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Pill argued that acting sooner could help prevent temporary increases in inflation from becoming more persistent. A timely rise in Bank Rate could also reduce the risk of businesses and workers adjusting wages and prices in ways that reinforce higher inflation, he said in comments prepared for delivery to the Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce on Thursday, Reuters said. Read more: Robinhood stock surges: Why HOOD is rallying and what Wall Street sees next Pill Backed Rate Hike in July Pill was among three members of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee who voted for an interest rate increase in July. They were outvoted by other policymakers who opted to keep rates unchanged while seeking greater clarity on the longer-term inflation impact of the Iran war. The split vote highlighted growing uncertainty within the MPC over how persistent the latest inflation pressures could prove to be and whether monetary policy needs to respond more forcefully. According to Reuters, Pill's comments underline the argument for taking preventative action rather than waiting for inflation expectations and wage-setting behaviour to become more firmly entrenched. Markets See Limited Chance of September Hike Despite Pill's hawkish stance, financial markets were assigning a relatively low probability to a rate increase at the MPC's next meeting. Interest rate futures on Thursday indicated that investors saw just over a 15% chance of a quarter-percentage-point rate hike at the September meeting, according to Reuters. Expectations were significantly higher for the following meeting in November, with the probability of a quarter-point increase rising above 70%. The divergence between Pill's position and market pricing reflects uncertainty over how the Bank of England will respond to the inflation effects of the Iran conflict and whether policymakers will judge those pressures to be temporary or persistent. Inflation Remains Key Focus The Bank of England has been closely monitoring the risk that higher energy and other costs linked to the conflict could feed into broader inflation pressures. Policymakers must also assess whether those increases could influence wages, prices and inflation expectations. Pill's comments suggest that the central bank could favour a gradual and preventative approach if it concludes that inflation risks are becoming more persistent. Rather than signalling an extended tightening cycle, an initial increase could be aimed at keeping inflation expectations anchored and limiting the need for sharper action later. For financial markets, the timing and pace of any potential rate increases will remain closely tied to incoming inflation, wage and economic activity data, as well as developments in the Iran war. (Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of The Economic Times) (What's moving Sensex and Nifty Track latest market news, stock tips, Budget 2025, Share Market on Budget 2025 and expert advice, on ETMarkets. Also, ETMarkets.com is now on Telegram. For fastest news alerts on financial markets, investment strategies and stocks alerts, subscribe to our Telegram feeds .) Subscribe to ET Prime and read the Economic Times ePaper Online.and Sensex Today. Top Trending Stocks: SBI Share Price, Axis Bank Share Price, HDFC Bank Share Price, Infosys Share Price, Wipro Share Price, NTPC Share Price (What's moving Sensex and Nifty Track latest market news, stock tips, Budget 2025, Share Market on Budget 2025 and expert advice, on ETMarkets. Also, ETMarkets.com is now on Telegram. For fastest news alerts on financial markets, investment strategies and stocks alerts, subscribe to our Telegram feeds .) Subscribe to ET Prime and read the Economic Times ePaper Online.and Sensex Today. Top Trending Stocks: SBI Share Price, Axis Bank Share Price, HDFC Bank Share Price, Infosys Share Price, Wipro Share Price, NTPC Share Price
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