The Bank of England kept borrowing costs steady at 3.75 per cent in a knife-edge decision as it signalled that a further interest rate reduction could come as soon as March.
英国央行(Bank of England)以微弱多数的投票结果决定维持3.75%的基准利率不变，并发出信号表明最早可能在3月进一步降息。
The Monetary Policy Committee voted five to four to keep the key rate unchanged after lowering it by a quarter point in December, as the tighter-than-expected vote and the BoE’s dovish language prompted traders to increase their bets on a rate cut at the central bank’s next meeting.
继12月降息0.25点之后，货币政策委员会(MPC)以五票对四票的结果决定维持关键利率不变。比预期更为接近的投票结果，加上英国央行的鸽派言辞，促使交易员们加大押注央行将在下一次会议上降息。
The probability of a quarter-point reduction in March rose to roughly 50-50, according to levels implied by swaps markets, from a slim chance before the decision was announced on Thursday.
从互换市场行情看，3月降息0.25点的几率已从周四宣布最新利率决定之前的微乎其微升至约50%。