Money Distilled

The Bank of England Springs a Hawkish Surprise

Iran war inflation fears have trumped recessionary concerns for now.
Andrew Bailey, governor of the Bank of England (BOE).Photographer: Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg
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Welcome to the award-winning Money Distilled newsletter. I’m John Stepek. Every week day I look at the biggest stories in markets and economics, and explain what it all means for your money.

The Bank of England erred on the hawkish side today. The Monetary Policy Committee was expected to hold Britain’s key interest rate at 3.75%, and that’s exactly what it did. With the Iran war pushing energy prices higher, and no idea of when it might end, this was the only likely outcome.