Investors rethink gold as metal edges to $4,000

It’s always a great pleasure to visit Scotland, and a particular pleasure to be at the Investment Summit. I should start by explaining that the Bank of England, despite its name, is by no means solely an English institution. We serve the people of the United Kingdom, right across our country. To that end we have twelve regional agencies covering the whole country. These agents are our eyes and ears on the economy, talking every day to a large number of business contacts about their experiences and expectations. Our Agent in Scotland, Will Dowson is here today, and if you want a real read on the Scottish economy I highly recommend a conversation with Will. I undertake regular visits with all of the Agents, and I can let you into a secret, it’s the most fun part of my job. I love spending time with businesses, talking to people from Peterhead to Penzance, and getting their up to date assessment is invaluable assistance in our role of setting interest rates. Those who have heard me speak before will know I am a keen historian, so it wouldn’t do to come all this way without reflecting on the history of the Bank as it pertains to Scotland. In fact, the scheme that led to the founding of the Bank in the late 17th century was actually the idea of a Scotsman, William Paterson. He was a great ideas man. Some of his later schemes were, admittedly, less successful, and a particular adventure did a lot of damage to the Scottish economy, but he had at least one very good idea. You might regard it as ironic that the son of a Dum BoE Gov. Bailey calls for a supportive environment for investment to drive innovation and economic growth, particularly in the context of emerging technologies like AI. BoE Gov. Bailey: We must take a pragmatic and open-minded approach to the potential and risks of AI. MORE BOE'S BAILEY: UK MUST SUPPORT INSTITUTES AND INDIVIDUALS WHO DIRECT INVESTMENT TO WHERE IT IS NEEDED #bankofengland #ukeconomy #monetarypolicy #andrewbailey #scotlandinvestmentsummit

It is a pleasure to be with you again for our regular dialogue. In recent months we have faced a period of heightened uncertainty. Yet, despite these challenges, the euro area economy has held up well. This resilience is no coincidence. It reflects, in no small part, the strength of two achievements we sometimes take for granted: our Single Market and our single currency, the euro. As a foundation for stability and a powerful symbol of European unity, both at home and abroad, the euro is one of Europe’s greatest assets. But in today’s geoeconomic world, the likelihood of larger and more diverse economic shocks is expected to remain a constant feature of our environment. This prompts an important question: in this new global landscape, what role should the euro play on the world stage? I will focus specifically on this question in my remarks today. However, let me first provide an overview of our assessment of the euro area economy and our monetary policy stance. ECB'S LAGARDE: THE DISINFLATIONARY PROCESS IS OVER THE RANGE OF RISKS ON BOTH SIDES HAS NARROWED FOR INFLATION ECB's President Lagarde: The Euro area has held up well amid uncertainty. ECB's President Lagarde: Underlying inflation is consistent with mid-term goal. ECB's President Lagarde: No currency's global position is guaranteed.