Bank of England Governor Carney optimistic about UK's economic prospects

According to rttnews, the U.K. economy is currently experiencing a period of uncertainty and adjustment following the Britons' surprise vote in June to leave the European Union, but the longer term prospects are positive, Bank of England Governor Mark Carney said in an interview published Wednesday.

"As all of the MPC said in our most recent decision in September, the broad contours of how the economy is performing [are] in line with what we had expected in August," Carney said in the interview to the Herald Scotland newspaper.

"We had expected in August that the economy would slow materially during the second half of this year, relative to relatively strong growth in the first half of this year. Broad brush, that is what we are seeing."

In the September policy session, a majority of BoE policymakers signaled that they would support a further cut in the key interest rate in November, if the economy evolved in line with the projections made in August.

Pointing out the softening in business investment and the real estate market, Carney said such "big lumpy decisions" were being affected by the "Brexit" uncertainty. Meanwhile, consumer spending is holding up and the housing market is giving mixed signals, he added.

"There are positive long-term prospects for the UK economy," Carney told the Scottish daily.

"It is a product of a period of uncertainty and adjustment that naturally is under way. It is a slowing from strong growth to something less than that."