Monetary Policy
Dallas Fed chief wants to talk about tapers
Comments may indicate split at Fed, though FOMC remains committed to asset purchases
Colombia’s central bank revises up growth forecast
Board maintains rates at 1.75%, as IMF says delays in vaccination could hamper recovery
Fed plays down US economic rebound
Powell says economy still “a long way from our goals” as FOMC holds policy steady
Tajikistan central bank announces rate hike
Currency devaluation in 2020 has added to inflationary pressure
BoJ forecasts weaker inflation but stronger growth
Inflation still negative in Japan but likely to inch above zero this year, forecasts suggest
Georgia central bank orders 100bp rate increase
Worsening inflation pushes central bank to raise policy rate to 9.5%
Riksbank maintains stimulus as it revises up growth forecasts
Swedish central bank says a return to negative rates is possible if inflation target is imperilled
Kyrgyz central bank hikes policy rate by 100 basis points
Rising commodity prices and currency worries bring second hike this year
Russian central bank raises rates as inflation climbs
Nabiullina warns that delay would mean that monetary policy would have to become tighter later
IMF praises Chile’s Covid-19 response
Fund warns against new withdrawals from pension system
Navigating the hazards of inequalities
Inequality poses a serious challenge for central bank communications, says Mike Hannah
Fed must clarify future of QE, IMF says
IMF warns that rising longer-term Treasury yields could have major impact
ECB makes no change as Lagarde warns of uncertainty
Lagarde says price pressures remain weak and cautions over possible Covid-19 variants
Bank of Canada tapers quantitative easing programme
Despite continuing pandemic, “the outlook has improved”, says Macklem
BoE’s Bailey extols virtues of ‘meeting varied people’
Governor launches new initiative to gather diverse views from market contacts
ECB watchers say divisions on council could hamper decision-making
Analysts say central bank’s strategy of lower purchases could be tested later in 2021
Bank of Israel: vaccination fuelling rapid recovery
Inflation expectations are increasing, but headline figure still well below target
Is the ECB implementing yield curve control?
The eurozone has adopted a hybrid system – lying somewhere between the Fed’s QE and the BoJ’s yield curve control – that targets wider financing conditions
Fed may make Fima permanent – SF president Daly
SF Fed president says policy-makers also considering creation of domestic repurchase facility
Sarb projects ‘sharp but incomplete initial recovery’
South African inflation forecast to rise on higher electricity and water prices
Turkish central bank holds rates despite rising inflation
New governor’s first meeting says Turkish economy faces risks “in both directions”
Covid-19 support may have created “zombie firms” – BIS economists
Policy-makers should impose tighter lending standards and reform bankruptcy law, analysts argue
Sweden’s pension funds curb inequality, official says
Riksbank’s Ohlsson says collective funds mean high asset prices benefit wider population
Book notes: Central banks as fiscal players, by Willem Buiter
Buiter puts a real economic problem into a convincing theoretical frame, and translates it into applicable policy advice