Monetary Policy
NZ to keep rate at record low until end of 2010
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand followed the Bank of Canada's lead on Thursday and said it was likely to keep its benchmark rate at or below its current record low of 2.5% until the second half of 2010.
SA expected to continue easing after 100bps
The South African Reserve Bank acted in line with market expectations on Thursday by cutting 100 basis points off its main rate - a move which it is now forecast to repeat in May after the governor signalled the economy was in recession.
Trichet says shush on possible new tools
Jean-Claude Trichet, the president of the European Central Bank (ECB), has said that the Governing Council's omerta on interest rates a week before meetings must be extended to include possible additional tools that may be announced next Thursday.
Turkey on target to meet price goals
The Central Bank of Turkey believes it is on course to meet its inflation targets for the next three years.
Rate pledge already benefiting us: Canada's Carney
Mark Carney, the governor of the Bank of Canada, has said that the central bank's unprecedented promise to hold rates at record lows until at least June 2010 was already having a positive effect on credit conditions in Canada.
A new model for inflation targeting
This International Monetary Fund paper presents a new model of inflation targeting, taking greater account of the importance of changes in the credibility of policymakers.
House prices impacted by monetary policy
A working paper from Norges Bank finds that house prices are linked to monetary-policy shocks in the Norwegian, Swedish and British economies.
ECB council members signal May cut
Two of the members of the European Central Bank's (ECB) Governing Council have signalled that the central bank will cut again next month and may introduce further measures to soothe credit conditions.
Philippines' Tetangco mindful of inflation
Monetary policy in 2009 will continue to pursue prudent rate movements mindful of price stability as the primary mandate, Amando Tentangco, the governor of the Central Bank of the Philippines, has said.
ECB wants more info on collateral - report
The European Central Bank (ECB) could toughen up its collateral rules by forcing banks to disclose more detail about the instruments provided in return for the Frankfurt-based institution's funds, say reports.
RBI's Mohan wants rethink on asset-price bubbles
The relationship between monetary policy and asset prices needs to be revisited, said Rakesh Mohan, a deputy governor of the Reserve Bank of India.
Indian cut smaller than expected
The Reserve Bank of India cut interest rates by a quarter point on Tuesday, less than many observers had been predicting.
Icelandic rate setters divided on April cut
Iceland monetary-policy makers voted four to one to cut rates by 150 basis points, minutes of the April meeting revealed.
Monetary policy in turbulent times
The global financial crisis has hit the British economy hard, but this does not mean monetary policy should change its focus, said Andrew Sentance, a member of the Bank of England's rate-setting Monetary Policy Committee.
Eddie George on independence and supervision
In 2000, Sir Eddie George, the former governor of the Bank of England who died at the weekend, spoke on the Bank's then new-found independence and the loss of its supervisory function
Crisis revealed SNB rate policy strength: Roth
The Swiss National Bank's (SNB) unique monetary policy proved useful in staving off a worsening of credit conditions in the wake of the financial crisis, Jean-Pierre Roth, the chairman of the central bank's governing board, has said.
Colombia requests "insurance" credit line from IMF
Colombia became the second Latin American country this year to ask for a credit line from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), when it requested $10.4 billion to help it withstand the global financial crisis.
Sweden cuts rates to record 0.5%
The Riksbank cut its benchmark interest rate by half a percentage point to an all-time low of 0.5% on 21 April.
Mexico cuts despite above-target inflation
The Bank of Mexico cited its growing concern about the extent of the slowdown in the national economy as the reasons for a deeper than anticipated cut in interest rates last Friday.
Inflation is not forgotten - ECB's Trichet
Speaking in Tokyo, the president of the European Central Bank, Jean-Claude Trichet, stressed the need to keep a watchful eye on inflation.
SF Fed's Yellen: rates may have to burst bubbles
Janet Yellen, the president of the San Francisco Federal Reserve, has acknowledged that rate hikes may be necessary to counter asset-price bubbles, challenging a central tenet of the Greenspan-era Fed and her own previously-held views.
Euro adoption sparked some structural reforms
The adoption of the euro accelerated the pace of structural reforms in the product market, a research paper from the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) posits.
Inflation targeting not enough: BoE's Barker
Kate Barker, a member of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) has acknowledged that inflation targeting alone cannot produce economic stability.
More easing needed in New Zealand: OECD
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand should cut its policy rate by a further percentage point to 2% in order to stimulate the domestic economy, said the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) on Thursday. The views contrast with those…