The Bank of Canada held its key interest rate at 2.25 per cent on Wednesday, saying that higher oil and gas prices from the war in the Middle East are likely to boost global inflation but that it's too soon to assess the conflict's impact on the Canadian economy.

Until the United States and Israel launched the attack on Iran that started the war less than three weeks ago, it was viewed as a near certainty that the Bank of England would cut interest rates again on Thursday.

There are few countries in the world right now where interest rates are moving lower. In Argentina, they’re plunging.

Futures markets took any realistic chance of a cut off the table until at least December.

The Bank of England voted unanimously to keep interest rates at 3.75% and warned the war in the Gulf is putting upward pressure on prices.

By Howard Schneider and Ann Saphir WASHINGTON, March 18 (Reuters) - The U.S. central bank held interest rates steady on Wednesday and projected higher inflation, steady unemployment and a single reduction in borrowing costs this year,

President Donald Trump says he knew oil prices would go up because of the Iran war as the conflict underscores the risks of his relentless focus on fossil fuels while pursuing what he calls American e