Monetary Policy
China’s monetary mandarins
The ever-increasing importance of China’s economic policymakers has led to intense scrutiny of the people behind the headlines. Andrew Peaple profiles the most important players
Japan's Mizuno dismisses rate cut calls
Atsushi Mizuno, a member of the Bank of Japan's rate-setting council, has said a rate cut would be unjustified even on signs that the world's second-largest economy is slowing.
Czech deputy counters interference claims
Miroslav Singer, a vice-governor at the Czech National Bank (CNB), has rebuffed claims that the Vaclav Klaus, the country's president, is compromising the institution's independence.
Fed exacerbating stagflation risk: Meltzer
The Federal Reserve's current policies mark a return to the dark days of the 1970s and carry the same threats, says Allan Meltzer, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University.
Policy shifts improved inflation outlook
The decline in the level, persistence and volatility of inflation across industrialised countries since the mid-1980s is due in part to improvements in monetary policy, finds a Bank of England working paper.
Bernanke changes tack, cautions on inflation
Ben Bernanke, the chairman of the Federal Reserve, has said that the inflation picture in the US has worsened since the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) last met.
Markets underestimate ECB's inflation fears
Bets on interest rate decisions fail to take into account the seriousness of the inflation situation in the eurozone, said Axel Weber, the president of the Bundesbank who also sits on the European Central Bank's (ECB) governing council.
Poland raises rates to 5.5% in surprise move
The National Bank of Poland has voted to raise rates unexpectedly by a quarter point.
Further Fed cuts likely on Kohn comments
Donald Kohn, the vice chairman of the Federal Reserve, has hinted that more rate cuts are needed in order to insure against an economic calamity.
Controlling inflation stabilises growth
Monetary policy's dual objectives - stabilising inflation and stabilising economic activity - complement rather than contradict one another, said Frederic Mishkin, a governor of the Federal Reserve.
Turkey reveals rationale for latest cut
The Central Bank of Turkey lowered rates for the sixth straight month in February because monetary policy still supported disinflation, the minutes of the meeting show.
Ex-minister questions Czech independence
Jan Mladek, a Czech member of parliament and former government minister, has claimed that Vaclav Klaus, the president of the Czech Republic, is abusing his power to appoint senior members of the Czech National Bank's staff.
Emergency Fed cut an effort to appear decisive
The Federal Reserve voted to slash rates by 75 basis points to demonstrate decisiveness, minutes of the Federal Open Market Committee's (FOMC) January meeting reveal.
Hanke attacks Fed at IEA seminar
Professor Steve Hanke of Johns Hopkins University rebuked the Federal Reserve for its conduct of monetary policy at a conference on Tuesday 26 February on "The State of the Economy" hosted by the Institute of Economic Affairs in London.
Prices force China to stick with policy stance
A top Chinese central banker confirmed that the People's Bank's monetary policy stance will remain tight after inflation hit a fresh 11-year high.
Fed's Fisher warns on inflation expectations
Richard Fisher, the president of the Dallas Federal Reserve, has said that the Fed must be careful to avoid "stirring the embers of inflation".
Sentance warns of slowdown
Andrew Sentance, a member of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee, has warned of the possibility of a "more significant and sustained" slowdown than those of the recent past.
Stagflation problem for the Fed?
The Federal Reserve faces a problem that the United States has not seen for many years: stagflation.
Barker concerned with risks to growth
Kate Barker, a member of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee, has outlined why she is increasingly concerned over downside risks to growth.
Garganas highlights credit market uncertainty
Nicholas Garganas, the governor of the Bank of Greece, acknowledged that the economic impact of credit market developments may be larger than expected.
Bank of England's February minutes
The minutes from the 6 and 7 February meeting of the Monetary Policy Committee show that eight out of the nine members voted to cut the Bank Rate by 25 basis points to 5.25%.
Optimal transparency of monetary policy committees
Revealing the diversity of views in monetary policy committees makes future monetary policy more predictable, a new paper from Germany's central bank finds.
Fed's Evans sees pause in rate cuts
Charles Evans, the president of the Chicago Federal Reserve Bank, said that the recent interest rate reductions taken by the Fed should be sufficient to help promote moderate growth over time and mitigate the risks to economic activity.
Mixed results for inflation targeting
A study by the Bank of Canada finds that the ability of inflation-targeting central banks to hit their targets varies considerably. The study, published in the Bank of Canada's Winter Review, looked at 21 countries over the period 1990 to 2007.