The Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) has voted to extend its quantitative easing programme by £25 billion, taking the total cost of the scheme to £200 billion.It is expected that this will be the last time the bank opts to introduce new fiscal stimulus measures, although interest rates are likely to remain at subdued levels for an extended period.The group also voted to maintain rates at 0.5 per cent, the lowest level witnessed in the 315-year history of the bank.Speaking to the Financial Times, Michael Saunders, an economist at Citigroup, described the £25 billion extension as "one last heave" to correct the course of the economy."The message seems to be that this will be the final slug barring an economic shock," added Simon Ward, of Henderson Global Investors.Following the announcement, sterling edged higher alongside government bond yields, which closed up 0.7 percentage points yesterday (November 5th).