LONDON (Reuters) -British inflation surged further above the Bank of England’s target in June to strike 2.5%, its highest since August 2018, placing a new focus on the BoE’s plan to keep its huge stimulus programme in place.
Prices for food, fuel, second-hand cars, clothing and footwear rose as the economy bounced back from its lockdown slump, the Office for National Statistics said.
The jump exceeded all forecasts from economists polled by Reuters, who had mostly seen CPI edging up to 2.2% from May's 2.1%, and comes a day after U.S. inflation hit its highest in 13 years at 5.4%.
Sterling strengthened against the dollar and euro. Two-year British government bond yields, which are sensitive to short-term inflation and interest rates, touched a three-week high.
“The Bank (of England) will likely feel that the time is rapidly approaching to dial down the level of support they are providing to the economy,” said Hugh Gimber, global market strategist at J.P. Morgan Asset Management.
Most central bankers think the global surge in inflation will be temporary, and reflects supply-chain bottlenecks as Western economies emerge from the coronavirus pandemic.
The BoE revised up its forecast for inflation last month to predict a peak of over 3%, though its outgoing chief economist, Andy Haldane, sees it nearer 4% by the end of the year.
The BoE expects inflation to fall back towards its 2% target over the next couple of years, as subdued pre-pandemic price trends and weak pay growth resume.
However, Wednesday’s data revive questions about the BoE’s decision last November to commit to 100 billion pounds ($138 billion) of new bond purchases throughout 2021. Haldane voted in May and June to stop the programme early.
Financial markets are now pricing in a first rise in BoE interest rates to 0.25% from their current 0.1% by August 2022.
JOB PRESSURE
The central bank worries that the phasing out of the government’s jobs subsidies programme by the end of September could lead to higher unemployment, which would take the heat out of inflation.
The CPI’s acceleration reflects the weakness of demand last year when much of the economy was shut down and consumers were ordered to stay at home.
Global oil prices have climbed this year as the world economy recovers. Wednesday’s figures showed British fuel prices in June were 20.3% higher than a year earlier, the biggest rise since 2010.
Second-hand car prices also rose sharply, though not as much as in the United States, where they accounted for a third of the rise in inflation in June. In Britain, prices were up 5.6% on the year - the biggest increase since January.
Higher used car prices reflected continued avoidance of public transport, production delays for new cars due to semi-conductor shortages and greater disposable income among many buyers who had spent less during the pandemic, the ONS said.
June’s inflation data were also the first since restaurants reopened to indoor diners, and showed the biggest increase in prices since a similar reopening in July 2020.
Clothing and footwear prices rose by the most since February 2018, up 2.5% on a year ago when they were depressed by lockdown restrictions.
Food prices were 0.6% lower than a year ago, a smaller annual decrease than before and were 0.2% higher on the month, adding to June’s annual inflation rate.
Separate ONS data on Wednesday showed that house prices in May were 10.0% higher than a year before, matching the rise recorded for March, which was the biggest since September 2007.
($1 = 0.7228 pounds)
Writing by David Milliken Editing by William Schomberg and Catherine Evans
Source: Reuters