Bank Of England Leaves Key Rate At 0.5%

The Bank of England on Thursday left its lending rate at a record low of 0.5%, as expected. The rate has been at that level since March 2009. The bank's quantitative-easing program was also left unchanged, at 375 billion pounds ($576.51 billion). Minutes from the meeting will be released on July 22. The pound was little changed at $1.5476 after the rate decision. Sterling late Wednesday traded at $1.5360. The FTSE 100 index was steady, holding to a 1.1% rise to 6,562.02.