Bank of England maintains rates, voices optimism on recovery

The Bank of England has kept interest rates on hold and grown more optimistic about the economic recovery in the U.K. as a result of the rapid rollout of coronavirus vaccines

The Bank of England will keep interest rates on hold and has grown more optimistic about the economic recovery in the U.K. as a result of the rapid rollout of coronavirus vaccines.

In a prepared statement Thursday, the nine-member Monetary Policy Committee said it will maintain the bank's main interest rate at 0.1%. The unanimous and widely anticipated decision means that interest rates will remain at the lowest level in the bank's 327-year history.

Alongside its decision, the bank's rate-setting panel said growth is likely to be greater than it previously thought in the coming quarters largely due to the rapid rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, and that the easing of lockdown restrictions should spur consumer spending.