Interest rates
''The Fed has not avoided danger''
An article in the Financial Times argues that the Federal Reserve's decision to cut interest rates last week was a missed opportunity. Quantitative easing through an expansion of the money supply is needed, it argues, or the economic recovery could be…
ECB won't follow Fed on rates - Duisenberg
Speaking on German TV, Wim Duisenberg said euro zone interest rates were currently appropriate, Reuters reports, and that the ECB would not follow the lead of the US Federal Reserve by cutting interest rates soon.
Minutes show some on FOMC wanted rate cut in May
Minutes from the Fed's May 6 policy meeting, reported by the Washington Post, showed that members would not wait indefinitely for the clouds to clear before lowering rates again in response to falling inflation rates and sluggish economic growth. The…
Brazil may raise inflation target
Economists have said that Brazil is likely to raise its inflation target to a more realistic level which could allow the central bank more room to reduce interest rates, according to a report by Bloomberg.
ECBs Solans says uncertainties cloud rates outlook
In an interview with the Financial Times, Eugenio Domingo Solans of the ECB said the current level of interest rates in the eurozone was favourable for a recovery. But the situation would be reassessed at the next meeting as the outlook was still clouded…
Inflation expectations crucial - SARB
The South African Reserve Bank suggested in its June quarterly bulletin that it expected inflation to hit its target later this year but it would largely depend on the extent to which price expectations conformed to trends, according to a report by…
MPC recruit Lambert urges UK Treasury drop secrecy
The most recent member of the Bank of England's monetary policy committee called for openness and transparency in the selection process of appointees to the MPC when facing the Treasury select committee on Monday 16 June, according to a report by the…
ECB officials give conflicting signals on rate cut
Speaking separately this week two ECB Governing Council members gave conflicting views on what a fall in inflation below the ECB's 2 per cent target would mean for interest rates, according to Bloomberg report.
Duisenberg dashes hopes of ECB rate cut
Wim Duisenberg has said more is needed to rebuild consumer and business confidence than another rate cut, according to Business & Finance. He also said there was no serious danger of deflation in either Germany or the eurozone.
Fed's Poole: Central bank can be patient
St Louis Fed chief William Poole was reported by Reuters to hacve said hat even though the Federal Reserve is under some pressure to make further cuts in interest rates, markets will automatically compensate by discounting longer term rates taking some…
Bank of England holds interest rates steady
As most analysts predicted, the Bank of England held interest rates steady at 3.75 on Thursday 10 April amid continuing uncertainty, reports the Financial Times.
Outlook clouded but inflation to ease: ECB
Even though the war in Iraq has increased uncertainty somewhat the European Central Bank said on Thursday in its monthly bulletin that it expected inflation to drop back below its 2 percent target this year, according to Reuters.
Fed plans emergency economic rescue
With new fears of recession the Federal Reserve may be formulating an emergency economic rescue plan, accordintg to a report by Associated Press. The plan could involve three elements including lending massive amounts of money directly to commercial…
ECB meeting on monetary policy decisions
At Thursday 3 April's meeting, which was held in Rome, the Governing Council of the ECB decided that the minimum bid rate on the main refinancing operations and the interest rates on the marginal lending facility and the deposit facility will remain…
RBA holds fire on interest rates
The Reserve Bank of Australia held interest rates steady at 4.75 per cent on Tuesday 1 April in a widely expected move, reported The Australian Financial Review.
Should central banks buy wider range of assets?
An article in the Financial Times on March 28 asks the question many have recently posed. Have central banks run out of ammunition? The fire power in question is of course interest rates as a monetary policy tool. Rates have hit the floor in Japan and…
Swiss rates on hold
The Swiss National Bank kept its key interest rate unchanged and repeated that that it could intervene to stop an appreciation of the Swiss franc, according to a Dow Jones report.
Interest rates unchanged as Fed awaits war
The Federal Reserve held interest rates steady on Tuesday March 19 in a unanimous vote but left open the possibility of a cut if the economy suddenly worsened, according to a report by Associated Press.
Koehler- Major economies can still ease mon policy
Horst Koehler said in a speech, reported by Channel News Asia, that interest rates still have room to fall further for the world's major economies. He also suggested that fears of a global recession were over-played despite ongoing uncertainty.
Norges Bank Inflation Report, March 2003
REPORT - Norway's central bank published its latest Inflation Report on 5 March. The Bank says the outlook for growth has deteriorated since the October report and there are no signs of an imminent recovery. On the domestic front, the Norwegian economy…
Dissent inside the Eurotower
ARTICLE - This article suggests that even if the ECB cuts interest rates on Thursday, the move will do little to satisfy critics pressing for a reappraisal of the bank's policymaking framework. The article suggests tensions between key ECB officials…
Norway central bank cuts interest rates
Norges Bank, the Norwegian central bank, lowered key interest rates Wednesday by a half-percentage point. The Bank hinted that further reductions may be necessary.
RBA leaves rates steady
The Reserve Bank of Australia left interest rates on hold Wednesday for the ninth month in a row.
BoE's George- pound fall cuts euro entry obstacles
Sir Edward George suggested on Tuesday that the Bank of England's recent surprise cut in interest rates would be "seen as quite dangerous by the ECB". He also suggested the ECB could benefit from a technical subcommittee to make interest rate…