Monetary Policy
Bernanke wants Fed to pay interest on reserves
Ben Bernanke, the chairman of the Federal Reserve, wants to pay interest on banks' reserves to stop interbank charges falling below the federal funds rate.
RBA's Broadbent wins third term
Jillian Broadbent, the only woman on the Reserve Bank of Australia's nine-strong rate-setting board, is to serve a third five-year term.
Fed has little control over rates
The Fed's ability to control short-term interest rates may be greatly exaggerated, research published by the St Louis Fed suggests.
Romania hikes for fourth-straight month
The National Bank of Romania has hiked rates by a quarter-point to a fresh three-year high despite the central bank's governor claiming less than a fortnight ago that rates were high enough.
Turkey to review inflation target
The Central Bank of Turkey will consider revising its inflation target towards the end of this year, the minutes of its April rate-setting meeting show.
OECD inflation hits 3.5%
CPI inflation in the 30 member economies of the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) rose to 3.5% in the year to March, up from 3.4% the previous month.
UK's Blanchflower calls for bigger cuts
Aggressive easing is required to prevent the UK falling into recession, said David Blanchflower, a member of the Bank of England's rate-setting committee.
FOMC could do with a revamp: ex-Fed deputy
The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) should introduce staff, instead of committee, forecasts, recommended Alan Blinder, a former vice-chairman of the Fed.
Relaxing collateral standards presents risks
By accepting poorer collateral central banks can reduce banks' incentives to hold sufficient amounts of higher-quality assets, said Stefan Ingves, the governor of the Sveriges Riksbank.
Japan lowers growth forecast
The Bank of Japan has chopped more than half a point off its growth estimate for 2008 and warned that in a highly uncertain climate, downside risks to the economy could further limit expansion.
Sri Lanka reacts as inflation hits record high
The Central Bank of Sri Lanka has lowered its reserve money targets in a bid to curb rampant inflation which soared to an all-time high in the year to April.
Fed cuts to 2%
The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) lowered rates by a quarter point on Wednesday.
OMO changes must temper money-market woe: King
Mervyn King, the governor of the Bank of England, said the central bank must ensure its revised system for open market operations leads to overnight interbank rates remaining close to its official rate regardless of financial market conditions.
India warns on prices but keeps rates unchanged
The Reserve Bank of India held rates at its quarterly monetary policy meeting on Tuesday in spite of inflation reaching a three-year high in the weeks leading up the meeting.
Mauritius calls special meeting
The Bank of Mauritius will hold a special Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting on 2 May, the central bank said on Tuesday.
Trichet remains firm on inflation
In all circumstances, but even more in times of heightened uncertainty in global financial markets, a strong commitment to price stability over the medium term is essential, said Jean-Claude Trichet, the president of the European Central Bank (ECB).
Interest rate gap too large, says France
Christine Lagarde, the French minister of finance, has issued a guarded warning to the European Central Bank (ECB) not to raise rates.
Denmark values euro's stabilising powers
The existence of the euro has been an advantage to the Danish economy during the current financial crisis, said Nils Bernstein, the governor of the National Bank of Denmark.
Reserve accumulation and price commitment
A new paper published by the International Monetary Fund finds that foreign-exchange interventions and a rapid accumulation of reserves can damage the anti-inflationary credibility of the monetary authority.
Philippines keep rates on hold
After implementing five cuts in the benchmark interest rate since July last year, the central bank of the Philippines kept interest rates unchanged at 5% on 24 April.
Russian central bank hints at broad tightening
Alexei Ulyukayev, the first deputy chairman of Russia's central bank, suggested on 22 April that monetary conditions may be tightened in the near future using a range of policy tools.
Big rate hike in Serbia
The National Bank of Serbia has raised its key policy rate to 15.25% from 14.5%. Radovan Jelasic, the governor of the central bank, said the move came in response to rising inflation, caused by growing salaries, record oil prices and political crisis.
Rustamov explains Azerbaijani rate move
An increase in interest rates from 13% to 14% on 10 April will not have a direct impact on banks' rates, according Elman Rustamov, the chairman of the National Bank of Azerbaijan.
Sentance: pound matters for monetary policy
The weakening pound is adding to the upward pressures on costs and prices from global markets, said Andrew Sentance, a member of the Bank of England's rate-setting committee, in a speech to the Confederation of British Industry.