
Hopes that interest rate cuts could begin by as soon as next summer were given a boost on Tuesday when latest official data showed wage growth subsiding more quickly than expected.
Latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed basic wages not including bonuses rose by an annual rate of 7.3 per cent in the August to October quarter. This was slightly less than forecast and down from a peak of 7.9 per cent in the summer. However, the ONS said the underlying rate could now be as low as 4.2 per cent.