UK Firms Lift Price Expectations on Energy Shock, BOE Says
Lights on at dusk in commercial office skyscrapers in the City of London.
Photographer: Chris Ratcliffe/BloombergUK businesses plan to push through bigger price increases in response to the surge in energy costs triggered by the Middle East conflict, according to a Bank of England survey.
Firms questioned in March said they wanted to raise prices by 3.7% over the next year, up from 3.4% the month before and the highest figure since October. They also expected overall consumer prices to rise 3.5% compared with an expected 3% in February.