Fresh pressure on the Bank of England to delay raising interest rates has emerged after figures for manufacturing and consumer credit highlighted the weakness of the UK economy. Until recently, next week’s Bank meeting was widely expected to sanction another rate increase, but weak growth figures on Friday made such a move less likely and data on Tuesday seems to rule it out almost entirely, sending the pound to a three-month low against the dollar. The latest monthly snapshot of industry from the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply and the information company Markit (CIPS/Markit) showed that the slowing of ... (full story)