THE Bank of England cut its base lending rate by 0,25 percentage points to 6,0% on Thursday, surprising most analysts who had expected rates to be hold steady. The cut was the fourth in as many months. The British rate stands at exactly twice the euro-zone 3% rate. The unexpected move boosted share prices on the London Stock Exchange. The cuts immediately lowered losses on the FTSE-100 index from 33,4 points to 21,3 points and a level of 6127,5 points. The rally was led by banking stocks and retailers. The bank’s Monetary Policy Committee cited the slowdown of the British economy and international factors as the reason for its decision.