The Bank of England unanimously decided to keep interest rates and its bond-buying program unchanged on Thursday as Brexit trade deal negotiations reached the final stretch. The central bank’s monetary policy committee opted to hold interest rates at 0.1% and maintain the size of its quantitative easing program at £895 billion, both by 9-0 votes. The pound GBPUSD, +0.64% remained higher, up 0.8% to $1.3691, amid optimism over a Brexit trade deal being reached. The FTSE 100 UKX, -0.11% was flat, weighed by sterling strength.

– Market Watch