Bank Of England Keeps Key Rate At Record Low 0.5%

The Bank of England made no changes to monetary policy at its meeting on Thursday, as expected, maintaining its lending rate at a record low of 0.5%. The rate has been at that level since March 2009. The bank's quantitative-easing program was also left unchanged at 375 billion pounds ($555.8 billion). Minutes from Thursday's meeting will be released on April 22. The pound was little changed after the rate decision, trading at $1.4827. Late Wednesday, sterling bought $1.4868. The FTSE 100 index held gains, rising 0.8% to 6,993.08.