BIRMINGHAM, England May 17 (Reuters) – The Bank of England
may have more scope to boost the economy after Mark Carney
starts as governor because of tentative signs of lower inflation
ahead, a member of its policymaking body said on Friday.

Finance minister George Osborne has Canadian Mark Carney,
who starts as the next governor in July, the task of reviewing
whether Britain should give more detailed guidance on future
monetary policy, considered a way to help growth.

LONDON, May 15 (Reuters) – Bank of England Governor Mervyn
King offered some rare good news for Britain’s economy on
Wednesday when he presented his final set of economic forecasts
before stepping down after more than 20 years at the bank.

For the first time in years, the central bank predicted that
growth would be faster and inflation lower than it expected
three months earlier, though King still warned the recovery
could not be taken for granted.

LONDON (Reuters) – Britain’s central bank lifted a bit of the gloom hanging over the economy on Wednesday, delivering a slightly improved outlook for inflation and growth for the first time since the financial crisis.

Bank of England Governor Mervyn King, presiding over his last Quarterly Inflation Report before he hands the reins to Mark Carney, said the better figures did not mean the recovery was secure.

LONDON (Reuters) – Bank of England chief Mervyn King should be the bearer of some good news on Wednesday in his final forecasts before handing the reins to Mark Carney, even if the British economy remains far from healthy.

After repeatedly having to cut its growth outlook and lift its inflation forecasts since the financial crisis, the central bank looks set to do the opposite in its latest Quarterly Inflation Report.

LONDON (Reuters) – Bank of England chief Mervyn King should be the bearer of some good news on Wednesday in his final forecasts before handing the reins to Mark Carney, even if the British economy remains far from healthy.

After repeatedly having to cut its growth outlook and lift its inflation forecasts since the financial crisis, the central bank looks set to do the opposite in its latest Quarterly Inflation Report.

AYLESBURY, England (Reuters) – Major central banks did not face calls to do more to boost the world economy when Group of Seven finance officials met on Saturday, European Central Bank President Mario Draghi said.

Before the meeting Britain’s finance minister, George Osborne, said ministers would “consider what more monetary activism can do to support the recovery” – something that he is keen for the Bank of England to do.

AYLESBURY (Reuters) – The United States warned Japan on Friday to stick to the rules when it came to the value of its currency, setting the stage for a potentially uncomfortable meeting of G7 finance ministers outside London.

Treasury Secretary Jack Lew said that Japan had “growth issues” that needed to be dealt with but that its attempts to stimulate its economy needed to stay within the bounds of international agreements to avoid competitive devaluations.

LONDON, May 10 (Reuters) – Japan insisted on Friday that its
tumbling yen would not be a hot topic at a meeting of global
finance chiefs outside London, despite concerns in other camps
about a looming currency war.

“Markets determine currency moves,” a senior Japanese
finance official told reporters before the meeting of G7
policymakers finance leaders an English stately home 40 miles
northwest of the capital.

LONDON, May 10 (Reuters) – Many of the world’s most powerful
finance chiefs will meet at an English stately home later on
Friday to discuss if central banks can do more to bolster a
fragile global recovery.

The finance ministers and central bank governors from the
Group of Seven industrialised economies look unlikely to break
new ground on fixing the weak world economy, as a meeting at the
International Monetary Fund took place just three weeks ago.

LONDON, May 9 (Reuters) – Big countries’ weakening resolve
to cut debt is a mistake, and surplus capital coursing through
the world economy risks inflating asset bubbles and causing
fresh turmoil, Canada’s finance minister said on Thursday.

Jim Flaherty, in Britain to attend a two-day meeting of G7
finance ministers, told Reuters that although it was possible to
reduce national debt and foster growth, it was the former which
was indispensable.