Half of financial services practitioners (51 per cent) do not expect the Bank of England to raise the UK interest rate for at least 12 months, a CISI survey shows.
A further 22 per cent anticipate the rate will remain unchanged for nine months while 17 per cent think an increase is six months away.
Only 10 per cent predict the rate will be hiked from its record low of 0.5 per cent before the end of 2011.
Comments from those taking part included that it would be would be “economic suicide” to raise the rate in the near future as business and personal finance is “maxed out”.
