We hear there's a lot of support, but people don't know what to do or how to get the information.
Certainly a rate cut looks out of the question any time soon.
If it's sustained it'll have a noticeable impact on consumer prices.
I think these minutes are fully consistent with them having to wait until next year.
Price growth is on a softening trend and we continue to believe that the outlook for the housing market over the medium term is one of flat to falling prices.
We need housing like this in the City of Bangs. Any city that is growing needs residential development.
We are conscious that the data will need to weaken significantly from current levels before the committee would feel comfortable with easing policy.
The prospects for a rate cut have certainly increased. You have weaker inflation and in addition there are risks to gross domestic product growth.
This was a great quarter for 3M with broad-based contributions from our diverse portfolio and particularly strong results in our industrial and electronics-related businesses.
But Kinky Friedman comes across as No. 1 on my belief list.
We will be putting a lot of gas in the tank here. Our foot will be all the way down on the accelerator. We won't miss one iota of growth we can get.
We certainly don't expect to get that many signatures from Brown County, but we can do our part.
Energy bills are going up, people are worried about their pensions and the labor market is loosening. All of those are reasons why the consumer may not be as strong going forward.
Following last week's fully anticipated decision to keep rates on hold, the February inflation report meeting might prove more contentious, depending on how the next two weeks of data turn out.
February might prove a more contentious decision, especially in light of possible downward revisions to the Bank's inflation and growth forecasts.
I've teamed with Judy Meister of Santa Anna, who is the Coleman County coordinator. We're trying to get people to sign the petition.
The sell-off at the short end (of the yield curve) is understandable in light of this data, with the market now pricing 50 basis points of rate hikes by the end of next year.
The strengthening of both the retail sector over Christmas and the housing market over recent months should limit the opposition to keeping rates on hold next week.
After long admiring 3M for its unique culture of innovation, decades of success, wealth of technology and outstanding people, I look forward to being part of the team that will make real the tremendous potential of 3M in 2006 and beyond.
Strengthening of the both the retail sector over Christmas and the housing market over recent months, and the positive impact of recent moves in gilt yields, equities and sterling on the Bank's forecasts, should limit the opposition to keeping rates on hold.
An improvement in the outlook for the services sector, a stronger housing market and expectations of a reasonable Christmas for retailers should be enough to keep the Bank of England on hold (in January).
You're going to go through a rough patch through the next six to 12 months. Inflation is going to be boosted by higher oil prices. There is a clear upward trend.
This points to interest rates on hold, at least in the near-term. But we continue to expect that the pressure for a further move will build later in the year as the global economy slows and domestic demand fails to inspire.
The more pressing need for companies to address their pension fund deficits has no doubt been an important reason for weaker investment.
It's a larger fall than we anticipated. This is pretty weak stuff.
It looks like the decline has been generated largely because of excess optimism in the housing construction market a month ago which was not sustained.
Increased foreign competition in domestic and overseas markets, alongside the strength of sterling over recent years has seemingly had a significant impact on UK manufacturers, with Asia in particular becoming a more important source of imports.
I'm surprised they haven't talked about a rate cut at all,
If you look at the underlying numbers you'll see that underlying trade has improved. It looks like exports have improved quite a bit.
How all of these factors will impact on the western economies only time will tell, but suffice to say that the UK will face some important challenges from Asia over the years to come.
The general picture from the housing market has not changed,
The January numbers looked overly weak, in light of recent developments in the housing market so some recovery in these figures was to be expected.
