The Bank of England decided to leave the interest rates unchanged as widely expected, but gave us some positive hints. It wasn’t in the voting pattern: 7 voted against and only two remained in favor of raising the interest rates.
However, they discussed removing some stimulus “in the coming months”. This is significant. It may be a response to the stronger than expected inflation figures reported earlier in the week. Nevertheless, it is hard to see the BOE make a real move. They would like to have a higher exchange rate but not to raise interest rates.
More specifically, the Bank of England noted that growth had superseded their expectations in the third quarter. All the members of the Monetary Policy Committee agree that rates will rise at a fast pace than the current expectations.
They do have notes of caution, which markets tend to ignore at the moment. They repeated their regular stance that hikes will be gradual. In addition, they do not downplay downside risks.
More: GBP/USD: Too Early For A BoE Hike In November But Positive Momentum In Place
GBP/USD likes that and jumps to 1.33, around 100 pips above previous levels. Update: the high so far is 1.3336. The pair has reached a new high for 2017, back to the higher levels of the initial post-Brexit levels of 1.28 to 1.35. 1.20 is far behind.
Here is how it looks on the hourly chart:
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