When will the Bank of England cut rates?
That’s the question that’s on everyone’s mind in the City of London. Whether you’re employed, retired, studying, saving or taking a break, it matters to you and your money.
Ask members of the public, however, and they’re mix of confused and inflation-weary.
While they offer an institution like the Bank of England their begrudging support, they’re certainly not enjoying the longer-term effects of higher inflation and a tighter monetary policy environment.
In this video, I show these views in raw detail. But I also reveal another fascinating trend, and that is the way inflation has further divided savers between the stressed and relaxed.
This divide is financial, but it’s also intergeneration. It’s between those for whom a paid-off mortgage and money on deposit makes higher interest rates a nice little earner, and those for whom mortgage payments that are more expensive in the hundreds of pounds per month are just the latest squeeze on their disposable income. And then there’s the shops on the high street witnessing the consequences: more selective customers, and a smaller, but reliable rump of wealthier patrons.
Will it all go “back to normal?” Nobody knows, but nobody feels particularly hopeful.
A full transcript of the conversations will be available shortly
