Monetary Policy
Fed should make sure it does not ‘fall behind’ – Mester
US central bank should “remain vigilant” as employment reaches full capacity and the balance sheet begins to unwind; the Cleveland Fed president sees more rate hikes this year
Bank of Mexico tightens policy for sixth time in a row
Hike should stop temporary rises in inflation from passing through, says central bank board; leaves door open for further rate hikes, with one eye on inflation and the other on the Fed
Former Fed vice-chair Kohn on populism, top central bankers
Donald Kohn speaks to Christopher Jeffery about his fears for the Fed amid mounting populism, why he has few policy regrets and his experiences working with some of the world’s top central bankers
Zambia cuts interest rates again
Monetary tightening has tamed inflation but squeezed financial sector – IMF
IMF expands access to disaster funds
Economies are offered more generous thresholds for funding in the face of severe natural disasters
Riksbank proposes changes to inflation target
Central bank plans to use a variable that avoids short-term distortions, and to reinstate a band around the target
Peru cuts rates for first time in more than two years
Reversal in food prices prompts board into action, with inflation now expected to end the year within target band; central bank will remain attentive to external conditions
Sterling depreciation will increase pace of tightening, BoE says
Inflation will overshoot target for longer period, reveals latest Inflation Report, but raising rates will not help, BoE says; “extraordinary circumstances” call for delicate balancing act
Barbados raises reserve requirements for first time in a decade
Acting governor holds first press conference since 2014 to field questions about state of the economy; country needs “stronger fiscal discipline” before it can go to IMF, Haynes says
The BoJ’s risky yield curve control experiment
The Bank of Japan’s experiment with yield curve control could work if appropriate targets and communication strategies were applied. But its current policy objectives are muddled
Fischer attacks ‘mechanical’ use of policy rules
Fed vice-chair says policy committees have strengths that rule-following lacks
John Williams backs move to price-level targeting
San Francisco Fed chief says inflation targeting is losing its effectiveness in the face of a very low natural rate
Norges Bank board to meet more and publish minutes
Governor Øystein Olsen says the Norwegian central bank is looking to be more transparent around monetary policy; the executive board holds the key rate at 0.5%
ECB paper looks at PSPP’s ‘flow effects’ on sovereign bond yields
“Flow effects” have limited but real impact, researchers find
BoJ should provide ‘more realistic’ projections – former policy board member
Claims constant overestimation of inflation expectations undermines credibility
ECB paper studies impact of Fed surprises on other countries
Researchers find similar effects on real economy but differences in financial impacts
BoJ cuts inflation forecast at a time of falling JGB purchases
Bank of Japan reduces forecast to 1.4% as bond purchases appear to be declining
Riksbank says own inflation forecasts are among least accurate
Study compares central bank’s forecasts with those of nine other institutions
Turkish central bank raises inflation forecast
Report suggests inflation will fall to 8.5% by the end of the year; monetary policy committee increased lending rate earlier this week citing ‘deterioration’ in outlook
SNB able to cut rates further, Jordan says
Thomas Jordan says Switzerland’s central bank could lower its deposit rate further into negative territory or buy foreign currency if necessary; Jean Studer defends governing board size
Should more attention be paid to house prices?
The Czech National Bank’s experiences offer insights into using a broader inflation measure with a greater weight on housing to address both monetary and macro-prudential policy requirements
Draghi stands firm on QE
Eurozone recovery seems stronger, ECB president says