It may seem relatively trivial to be reporting on this after what has happened today in London, but, as they say, life goes on.
First the Bank of England.
The Bank of England left its benchmark interest rate unchanged after a series of explosions hit London buses and underground stations. The central bank’s Monetary Policy Committee kept the repurchase rate at 4.75 percent.
And now the ECB:
The European Central Bank kept its key interest rate unchanged at 2 percent Thursday despite worries about growth and the unsettling news of apparent terrorist attacks in London.
Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet said he did not believe the attacks “will have any serious impact” on markets. London’s benchmark stock market index was down 2.3 percent by early afternoon after sinking as much as 4 percent earlier in the day.
On a quieter news day, there’d also be time to pay more attention to Romania’s EU Accession process suffering at least temporary disruption:
Romanian Prime Minister Calin Popescu Tariceanu plans to resign after the constitutional court blocked judicial reforms demanded by the European Union.
Mr Tariceanu said the court’s decision meant Romania now had no chance of joining the EU on schedule in 2007.
Yes ‘P’, on a quieter day I’d have had time for all this. I noticed it, and it is interesting. But, as you will have noticed, my attention has been rather divereted. Let’s hope we can begin to get back to ‘normal’ now (whatever that may mean, since we are cursed to live in ‘interesting times’). At least I hope my posting may be able get back in that direction (fingers strongly crossed).