BoE Economist Gloomier on Economy Rates Lower for Longer

Interest rates should remain low to avoid long-term economic stagnation, the chief economist at the Bank of England has said.

Andrew Haldane said in a speech he was downbeat over the UK economy because of weaker global growth, low wage growth and financial and political risks.

“Put in rather plainer English, I am gloomier,” Mr Haldane said.

“This implies interest rates could remain lower for longer, certainly than I had expected three months ago.”

‘Agony and ecstasy’
Global markets have tumbled this week, with investors disconcerted at the lack of growth in Europe and especially Greece, the impact of Ebola, and worrying economic data from China and the US.

Previously, UK interest rates had been expected to rise early next year.

Mr Haldane made his remarks at a speech to local business leaders in Kenilworth, where he described the UK’s economy as “writhing in both agony and ecstasy”.

He said there were still plenty of reasons to be cheerful. Growth is set to be the fastest of any major economy this year and inflation and borrowing costs are low, he said.

However, he said the “reasons to be fearful” included productivity and wages, which had not risen.

“If there is genuine uncertainty about the path of the economy, the optimal policy response may be to avoid the worst outcomes,” said Mr Haldane.

Sterling dropped 0.5% against the dollar following his remarks. Share trading on the London market has been volatile.

via BBC

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Alfonso Esparza

Alfonso Esparza

Senior Currency Analyst at Market Pulse
Alfonso Esparza specializes in macro forex strategies for North American and major currency pairs. Upon joining OANDA in 2007, Alfonso Esparza established the MarketPulseFX blog and he has since written extensively about central banks and global economic and political trends. Alfonso has also worked as a professional currency trader focused on North America and emerging markets. He has been published by The MarketWatch, Reuters, the Wall Street Journal and The Globe and Mail, and he also appears regularly as a guest commentator on networks including Bloomberg and BNN. He holds a finance degree from the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education (ITESM) and an MBA with a specialization on financial engineering and marketing from the University of Toronto.
Alfonso Esparza