Why we changed our mind on the BoE

There were two key reasons behind our decision to forecast that the Bank of England will first raise interest rates in 2022 rather than in 2023. First, there is more evidence that the rise in inflation is feeding into faster underlying wage growth and higher inflation expectations. Second, the Bank’s reaction function appears to have changed as it seems less willing to look through a temporary rise in inflation. That said, we still think that the Bank will raise interest rates a little later than the February 2022 date priced into the market and to a lower level by the end of 2024 than investors expect.