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Author Topic: Thats a hell of an agressive approach.  (Read 2570 times)

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Offline Grumpmeister

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Thats a hell of an agressive approach.
« on: November 06, 2008, 12:20:10 PM »
Slashing the base rate by a third? I wonder if this will be passed along to the customer? The last time it was this low BM still had hair  eeek:

Quote
The Bank of England has cut interest rates in the UK by one-and-a-half percentage points to 3%, its lowest since 1955, in a shock move.

Last month it cut rates from 5% to 4.5% in an emergency move co-ordinated with other central banks.

There had been widespread calls from industry for a major cut as the country begins to face up to the prospect of a deep recession.

The cut comes after a raft of weak economic data recently.

It is the first time the Bank has cut rates by more than half a percentage point since gaining its independence in 1997.


Mortgage fears

There have been concerns that following a cut in the Bank of England's base rate, it would not be passed on to borrowers.

 
Output in the manufacturing sector has fallen for seven months in a row

Prime Minister Gordon Brown was asked about this problem in the House of Commons on Wednesday because Abbey had just raised its tracker mortgage rates for new customers.

"We want the banks and building societies to pass on the interest rate cuts to their mortgage holders," he said.

"What we've been trying to do over the last few weeks is get the liquidity into the system, recapitalise our banks and then get them to resume the lending that is necessary."

However Lloyds TSB has promised to pass on the rate cut in full to its variable rate mortgage customers.

The group, which also lends through Cheltenham & Gloucester says its standard variable rate, currently 6.5%, will never be more than 2% above Bank of England base rate.

Manufacturing decline

The Bank of England's interest rate move came after a series of figures released this week provided further evidence that the UK economy is sliding towards recession.

New figures from the Halifax showed house prices fell by another 2.2% in October, pushing the drop in house prices to 13.7% over the past year.

Activity in the service sector, the backbone of the UK economy, shrank in October for the sixth month in a row.

According to an index compiled by the Chartered Institute of Purchase and Supply output from services was at its lowest level since its poll began in 1996.

Also, the Office for National Statistics said that manufacturing output fell for a seventh month in September - the longest run of monthly declines since 1980.

Manufacturing output fell by 0.8% in September, much worse than analysts' expectations, making output 2.3% lower than a year earlier, the sharpest decline since May 2003.
The universe is run by the complex interweaving of three elements. Energy, matter, and enlightened self-interest.

Offline Barman

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Re: Thats a hell of an agressive approach.
« Reply #1 on: November 06, 2008, 12:21:37 PM »
Rearranging the deck chairs on RMS Titanic...  noooo:
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Offline Bar Wench

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Re: Thats a hell of an agressive approach.
« Reply #2 on: November 06, 2008, 12:22:51 PM »
Doesn't this just devalue the currency thus actually plunging us further into a recession? Also what about those with savings?

I don't really understand how the base rate cuts improve things.

Offline Barman

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Re: Thats a hell of an agressive approach.
« Reply #3 on: November 06, 2008, 12:23:58 PM »
Doesn't this just devalue the currency thus actually plunging us further into a recession? Also what about those with savings?

I don't really understand how the base rate cuts improve things.
'merica has 1% and they are still in the shite so it prolly won't...  noooo:
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Offline Grumpmeister

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Re: Thats a hell of an agressive approach.
« Reply #4 on: November 06, 2008, 12:27:54 PM »
It depends on the banks. When they made a profit previously it was on the back of new business as opposed to whoever was already on the books. So if the banks start lending again at a lower rate then it should in theory start to bring things back to life again.

The base rate governs the amount of interest banks charge on any lending Wenchy. Now the banks can raise profit with lower charges to their customers the plan is that it will have a cascade effect where the people start to spend again.

One of the main reasons America is in the shyte because they had to take a massive loan from China to pay for the occupation of Iraq, added to their financial balls up its a far more catastrophic effect.

One thing I am curious about after hearing mentioned a week or so back, what would happen if interest rates went into negative figures?
The universe is run by the complex interweaving of three elements. Energy, matter, and enlightened self-interest.

Offline Bar Wench

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Re: Thats a hell of an agressive approach.
« Reply #5 on: November 06, 2008, 12:29:41 PM »
Thank-you, I think I get it now.

Offline Grumpmeister

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Re: Thats a hell of an agressive approach.
« Reply #6 on: November 06, 2008, 12:32:18 PM »
Unfortunately I think that puts you one step ahead of the chancellor and Gordo.  noooo:
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Offline Snoopy

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Re: Thats a hell of an agressive approach.
« Reply #7 on: November 06, 2008, 12:36:36 PM »
Doesn't this just devalue the currency thus actually plunging us further into a recession? Also what about those with savings?

I don't really understand how the base rate cuts improve things.

In theory it should mean that existing mortgages should be lowered and that new mortgages should be cheaper. This in turn, so the idea goes, means that people will have more money to spend on goods in the high street, which will in turn stimulate manufacturing and thus avoid bankruptcies, layoffs etc.
Credit should be easier to obtain and people will thus have "money" to spend giving another boost to the High Street, manufacturing etc.

It won't of course  noooo:

Why it won't work:
Mortgages are not getting cheaper nor are new mortgages becoming easier to get because the banks are not, in the main, passing the reduced rates on. They are however using them as an excuse to reduce the interest they pay on any savings people have.
Credit card companies traditionally take no notice of interest rates set by the BoE anyway and charge extortionate rates seemingly plucked out of the air. Store cards are even dearer.
Check your junk mail ~ there is no shortage of high rate, short term credit offers. These are never a good idea.
Lastly stimulating Britain's High Street will not help our manufacturing industry because we don't really have one but it will help China, Korea etc.

Snoopy's advice ~ hang on to what you've got and wait it out. What goes down will ultimately go up. Do not believe all Robert Peston and Co have to say on the subject. Such people are the root cause of many of the problems.
I used to have a handle on life but it broke.

Offline Barman

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Re: Thats a hell of an agressive approach.
« Reply #8 on: November 06, 2008, 12:40:57 PM »
Doesn't this just devalue the currency thus actually plunging us further into a recession? Also what about those with savings?

I don't really understand how the base rate cuts improve things.

In theory it should mean that existing mortgages should be lowered and that new mortgages should be cheaper. This in turn, so the idea goes, means that people will have more money to spend on goods in the high street, which will in turn stimulate manufacturing and thus avoid bankruptcies, layoffs etc.
Credit should be easier to obtain and people will thus have "money" to spend giving another boost to the High Street, manufacturing etc.

It won't of course  noooo:

Why it won't work:
Mortgages are not getting cheaper nor are new mortgages becoming easier to get because the banks are not, in the main, passing the reduced rates on. They are however using them as an excuse to reduce the interest they pay on any savings people have.
Credit card companies traditionally take no notice of interest rates set by the BoE anyway and charge extortionate rates seemingly plucked out of the air. Store cards are even dearer.
Check your junk mail ~ there is no shortage of high rate, short term credit offers. These are never a good idea.
Lastly stimulating Britain's High Street will not help our manufacturing industry because we don't really have one but it will help China, Korea etc.

Snoopy's advice ~ hang on to what you've got and wait it out. What goes down will ultimately go up. Do not believe all Robert Preston and Co have to say on the subject. Such people are the root cause of many of the problems.

Agreed!

The society of motor traders or whatever where whinging this morning about the poor car sales and suggesting that a cut in interest rates would boost the market.

Bollocks to that - everybody knows the recession is going to last a year at least... If anybody gets a few extra quid as a result of the cut in interest rates the last thing they are going to do is rush down the shops and spend it on ipods and new cars.  noooo:

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Offline Snoopy

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Re: Thats a hell of an agressive approach.
« Reply #9 on: November 06, 2008, 12:44:46 PM »
Actually since my mortgage is a lifetime tracker 1.5% cheaper suits me very nicely.  whistle:
I used to have a handle on life but it broke.

Offline Barman

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Re: Thats a hell of an agressive approach.
« Reply #10 on: November 06, 2008, 12:46:03 PM »
Actually since my mortgage is a lifetime tracker 1.5% cheaper suits me very nicely.  whistle:
But are you going to spend your windfall on fripperies to boost the economy...?  Shrugs:
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Offline Uncle Mort

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Re: Thats a hell of an agressive approach.
« Reply #11 on: November 06, 2008, 12:50:02 PM »
I doubt that Snoopy has ever bought any 'fripperies'.

BTW didn't you previously say you had a fixed mortgage Snoopy?  rubschin:
« Last Edit: November 06, 2008, 12:51:49 PM by Uncle Mort »

Offline Snoopy

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Re: Thats a hell of an agressive approach.
« Reply #12 on: November 06, 2008, 12:53:17 PM »
Actually since my mortgage is a lifetime tracker 1.5% cheaper suits me very nicely.  whistle:
But are you going to spend your windfall on fripperies to boost the economy...?  Shrugs:

I think the ever rising costs of feeding three growing children will take care of any surplus cash.
It's not the food that costs more (tho' some things do) ~ it's the ever increasing amounts they can pack away.eeek:
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Offline Snoopy

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Re: Thats a hell of an agressive approach.
« Reply #13 on: November 06, 2008, 12:56:05 PM »
I doubt that Snoopy has ever bought any 'fripperies'.

BTW didn't you previously say you had a fixed mortgage Snoopy?  rubschin:

No ~ I don't think I can have because my mortgage goes up and down with the bank rate. It is fixed at the BoE rate plus 2%. It is not attached in anyway to the Libor.
I used to have a handle on life but it broke.

Offline Uncle Mort

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Re: Thats a hell of an agressive approach.
« Reply #14 on: November 06, 2008, 01:11:39 PM »
Quote from: Snoopy in PMQs about to start

Sorry ~ but I have no credit cards, I have no overdraft, I have no credit accounts. My mortgage is fixed for its lifetime. So a change in interest rates will make no immediate impact on me. It may ultimately make some things dearer or cheaper but I don't see it making much difference to the economic woes of the moment.

I have a touch of "The Affs" in me.