MPC voted unanimously for rate hold - but hints at more QE

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Members of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted unanimously to hold rates at their historic low and maintain the quantitative easing (QE) programme at £275bn - but they indicated more QE could be on the way.

Minutes from the December meeting show all nine members voted to hold interest rates at 0.5% and keep its asset purchase programme at the current level. In October, the Bank ramped up its QE scheme by £75bn amid turbulent economic conditions. Although members resisted a new round of stimulus this month, the minutes noted a further expansion of QE may be warranted soon. "Some members continued to note that the balance of risks to inflation in the November inflation report projections meant that a further expansion of the asset purchases programme might well become warranted in due c...

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