Leaders | Don’t jump the gun

The Bank of England should not raise interest rates until 2022

But Britain may need tighter money sooner than America

BRITAIN IS UNIQUELY exposed to the malign forces troubling the world economy. It gets two-fifths of its energy from natural gas, which is in short supply. Trade flows are worth more than half of its GDP, making bunged-up supply chains particularly painful. Brexit has exacerbated its labour shortage and disrupted trade further. It even has a high rate of covid-19 infections, posing a lingering threat to consumer confidence, though more than 90% of the population has antibodies against the disease.

This article appeared in the Leaders section of the print edition under the headline “Don’t jump the gun”

Instant economics: The real-time revolution

From the October 23rd 2021 edition

Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents

Explore the edition

More from Leaders

Keir Starmer surrounded by the Eu stars

Sir Keir Starmer should aim higher in his reset with the EU

And he needs to be clearer about what Britain wants

illustration of a world map outlined by a single red electrical cord, with a plug at one end and a socket at the other

To make electricity cheaper and greener, connect the world’s grids

Less than 3% of the world’s power is internationally traded—a huge wasted opportunity


Chinese AI is catching up, posing a dilemma for Donald Trump

The success of cheap Chinese models threatens America’s technological lead


America has an imperial presidency

And in Donald Trump, an imperialist president for the first time in over a century

Tariffs will harm America, not induce a manufacturing rebirth

Donald Trump’s pursuit of tariffs will make the world poorer—and America, too 

How to improve clinical trials

Involving more participants can lead to new medical insights