Market Participants Survey results – September 2026

Overview

This survey forms part of the Bank’s quantitative market intelligence gathering. It is formulated by Bank of England staff, and enhances policymakers’ understanding of market expectations. The questions involve topics that are widely discussed in the public domain, and never presume any particular policy action. Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) members are not involved in the survey’s design.

Please contact MarketParticipantsSurvey@bankofengland.co.uk for queries or for further information.

Survey results

The survey was open from 2–4 September 2026 with responses being received from 92 market participants. For most questions, median responses across participants, along with the 25th and 75th percentiles, are reported.footnote [1] For questions that ask respondents to weight different factors or assign probabilities to specific outcomes, the mean weightings or probabilities are reported. For questions that ask respondents to select one option from a given set of possibilities, the respondent count against each option is reported.

Question 1: Expectations for Bank Rate

1a) Please provide your most likely (ie modal) expectation for Bank Rate after the following MPC meetings? (a)

17 September 2026 MPC

5 November 2026 MPC

17 December 2026 MPC

4 February 2027 MPC

18 March 2027 MPC

29 April 2027 MPC

17 June 2027 MPC

29 July 2027 MPC

One year ahead (September 2027 MPC)

Two years ahead (September 2028)

Three years ahead (September 2029)

Five years ahead (September 2031)

(a) Numbers in the above table are rounded to two decimal places.

1bi) And where do you see the level of Bank Rate at which monetary policy is neither expansionary nor contractionary (often referred to as the neutral, natural or equilibrium rate)? (a)

(a) Numbers in the above table are rounded to two decimal places.

1bii) How do you see the balance of risks around your neutral rate perception?

Skewed more to the upside

Skewed more to the downside

1ci) Please indicate the percentage probability that you attach to Bank Rate being at the following levels after the 17 September 2026 meeting. (a)

(a) In the question provided to respondents, the different Bank Rate outcomes spanned <2.50% and >5.00% at the extremes, and all 25 basis point increments in between. Results have been aggregated where the mean probabilities above or below a certain outcome were close to or at zero. Mean probabilities are rounded to one decimal place. 90 respondents answered this question.

1cii) Please indicate the percentage probability that you attach to Bank Rate being at the following levels after the 5 November 2026 meeting. (a)

(a) In the question provided to respondents, the different Bank Rate outcomes spanned <2.50% and >5.00% at the extremes, and all 25 basis point increments in between. Results have been aggregated where the mean probabilities above or below a certain outcome were close to or at zero. Mean probabilities are rounded to one decimal place. 90 respondents answered this question.

1ciii) Please indicate the percentage probability that you attach to Bank Rate being at the following levels one year ahead (September 2027). (a)

(a) Mean probabilities are rounded to one decimal place. 90 respondents answered this question.

1d) Please weight the following factors in terms of their importance in informing your expectations for the near-term path of Bank Rate. (a)

Energy and related commodity price developments

Realised inflation outcomes (excluding energy)

Domestic activity and labour market conditions

Forward-looking indicators of inflation and price expectations

(a) Mean weightings are rounded to one decimal place. 91 respondents answered this question.

1e) To the extent that market pricing sits above your modal expectations for Bank Rate over the next year how would you broadly attribute that difference across the following factors? (a)

Average most likely expectations across the market are higher than your own expectations

An upside skew to risk perceptions

Additional uncertainty premia being required for lower rate exposures

Technicals (eg positioning, balance-sheet capacity, hedging demand)

(a) Mean weightings are rounded to one decimal place. 88 respondents answered this question.

Question 2: Macroeconomic outlook

2a) Please provide your most likely (ie modal) expectation for the annual rate of CPI inflation – conditioned on your Bank Rate expectations (question 1a) – at each of the following time horizons. (a)

(a) Numbers in the above table are rounded to one decimal place.

2bi) Please assign percentage probabilities to the following rates of annual CPI inflation one year ahead. (a)

(a) Numbers in the above table are rounded to one decimal place. 80 respondents answered this question.

2bii) Please assign percentage probabilities to the following rates of annual CPI inflation three years ahead. (a)

(a) Numbers in the above table are rounded to one decimal place. 78 respondents answered this question.

2c) Please provide your most likely (ie modal) expectation for the annual rate of UK GDP growth – conditioned on your Bank Rate expectations (question 1a) – at each of the following time horizons. (a)

(a) Numbers in the above table are rounded to one decimal place.

2d) The July 2026 MPR set out a central projection and two alternative scenarios. When forming your expectations for Bank Rate and CPI inflation (questions 1a and 2a), which of the following projections or scenarios most closely reflects your assumptions about the future path of energy prices and second-round effects?

Second-round effects from recent energy shock

Question 3: Expectations for balance sheet and gilt yields

3a) Please provide the annual reduction in the stock of gilts held in the Asset Purchase Facility, comprising both maturing gilts and gilt sales in initial purchase proceeds terms, that you see as most likely over the following annual review cycles (£ billions). (a)

(a) Numbers in the above table are rounded to the nearest billion.

3b) If you expect APF gilt sales to continue in the upcoming October 2026 – September 2027 annual review cycle, please provide your most likely expectation for the approximate weighting (%) of those sales across maturity sectors, in initial purchase proceeds terms. (a)

Short maturity sector bonds (3–7 years):

Medium maturity sector bonds (7–20 years):

Long maturity sector bonds (>20 years):

(a) Numbers in the above table are rounded to one decimal place. 69 respondents answered this question.

3c) Please provide your most likely (ie modal) expectation for the 10-year gilt yield at the following points in the future. (a)

(a) Numbers in the above table are rounded to two decimal places.

Question 4: Expectations for exchange rates

4a) Please provide your most likely (ie modal) expectation for the level of GBPUSD one year ahead.

4b) Please provide your most likely (ie modal) expectation for the level of EURGBP one year ahead.

Throughout, the Xth percentile is calculated by ranking the survey responses in ascending order and reporting the response which is ranked in position k where k is (X/100)*(sample size -1) +1. For numeric answers, where k is not an integer (ie this position lies between two responses), the result is interpolated by applying the percentile proportional to the distance between them. Discontinuous answers, such as policy meeting dates, are not interpolated. Instead, the first response which covers at least X% of the sample is reported.

Throughout, the Xth percentile is calculated by ranking the survey responses in ascending order and reporting the response which is ranked in position k where k is (X/100)*(sample size -1) +1. For numeric answers, where k is not an integer (ie this position lies between two responses), the result is interpolated by applying the percentile proportional to the distance between them. Discontinuous answers, such as policy meeting dates, are not interpolated. Instead, the first response which covers at least X% of the sample is reported.

Throughout, the Xth percentile is calculated by ranking the survey responses in ascending order and reporting the response which is ranked in position k where k is (X/100)*(sample size -1) +1. For numeric answers, where k is not an integer (ie this position lies between two responses), the result is interpolated by applying the percentile proportional to the distance between them. Discontinuous answers, such as policy meeting dates, are not interpolated. Instead, the first response which covers at least X% of the sample is reported.