The rate at which prices are increasing has fallen significantly, official figures have shown, making an interest rate cut next month even more likely.
Data from the Office for National Statistics says the consumer price index (CPI) measure of inflation dropped to 3% in the year to January.
Not since March last year has inflation been this low.
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It means things are still becoming more expensive, just at a slower pace than before.
But it also increases the odds of an interest rate cut in March.
Now, traders think there’s an 81% chance of a drop to 3.5% next month.
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A second cut, bringing interest rates to 3.25%, is anticipated in September.
The pace at which prices are rising is closely watched by the interest-rate setters at the Bank of England.
Even before today’s inflation data release, traders were betting on a cut after jobs data on Tuesday showed employment was at a near five-year high and wasge increases were falling.
The Bank adjusts the interest rate based on how close the UK is to its 2% inflation target.
That base interest rate affects how much you get for your savings, how high your mortgage rate is, and how expensive it is to pay back some student loans.
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Not everyone thinks a March rate cut is a given.
The idea of a second cut at all is “far from certain” due to stubbornly high inflation in the biggest part of the UK economy, according to economic research firm Pantheon Macroeconomics.
While services inflation slowed to 4.4%, it was less of a slowdown than the Bank and economists polled by Reuters had forecast.
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