Roundup: Bank of England holds benchmark rate at 5.25 pct

LONDON, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- The Bank of England (BoE) held its benchmark interest rate at a 15-year high of 5.25 percent on Thursday.

At its meeting ending on Wednesday, the BoE's Monetary Policy Committee voted by a majority of 6-3 to hold the rate. Three members preferred to increase it by 0.25 percentage point to 5.5 percent.