Americans and Britons bracing for their first interest rate rises in almost a decade are puzzled: why are rates about to go up when there's no inflation? Both the Federal Reserve and Bank of England are proclaiming that they are on the cusp of raising interest rates for the first time in almost a decade. It may take a few months, but the message they are sending still heavily-indebted households either side of the Atlantic is clear: 'be warned'. It's not hard to see why near-zero interest rates should be 'normalised' when you do a quick economic health check. After years in the post-credit crisis doldrums, both ... (full story)