King Says U.K. Recovery May Be ‘Long, Hard Slog’


[Skip to the end]

So how about recommending a suspension VAT for a bit???

King Says U.K. Recovery May Be ‘Long, Hard Slog’

by Robert Schmidt

June 24 (Bloomberg) — “There has to be a risk that it will be a long, hard slog” because of the problems in the banking system, King told lawmakers in London today. “I feel more uncertain now than ever. This is not the pattern of a recession coming into recovery that we’ve seen since the 1930s. Having an open mind and not pretending to foresee the future when it’s so uncertain is important.”

King said that there’s “not much evidence to change our view” since the bank released forecasts in May showing that the economy won’t return to growth on an annual basis until the second half of next year.


[top]

2008-08-13 UK News Highlights


[Skip to the end]

Highlights:

BoE Cuts Growth Forecasts, Jobless Climbs
U.K. Unemployment Rose the Most Since 1992 in July
Surge in credit card debt charge-offs
U.K. Homebuilders Fall as Unemployment Rise May Worsen Slump

 
 
Article snip:

BoE Cuts Growth Forecasts, Jobless Climbs (Bloomberg) The BoE cut its forecast for U.K. economic growth and held out the prospect of lower interest rates as unemployment rose the most in almost 16 years in July. Governor Mervyn King said the inflation rate will fall below the 2 % target in two years if policy makers keep the benchmark interest rate at 5 %.

But not if they cut is the implication as well.


[top]

TimesOnline: Latest on BoE rate setting

The mainstream view remains the cost of a near term recession in order to bring prices under control now is far less than the cost of a recession later if you support growth now and let prices continue higher.

Bank of England holds interest rate at 5%

by Gary Duncan, Grainne Gilmore

The Bank of England rebuffed mounting concerns over the rapidly weakening economy today and held interest rates at 5 per cent as it pursued its drive to quell soaring inflation.

The tough verdict from the Bank’s rate-setting Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) brushed aside pleas from business leaders and trade unions for a cut in base rates to shore up Britain’s growth, amid growing fears that the country is on the brink of recession.

The Bank’s decision came after headline consumer price inflation leapt to a 10-year high of 3.8 per cent in June, well above the Bank’s 2 per cent target, and amid expectations that it could hit 5 per cent over the summer, following swingeing increases in household gas and electricity bills imposed by utility companies.

The MPC had been widely expected to spurn pressure for a rate cut today in a bid to make clear its determination to bring inflation back to the target set by the Chancellor. The committee will almost certainly have discussed raising rates this morning, as it did last month, when Professor Tim Besley, voted for an immediate increase. He is expected to have done so again today, and may have been joined by other hawkish MPC members.

The Bank will set out its thinking more clearly next week when it publishes its latest forecasts for the economy in its quarterly Inflation Report. That is expected to emphasise the dilemma that the MPC confronts, with inflation set to soar far above target in the next few months, even as the economy slides towards a severe downturn.

The quandary facing the Bank was underlined yesterday as the International Monetary Fund sharply cut its forecasts for Britain’s growth this year and next, while issuing a warning that it saw “little scope” for interest rates to fall, although it also saw no need for an immediate rate rise.

Today’s no-change verdict by the MPC came despite bleak economic news in recent days, which have produced danger signs of recession.

Concern that Britain’s growth had ground to a virtual halt last month, and could even be in the grip of recession, were inflamed this week after bleak figures revealed growing frailty in the most critical parts of the economy.

These included shrinking activity in the services sector, the economy’s engine room that account for three quarters of the UK’s output, as well as in manufacturing.

The services sector, spanning businesses from cafes and leisure centres to accountancy and law firms, shrank for a third month in succession last month, according to the latest purchasing managers’ survey, regarded by the Bank as a key gauge of economic conditions.

Although services activity edged up from a seven-year low that was plumbed in June, the survey pointed to an even sharper slowdown ahead, with levels of outstanding business for the sector’s companies falling for a tenth month in a row, and inflows of new business dropping to a record low.

At the same time, it emerged that manufacturing is suffering its first sustained run of decline since 2001, after its output fell in June for a fourth month in a row, dropping by 0.5 per cent.

The figures were among the latest data confirming the dire plight of the economy, and came after official confirmation that the pace of Britain’s overall growth slowed to just 0.2 per cent in the second quarter, its weakest rate of expansion for three years.

The falling housing market remains a key source of economic anxiety, with the Nationwide Building Society reporting that house prices tumbled by a further 1.7 per cent last month, leaving them down 8.1 per cent on last year – their sharpest annual pace of decline since 1991.

The high street is also being badly hit by the downturn, with official figures showing that retail sales plunged by 3.9 per cent in June – their biggest monthly drop for 22 years.

Yesterday, the International Monetary Fund added to the mood of pessimism as it cut its forecast for Britain’s growth this year and next to only 1.4 per cent, and 1.1 per cent, respectively. The prediction of the UK’s worst performance since the end of the last recession raised the spectre of two years of economic misery.

In May, Mervyn King, Governor of the Bank, was forced to write an explanatory letter to the Chancellor, required by law, explaining why inflation had risen more than 1 point above its 2 per cent target, after it climbed to its then-high of 3.3 per cent. Mr King has admitted that he expects to write more such letters this year.

The Bank’s inflation headache has been further aggravated by signs of further severe price pressures in the pipeline to the consumer, Manufacturers’ costs rose at a record 30 per cent annual rate in June, and prices for goods leaving factories rose by a record 10 per cent. Inflation is being stoked by a sharp slide in the pound, by about 12 per cent over the past year, which lifts Britain’s bills for imported products.

However, there has been some let up in international food and energy costs, with oil prices tumbling by 13 per cent in a month, and prices for food products are also on the slide.

RE: BOE letter



[Skip to the end]

(an interoffice email)

>
>   On Tue, Jun 17, 2008 at 7:58 AM, DV wrote:
>
>   Mervyn King was required this morning to write a letter to the
>   Chancellor explaining why inflation was greater then 3% in the UK
>   (released this morning at 3.2% vs. 3% previously). The letter follows
>   and was taken as dovish by the markets as it seemed to have more
>   emphasis on the weakening economy then additional upside inflation
>   risks.
>
>   DV
>

Letter to the Chancellor

The CPI inflation rate for May, to be published at 9:30 am tomorrow by the Office for National Statistics, is 3.1%. That is more than one percentage point above our target of 2%. Under the terms of the remit you have given us, I am, therefore, writing an open letter to you today on behalf of the Monetary Policy Committee. As requested by the National Statistician, in order to avoid conflict with the release of the official statistic, in this case the CPI, the Bank of England will publish this open letter at 10:30am.

Our remit specifies that an open letter should explain why inflation has moved away from the target, the period within which we expect inflation to return to the target, the policy action that the Committee is taking to deal with it, and how this approach meets the Government’s monetary policy objectives.

Why has inflation moved away from the target?
Inflation has risen sharply this year, from 2.1% in December to 3.3% in May. That rise can be accounted for by large and, until recently, unanticipated increases in the prices of food, fuel, gas and electricity. These components alone account for 1.1 percentage points of the 1.2 percentage points increase in the CPI inflation rate since last December. Those sharp price changes reflect developments in the global balance of demand and supply for food and energy.

In the year to May:

  • world agricultural prices increased by 60% and UK retail food prices by 8%.
  • oil prices rose by more than 80% to average USD123 a barrel and UK retail fuel prices increased by 20%.
  • wholesale gas prices increased by 160% and UK household electricity and gas bills by around 10%.

The global nature of these price changes is evident in inflation rates not only in the UK but also overseas, although the timing of their impact on consumer prices differs across countries. In May, HICP inflation in the euro area was 3.7% and US CPI inflation was 4.2%. As described in our May Inflation Report, inflation is likely to rise significantly further above the 2% target in the next six months or so.

The May Report set out three main reasons for this:

  • The increase in oil prices will continue to pass through to the costs faced businesses.
  • Rising wholesale gas prices are expected to lead utility companies to announce further tariff increases. There is considerable uncertainty about their size and timing.
  • The depreciation of sterling, which has fallen some 12% since its peak last July, has boosted the prices of imports and will add to the pressure on consumer prices.

The Committee’s central projection, described in its May Inflation Report, was for CPI inflation to rise to over 3 1/2%% later this year. But in the past month, oil prices have risen by about 15% and wholesale gas futures prices for the coming winter have increased by a similar amount. As things stand, inflation is likely to rise sharply in the second half of the year, to above 4%. I must stress, however, that there are considerable uncertainties, in both directions, around this, and any such projection is particularly sensitive to changes in domestic gas and electricity charges.

There are good reasons to expect the period of above-target inflation we are experiencing now to be temporary. We are seeing a change in commodity, energy and import prices relative to the prices of other goods and services. Although this clearly raises the price level, it is not the same as continuing inflation.

There is not a generalised rise in prices and wages caused by rapid growth in the amount of money spent in the economy. In contrast to past episodes of rising inflation, money spending is increasing at a normal rate. In the year to 2008 Q1, it rose by 5 1/2%, in line with the average rate of increase since 1997 – a period in which inflation has been low and stable. Moreover, in recent months the growth rate of the broad money supply has eased and credit conditions have tightened. This will restrain the growth of money spending in the future.

Over what period does the MPC expect inflation to return to the target?
It is possible that commodity prices will rise further in the coming months – oil prices have now been rising for four years. But in the absence of further unexpected increases in oil and commodity prices, inflation should peak around the end of the year and begin to fall back towards the 2% target. Nevertheless, each monthly rise in food, energy and import prices will, by pushing up the overall price level, affect the official twelve-month measure of inflation for a year. So CPI inflation is likely to remain markedly above the target until well into 2009.

I expect, therefore, that this will be the first of a sequence of open letters over the next year or so. The remit for the Monetary Policy Committee states that:

“The framework takes into account that any economy at some point can suffer from external events or temporary difficulties, often beyond its control. The framework is based on the recognition that the actual inflation rate will on occasions depart from its target as a result of shocks and disturbances. Attempts to keep inflation at the inflation target in these circumstances may cause undesirable volatility in output”.

The Committee believes that, if Bank Rate were set to bring inflation back to the target within the next 12 months, the result would be unnecessary volatility in output and employment. So the MPC is aiming to return inflation to the 2% target within its normal forecast horizon of around two years, when the present sharp rises in energy and food prices will have dropped out of the CPI inflation rate. Nevertheless, the Committee is concerned about the present and prospective period of above-target inflation. It is crucial that prices other than those of commodities, energy and imports do not start to rise at a faster rate.

That would happen if those making decisions about prices and pay began to expect higher inflation in the future and acted on that. It could also happen if employees respond to the loss of real spending power that results from higher commodity prices by bidding for more substantial pay increases. Pay growth has remained moderate. But surveys indicate that higher inflation has already had an impact on the public’s expectations of inflation. For that reason, the Committee believes that, to return inflation to the target, it will be necessary for economic growth to slow this year.

A slowdown is already in train. Moreover, as described in the Committee’s May Inflation Report, the prospective squeeze on real incomes associated with higher inflation, together with the reduced availability of credit, is likely to lead to a further slowing in activity this year. This will reduce pressure on the supply capacity of the economy and dampen increases in prices and wages. What policy action are we taking? Since December, Bank Rate has been reduced three times, to stand at 5%. When setting Bank Rate the Committee has faced a balancing act between two risks. On the upside, the risk that above-target inflation could persist explains why the Committee has not responded more aggressively to signs that the economy is slowing. On the downside, the risk is that the slowdown could be so sharp that inflation did not just return to the target but was pulled below. This explains why Bank Rate has been reduced at a time when inflation is above the target.

The MPC will discuss at its July meeting the implications of the latest inflation and other economic data for the balance of these risks. That analysis will be described in the minutes, published two weeks later, and a fully updated forecast will be presented in the August Inflation Report. The path of Bank Rate that will be necessary to meet the 2% target is uncertain. The MPC will continue to make its judgement about the appropriate level of Bank Rate month by month.

How does this approach meet the Government’s monetary policy objectives?
Over the past decade, inflation has been low and stable. Volatility in commodity, energy and import prices means that inflation will now be less stable but it does not mean that inflation will persist at a higher rate. The Committee will maintain price stability by ensuring that the rise in inflation is temporary and that it returns to the 2% target. In the short term, this commitment should give those setting prices and wages some confidence that inflation will be close to the target in the future. That will minimise the slowdown in economic activity that will be necessary to ensure that inflation does fall back. In the longer term, price stability, as our remit states, is “a precondition for high and stable levls of growth and employment”.

We have seen in the past how the need to reduce inflation from persistently high levels has required prolonged periods of subdued economic growth. The resulting instability in our economy deterred investment and contributed to poor economic performance over a longer period. The Monetary Policy Committee remains determined to set interest rates at the level required to bring inflation back to the 2% target, and I welcome the opportunity to explain our thinking in this open letter.

I am copying this letter to the Chairman of the Treasury Committee, through which we are accountable to Parliament, and will place it on the Bank of England’s website for public dissemination.

Thanks, seems the risk of crude rising continuously due to demand continues to be downplayed by the world’s central bankers even though it has been the case for several years, so they continue to pursue policies that in their models are designed to at least support demand.

I continue to suggest mainstream history will not be kind to them.


[top]

FT: Detail of BOE plan

Looks functionally the same as direct lending to the banks vs their mortgage-backed securities.

Don’t know why they are taking this indirect route. Maybe because the Fed is also doing a security lending facility vs direct lending, and the BOE doesn’t want to show them up by doing it right as a gesture of solidarity.

Like everyone in Spain talking with a lisp when pronouncing the ‘s’ sound because the king did way back.

Gets stranger by the day.

Treasury and Bank to publish mortgage remedy

by Chris Giles

The government and Bank of England’s plan to unblock mortgage markets will be published today, but its broad outline began to emerge shortly after Mervyn King, Bank governor, met the heads of the main British banks a month ago.

Unlike other European countries, which wanted to change accounting rules to increase the value of mortgage-backed securities on banks’ books, the British authorities have aimed to acquire these assets at a price higher than the current market values but lower than the price that reflects the fundamental risk of default.

Because they reckon a gap between the two prices exists, the intention is to ease the liquidity strains on banks without the taxpayer adopting much extra risk or buying assets that are fundamentally under water.

With Treasury approval, the Bank of England is to swap mortgage-backed securities for government paper for a year, with an understanding that these year-long swaps will be extended for a further two years.

The programme will act as a new Bank of England facility by which banks will be given short-dated and highly liquid Treasury bills with maturities of one year or less. The Bank will accept mortgage-backed securities and other asset-backed securities in exchange. So arrangements will not be counted as new government debt by public sector books.

King Says U.K. Inflation May Match Fastest Pace in a Decade

States the issues clearly:

King Says U.K. Inflation May Match Fastest Pace in a Decade

(Bloomberg) Bank of England Governor Mervyn King said inflation may match the fastest pace in at least a decade this year and require an explanation to the Treasury, a sign that policy makers have limited scope to cut interest rates.

“It is possible that inflation could rise to the level at which I would need to write an open letter of explanation, possibly more than one, to the chancellor,” King said in a speech today. “To put it bluntly, this year we are probably facing a period of above-target inflation and a marked slowing in growth.”