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Bank Of England Holds Interest Rates - The Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee Thursday left its key interest rate and the stock of its bond purchases unchanged, and is unlikely to alter its policy for many months to come. The forecast for the U.K. economy is unusually uncertain. Prices have been rising at a faster rate than the central bank's 2% target in 41 out of the past 50 months, and inflation is forecast to remain above that level throughout next year. That means there is a risk that wage demands will increase, setting off a fresh round of price gains as businesses look to cover their higher costs. The government is set to cut spending at a time when bank lending remains impaired, the U.K.'s major export markets are still fragile and much spare capacity remains in the economy, and over the medium term that may lead to an inflation rate that is below the central bank's target. Bank Of England Holds Interest Rates That lack of clarity about the out...