The Bank of England’s (BoE) Financial Policy Committee (FPC) held its quarterly meeting on Tuesday, emphasizing Britain’s economic resilience amidst a challenging risk environment and subdued near-term growth prospects. The committee maintained the counter-cyclical capital buffer (CCyB) at 2%, despite a faction within the FPC advocating for an increase to fortify banks’ resilience during a period of low loan losses. The committee is prepared to adjust the rate based on economic and financial fluctuations.
Simultaneously, the BoE sustained the main Bank Rate at 5.25%, continuing its tightening cycle that began in December 2021. This decision aligns with the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) recent downgrade of growth forecasts for Britain, predicting a stark 0.6% growth in 2024.
In conjunction with these decisions, the FPC released a financial policy statement outlining inflation, surging interest rates, and geopolitical discord as major factors affecting the risk outlook. The persistence of inflation may necessitate longer periods of high interest rates, which have not yet fully impacted all household borrowers and businesses, indicating impending challenges.
The FPC report also highlighted an increase in business insolvencies, especially among smaller, highly indebted businesses. This contrasts with the resilience of larger businesses and the banking sector’s ability to absorb shocks. The report underscores a subdued economic growth outlook and conditions worse than anticipated.
The statement indirectly warned that the ongoing Israeli conflict could exacerbate these problems by intensifying Middle East tensions and impacting energy prices. Despite these challenges, the FPC stressed Britain’s economic resilience while acknowledging that future adjustments may be necessary based on evolving economic conditions.
