国际英语资讯:News Analysis: Brexit effect feeds through to UK inflation figures_时事

国际英语资讯:News Analysis: Brexit effect feeds through to UK inflation figures

"There were reports that prices of IT equipment -- typically priced in U.S. dollars -- had been affected by the exchange rate too," Gregory added.

In addition, clothing prices hit the highest monthly increase for this time of year since 2010, reflecting in part the large part that imports play in the clothing market.

Price pressure is being felt at the beginning of the supply chain now, said Gregory, with producer input price inflation at 12.9 percent, a five-year high.

BANK RATE TO STAY LOW

The Bank of England's (BOE) bank-rate setting Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) holds its December meeting on Wednesday and Thursday this week and the increase in inflation will be discussed.

The BOE expects inflation to reach 2.7 percent by the end of 2017, some way above its target of 2 percent.

But experts do not expect that this rise in inflation is going to spur the MPC into a second rate cut this year, having cut by 25 basis points in August in a response to expected financial and economic difficulties in the wake of the Brexit vote.

"We still think the BOE will look through this exchange-rate driven spike in inflation, even if it proves to be a bigger spike than it is currently expecting. But for consumers seeing only sluggish pay growth, it is bad news," said Elizabeth Martins, economist at HSBC in London.

The BOE will interpret this sudden spike, and the likely rise of inflation through 2017, as driven largely by the weakness of sterling, despite its recent strengthening of 6.5 percent on a trade-weighted basis since mid-October.