The Bank of England has boxed itself into a corner. It has led the City to believe that interest rates will rise later this week and will pay a price if expectations are not met. Sterling, which has been looking sickly in recent weeks, will get a real thumping on the foreign exchanges if official borrowing costs remain at 0.5%. In truth, there is no real reason to push up interest rates to 0.75%. The recent official figures for earnings, which some monetary policy committee members have been citing as a reason to act, have shown pay growth decelerating. Inflation is lower than the Bank thought it would be three ... (full story)