Britain | Raising the roof

Higher interest rates mean more expensive mortgages

But changes in the British housing market mute their effect

IF THE ECONOMY is a machine, then monetary policymakers are backroom engineers. On November 4th they held the Bank of England’s interest rate steady at 0.1%, but seem poised to tweak it upwards soon. Investors expect the rate to rise above 1% by the end of 2022, the biggest escalation since 2006. But as the technicians tinker, they face huge uncertainty.

This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline “Raising the roof”

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From the November 6th 2021 edition

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