BoE examines negative rates amid economic slump

The central bank is reviewing a number of policies -- including negative interest rates and expanding the scope of the bank’s asset-purchase plan to include riskier securities -- as it is running low on conventional easing space.

LONDON: The Bank of England (BoE) is examining unconventional monetary policy measures more urgently amid the economic slump caused by the coronavirus pandemic, according to its chief economist Andrew Haldane.

The central bank is reviewing a number of policies -- including negative interest rates and expanding the scope of the bank’s asset-purchase plan to include riskier securities -- as it is running low on conventional easing space, Haldane said in an interview with the Telegraph.