Bank of England says it could lower interest rates more than expected, but June cut isn’t ‘fait accompli’ – as it happened

Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey is briefing reporters after BoE left UK interest rates on hold again in a dramatic 7-2 split

• Bank of England keeps interest rates at 5.25% but hints at a June cut
• UK interest rates are close to a descent - maybe starting as soon as next month

The pound is slightly lower this morning, dipping by a quarter of a cent to $1.2472 against the US dollar.

It could be more volatile when the Bank of England announces its decision on interest rates at noon, as Fiona Cincotta, senior financial market analyst at City Index, explains:

The pound is falling for a third straight day amid US dollar strength and ahead of the Bank of England interest rate decision.

The central bank is widely expected to keep interest rates at 5.25% but could start to prepare for a rate cut in the coming months. Inflation in the UK was 3.2% in March YoY and is expected to continue cooling towards the central bank's target of 2% in April.

Even with overall revenue down, it seems the message is not to panic as most of ITV's releases are weighted to H2 and the Euros are coming up in the summer which will give a much needed boost to the coffers in terms of viewer numbers and in turn advertising revenue. Investors may be a little wary though as the firm heavily relies on this pipeline of shows to offset this sluggish start to the year, hampered by the US writers' and actors' strikes.

More and more we consume our viewing content on streaming services online and ITV has made some marked improvements in this area with ITVX also a bright spot with growth in online ad revenue there.