Bank of England Nudges up Inflation Outlook, Split Over QE Widens

Bank of England Nudges up Inflation Outlook, Split Over QE Widens
A street sweeper cleans outside the Bank of England as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues, London, Britain on March 31, 2020. John Sibley/Reuters
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LONDON—The Bank of England said inflation would rise above 4 percent later this year, and two policymakers called for an early end to the central bank’s quantitative easing programme due to rising price pressures.

Policymakers voted 7–2 to stick with the 895 billion pound ($1.2 trillion) asset purchase target they set in November 2020, when the BoE’s Monetary Policy Committee decided to buy a further 150 billion pounds of government bonds over the course of 2021.