The Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is expected to vote for more bond purchases through quantitative easing (QE) when it makes its monthly decision on Thursday.
It would take the total spent under the programme to £375bn. (AtW's comment: that could have paid for 10 x HS2 speed lines including possible overspent)
Additional stimulus would come against a backdrop of a recession in Britain that is deeper than initially thought, a eurozone debt crisis which continues and falling inflation.
Michael Saunders, economist at Citigroup, said: “We expect the MPC will restart QE at the upcoming meeting, in reaction to the persistent weakness of the UK economy, easing inflation worries and ongoing European Monetary Union crisis.”
The latest economic indicators suggest the economy may have contracted for a third successive quarter between April and June, having shrunk by 0.4pc in the fourth quarter of 2011 and by 0.3pc in the first quarter of this year.
Philip Shaw, economist at Investec, said: “Domestically, the official numbers cast some doubt as to whether the economy has begun to expand again, following two quarters of contraction. Meanwhile, signs of a slowdown elsewhere in the world have intensified.”
The case for more QE has also been strengthened by inflation, which fell to a two-and-a-half-year low of 2.8pc in May from 3pc in April. Inflation has steadily fallen over recent months, after peaking at 5.2pc in September last year.
Source: MPC expected to launch £50bn QE - Telegraph
They call it stimulus but in reality money go to Govt to maintain current spending
Comment