Both the Federal Reserve and European Central Bank have hinted, with varying degrees of caveats, that rate cuts are on the cards this year. So far, the Bank of England hasn’t followed suit. It was careful not to say anything at the December meeting that could be misconstrued as an endorsement of market pricing on cuts. And there has essentially been radio silence from committee members since then. We suspect the Bank will still want to tread carefully as it gears up for the first meeting of 2024. But the reality is that defending a “higher for longer” stance on interest rates is getting harder as the inflation ... (full story)