BOE Holds Policy as Officials Assess Forward-Guidance Impact

Bank of England officials left their bond-buying program unchanged today as they assessed the impact of Governor Mark Carney’s forward guidance policy to keep interest rates low amid a strengthening economic recovery.

The Monetary Policy Committee, after meeting for the first time since introducing guidance last month, held the target for asset purchases at 375 billion pounds ($586 billion), as forecast by all 38 economists in a Bloomberg News survey. It also kept its key interest rate at a record low 0.5 percent.