This week’s meeting of the Bank of England’s monetary policy committee is shaping up to be the most significant for months, with markets waiting to see whether monetary policy offers the economy a further shot in the arm.

Interactive: Quantitative easing explained

Interactive feature showing how asset purchases – or quantitative easing – works and how it could stimulate the economy

The growing consensus among economists is that the MPC will vote for an expansion of its £175bn quantitative easing programme under which it buys gilts and other assets. For many, the question is whether the expansion consists of an extra £25bn or a further £50bn, with the former viewed as a tidying up exercise and the latter an expression of concern.