Interest rates held at 0.5%

Its quantitative easing programme is to continue, the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) has confirmed, but will not be extended in September. Analysts believe the Bank of England is waiting for further clarity on the state of the UK economy, after recent supports suggested Britain is beginning to climb out of recession. Recent data suggested manufacturing output has increased at its fastest rate for 18 months and the FTSE 100 rose above 5,000 points for the first time since October yesterday. These are likely to have been major factors in the MPC's decision making. Quantitative ea...