Posted by Mark ThompsonThose conducting foreign exchange trading may be unsurprised to hear that the Bank of England yesterday (November 10th) opted to hold the base rate at the record low level of 0.5 per cent.March 2009 was the last time the figure changed and the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), led by governor Mervyn King, also opted to carry on with its asset purchases programme of £275 billion for the three months ahead.Information relating to how many of the nine-man committee opted to hold the rate will be made available when the minutes of the meeting are released on November 23rd, while traders may also be keen to view the Inflation Report, which is set to be published next Wednesday.Commenting on the decision, Nomura International in London economist Philip Rush told Bloomberg it "leaves the door firmly open to extending quantitative easing at any point up through February".He added: "The contagion through to Italy will be very concerning for the MPC."For more information on foreign exchange treasury services and risk management, visit our Corporate FX site