What’s In Base Rates For Us?

With certain elements of the national press splashing out headlines such as “Cost of borrowing could rise for first time in four years” as this week’s Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee prepares to meet, should we be worrying? The fact of the matter is that the cost of borrowing has been rising for a [...]

The Bank That Doesn’t Like Savers

We heard calls last year for us to spend rather than save and it looks like that is still what the Bank of England wants us to do as it has held the base rate at 0.5% for the 22nd month in a row. It seems to be good news for those in debt, bad [...]

Interest Rates Could Be On The Up

Credit Card companies are charging rates at a 13-year high and it looks like the latest figures from the manufacturing industry will show that the economy is not as bad as it seems. So, could the base rate be raised soon? Manufacturing figures from December and an improvement on the weather from November allowing shoppers [...]

Could Interest Rates Be Static For Another 9 Months?

A recent poll of financial experts shows that on the whole, many do no expect the base rate to be raised above 0.5% before October. The Reuters survey of 62 economists showed that none of them expected the Bank of England to change the base rates when it meets this week, and only 30% of [...]

Time for a 5% base rate?

Reports earlier in the week by the CBI that base rates could climb to 2.75% by the end of 2012 now look optimistic, after comments by a Bank of England member. Paul Fisher (the executive director of markets and a member of the rate setting Monetary Policy Committee) has warned that rates might have to [...]

Interest Rate Rise Could Hit Families Hard

The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has warned that the base interest rates could rise over the next 24 months, possibly hitting 2.75% by the end of 2012. Such levels of base rates would pile the pressure on home owners by adding £202 per month, £2,424 per year, to the cost of the ‘average’ £150,000 [...]

Millions Unprepared For Rate Rise

Whilst interest rates might have been held low for what feels to be forever, the Bank of England in its twice yearly report is worried about millions of home owners. The report has looked at the growing number of householders who have moved off a fixed rate or other protected rate mortgage and onto the [...]

The Pound Hits 5 Month Euro Low

Bad news for those planning to use the October half term as the last chance for a bit of foreign sun this year as poor financial made the Pound fall against the Euro. Sterling fell from €1.140 overnight to €1.136 before regaining to €1.144, marking a 5 month low. This was caused by the reports [...]

No Interest Rate Changes

For the 18th month, the bank of England has left base rates at 0.5%. With forecasts for a slow economic growth, experts are now predicting that it could be next summer before interest rates can change, however, it is only a month since experts were also predicting massive hikes in the base rate over the [...]



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