Minimal respite for sterling after BoE minutes show no change

(Recasts with more quotes, dip on day)

By Anirban Nag and Patrick Graham

LONDON, Jan 14 (Reuters) - Sterling dipped below $1.44 for a third day on Thursday, taking only a brief boost from minutes that show ructions on global markets have made no great change in Bank of England policymakers' views on interest rates.

The pound bounced from near 5-1/2 year lows against the dollar and a one-year trough versus the euro after the minutes from the bank's latest meeting showed an 8-1 vote to keep interest rates steady.

That ran counter to speculation ahead of the minutes that policymaker Ian McCafferty might abandon his vote for an immediate hike given the continuing slide in oil prices and a subdued round of economic data on Britain.

Sterling, however, remains at the top of many banks' lists of currencies most likely to fall this year as expectations that it will swiftly follow the Federal Reserve in raising interest rates retreat.

"With (Other OTC: WWTH - news) the BOE probably remaining firmly on hold for another year while the Fed tightens monetary policy, we expect the pound to continue to fall against the dollar going forward," said Richard Falkenhall, senior currency strategist at Sweden's SEB (Other OTC: SEBYF - news) .

"Currently we expect the first rate hike in August 2016, but it seems more likely it will be further delayed by one or two quarters."

The fall of just 0.1 percent against the dollar and a marginal gain to 75.42 pence per euro represented some respite after a roughly 6 percent fall in the past month.

"An unchanged voting pattern and reassuring comments from the Bank of England brought a much needed interruption to sterling selling," said Richard de Meo, managing director of Foenix Partners, which offers currency hedging solutions to UK firms.

Concerns about a referendum on Britain's membership of the European Union have weighed on sterling in recent weeks. Prime Minister David Cameron has promised a referendum by the end of 2017, though it may come as early as June this year.

With the outcome unclear, investors are bracing for volatility and these concerns have also been central to the weakness since the start of December.

Analysts at French bank Credit Agricole (Swiss: ACA.SW - news) were the latest to drop their forecasts for sterling going forward, although they did not predict significant further weakness.

"Rather, we bring forward the depreciation that we originally pencilled in for the second half of the year," Head of G10 FX Strategy Valentin Marinov said in a note to clients. He forecast sterling at $1.43-44 for the next three quarters. (Reporting by Anirban Nag and Patrick Graham; Editing by Tom Heneghan)