Under a quarter of UK households see rate hike in next 6 months - Markit

LONDON, Nov 18 (Reuters) - Less than a quarter of British households expect the Bank of England to raise interest rates in the next six months, after the central bank offered no hint in its latest economic outlook that it was gearing up for an imminent rate hike.

Data company Markit (NasdaqGS: MRKT - news) said on Wednesday that 23 percent of households polled for its monthly Household Finance Index expected rates to rise within six months -- the lowest proportion since October 2013 and down from 34 percent in October.

The survey was conducted after the BoE said two weeks ago that Britain's near-zero inflation would pick up slower than previously thought, surprising some investors and economists who expected a firmer steer towards higher interest rates.

Now (NYSE: DNOW - news) only around half of households expect interest rates to rise from their record-low 0.5 percent within the next 12 months, compared with two-thirds last month -- a proportion Carney recently called a "reasonable expectation" for rates.

"Low inflation perceptions contributed to households' dovish views regarding Bank of England monetary policy," Markit economist Philip Leake said.

Britain marked two consecutive months of falling consumer prices for the first time on record in October, but economists say the bout of mild deflation is likely to end in the next few months.

Interest rates look set to rise around the second quarter of next year, according to a Reuters poll of economists. Economists polled by Reuters expect the BoE will raise interest rates around the second quarter of next year.

Markit's survey also showed households became less gloomy about their financial wellbeing in November, with expectations about the year improving.

"The degree of pressure (on household finances) eased to the weakest in four months and was subdued compared with the post-recession trend," Leake added. (Reporting by Andy Bruce, editing by David Milliken)