Bank of England to stand pat at Thursday’s MPC meeting: Lloyds Bank

Quotes from Lloyds Bank:

- Thursday's MPC meeting is not likely to see any change in monetary policy. With the annual inflation rate expected to fall below zero , the Bank of England seem set to do nothing in the near term. 

- However, a number of comments by MPC members over the past week reinforced the impression that there remains a sizeable probability they will raise policy rates before year end if economic conditions develop as expected.  

- Economic data this week could be mixed. The fall in the February Lloyds Business Barometer suggest that the manufacturing and services PMIs could be weaker than expected. However, mortgage approvals for February may signal that housing market activity has troughed.