Interest rates held at 4.5%

The move to maintain interest rates at their current level - dropped from 4.75% to 4.5% in August - was widely expected despite the dip in consumer confidence revealed earlier this week by Nationwide Building Society. The Nationwide Consumer Confidence Index for September showed a weakening of consumer sentiment. The main index fell by 6 points to 94, down from 100 in August. All four indices fell in September and the main index, present situation index and expectations index are now all at their lowest levels since the lender started measuring consumer confidence in May last year, it say...