortgage drops below 6%
... These borrowers were given some hope of rates turning the corner when the Bank of England s Monetary Policy Committee decided to hold the benchmark interest rate at 5...
Hope for mortgage rate cuts after Bank of England decision
... The Monetary Policy Committee s was somewhat of a surprise, with many analysts expecting a 15th consecutive increase...
UK interest rate freeze ends run of 14 straight increases
... The Bank s decision was a very close call, with four of the nine-strong rate-setting Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voting for a rise, and five opting for a pause...
UK faces ‘heightened recession risks' as interest rates bite
... The Bank s Monetary Policy Committee has voted 14 times in a row to raise interest rates...
Hope for mortgage rate cuts after Bank of England decision
By Kevin PeacheyCost of living correspondent
Mortgage rates should fall following The Bank of England's decision to keep its key interest rate on hold, brokers say.
So Far the response has been muted, with the Nationwide the only major lender to reduce mortgage rates since The Bank 's announcement was made.
Brokers expect more competition among lenders in The Coming weeks.
But they warn that changes are likely to be slow, with little prospect of The Bank rate being cut in the near future.
The Monetary Policy Committee's was somewhat of a surprise, with many analysts expecting a 15th consecutive increase.
It will bring immediate relief to 1. 4 million people on tracker and standard variable rate (SVR) deals who have been seeing regular increases in their monthly repayments.
Even after rates were held, compared with December 2021, those on a tracker mortgage are paying £540 more a month, or £299 more a month on a SVR.
Around three-quarters of mortgage customers hold fixed-rate deals. Banking trade body Uk Finance says there are About 800,000 of these deals ending in the Second Half of 2023, and About 1. 6 million expiring next year.
Brokers said there was now a better chance of these borrowers getting mortgage rates of less than 5% when they renew.
" I expect more lenders will lower their fixed mortgage deals over The Coming weeks, " said Aaron Strutt, from Trinity Financial. " Mortgage rates need to be closer to 4% to bring more confidence back to The Market .
" There certainly is not a full-on price war at The Moment , but rates are coming down as the cost of funding mortgages falls. "
The UK's biggest building society, the Nationwide, reduced rates by up to 0. 31 percentage points on Friday.
Other lenders have been nudging down the cost of their new fixed rate mortgages recently, including announcements from TSB before The Bank 's announcement on Thursday and NatWest on Wednesday.
Andrew Montlake, from broker Coreco, said The End of The String of Bank rate rises allowed lenders some " space" to cut their mortgage rates.
" This will be a slow and steady fall rather than anything dramatic and the current plateau looks like it will be a stable place for some time yet, " He Said .
The latest figures show that the average two-year fixed mortgage rate fell slightly to 6. 56% on Friday, compared with 6. 58% on Thursday. The typical five-year fixed deal is 6. 06%, according to the financial information service Moneyfacts.
Nicola Valentine said she was " breathing a sigh of relief" on hearing that rates were being held.
But the tax accountant, from Isleham, Cambridgeshire, is still " hugely anxious" because her mortgage is due to go up by About £300 a month.
Her 2. 9% fixed-rate mortgage deal expires in November. She has cancelled TV and gym subscriptions, and stopped buying new clothes and takeaways, but still does not know how she will find The Extra money.
" I'm praying the rates have peaked now and will start to go down because this is really unsustainable for me. I feel completely helpless, " She Said .
Most People remortgaging will still pay significantly More Than their previous deal, as interest rates are far higher than people became accustomed to for More Than a decade.
The Bank of England governor, Andrew Bailey , has played down any chances that The Bank rate might start to be cut soon.
" I can tell you that we have not had any discussion. . About reducing rates, because that would be very, very premature. Our job is to get inflation down, " He Said .
Lucian Cook, head of residential research at estate agency Savills, predicted further falls in UK house prices as a result.
" A material improvement in mortgage affordability requires the prospect of a cut in interest rates coming onto the horizon, " He Said . " That still looks some way off, suggesting buyers' budgets are going to remain constrained and that there is a little way to go before house prices bottom out. "
Ways to save money on your mortgageThere are
Related TopicsSource of news: bbc.com
Monetary policy Photos
