On Wednesday, the Fed became the latest major central bank to reduce borrowing costs, cutting its main interest by half of a percentage point to roughly 4.8% from a two-decade high of 5.3%, where it had stood for 14 months. It also signaled that there will be more cuts to come in the next few months.

The British central bank has emphasized its intention to move steadily to ensure that inflation continues to slow.

The U.K. pound is up 0.7% to $1.3307, its highest level against the U.S. dollar since March 2022, as traders react to news that the Bank of England left its main bank rate unchanged at 5%.