Monetary Policy
ECB's Gonzalez-Paramo on monetary policy
In the speech 'Uncertainty and gradualism in monetary policy' given on 17 March Jose Manuel Gonzalez-Paramo of the ECB said hard data currently available indicates that the euro zone is growing at a rate higher to that forecast by the Bank in December.
Atlanta Fed's Guynn on sustainable growth
In the speech 'Nurturing sustainable growth in a global context' given on 15 March Jack Guynn of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta said the way forward for monetary policy is becoming harder to predict.
Bet on the Fed pausing at 5 percent
Federal Reserve officials seem more likely to pause in raising their target for the overnight lending rate when it reaches 5 percent than to push it up to 5.5 percent, according to this article published Wednesday 15 March.
Interview with Malta's Bonello
In a recent interview, Michael C Bonello, governor of the Central Bank of Malta, talks about the challenges faced by the Maltese economy ahead of euro adoption and their implications for monetary policy.
Fed's Kohn on monetary policy and asset prices
In the speech 'Monetary policy and asset prices' given on 16 March Donald Kohn of the Federal Reserve said the Fed has no intention of preserving all of the recent gains in home price values.
BoJ's Iwata says price goal will anchor inflation
Bank of Japan deputy governor Kazumasa Iwata said on Friday 17 March that the central bank's decision to set a medium-term inflation goal of 0-2 pct will help anchor inflation expectations and lower risk premia on Japanese securities.
Weber on the monetary policy of the Eurosystem
In the speech 'The role of money in the monetary policy of the Eurosystem' given on 17 March Axel Weber of the Bundesbank said the European Central Bank must continue paying close attention to monetary growth.
Sweden's Rosenberg on current monetary policy
In the speech 'Some questions regarding current monetary policy' given on 16 March Irma Rosenberg of the Sveriges Riksbank said that despite the recent hike in the repo rate to 2 pct, monetary policy is still very expansive.
Norges Bank increases interest rates by 0.25%
Norges Bank's Executive Board decided on Thursday 16 March to raise the sight deposit rate by 0.25 percentage point to 2.50 per cent with effect from 17 March.
SNB hikes rates as expected
The Swiss National Bank (SNB) raised interest rates by 25 basis points on Thursday 16 March, saying that the economy is gaining further momentum and is becoming increasingly broad-based.
Fukui sees continuity with Bernanke Fed
Bank of Japan governor Toshihiko Fukui said Thursday 16 March that Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke seems inclined to carry on the general policy direction of former Fed chief Alan Greenspan.
BoJ's Muto says price range is not target
Bank of Japan deputy governor Toshiro Muto said on Wednesday 15 March that although the BoJ has a price stability range of between 0-2 percent rises in consumer prices, this does not mean the central bank will keep rates at zero until inflation tops that…
Comment: Yellen's 'long-run' inflation target
San Francisco Fed president, Janet Yellen, who has emerged as one of Ben Bernanke's strongest allies in the inflation targeting debate at the Fed, provided further insights into what she regards as the optimal design of such a framework in a speech on…
NY Fed's Geithner on U.S. monetary policy
In the speech 'U.S. monetary policy in the global financial environment' given on 9 March Timothy Geithner of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York said U.S. monetary policy may need to be tightened sufficiently to offset the downward pull on interest…
BoJ's Mizuno says rate hikes necessary - report
Atsushi Mizuno, a Bank of Japan policy board member, has said that raising interest rates is necessary to have some flexibility in managing monetary policy, Jiji Press reported.
Bank of Japan takes big risk with policy change
According to this article published on Friday 10 March, by ditching its quantitative easing policy the Bank of Japan may be making one of the biggest mistakes in its history.
Comment: Unravelling the BoJ message
The Bank of Japan put an end to its "quantitative easing" policy last week. Although the timing was slightly ahead of expectations, the move itself was widely anticipated. Attention has now turned to unravelling the implications of the central bank's new…
Fukui: Zero rate policy can't last 'indefinitely'
Bank of Japan governor, Toshihiko Fukui, said on Friday 10 March that the central bank won't keep borrowing costs at zero forever.
RBNZ Monetary Policy Statement, March 2006
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand published its March 2006 Monetary Policy Statement on 9 March. The report said that economic indicators are now clearly signalling a slowdown, following New Zealand's longest economic expansion in 30 years.
RBNZ leaves OCR unchanged at 7.25 per cent
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand announced on Thursday 9 March that its Official Cash Rate (OCR) will remain on hold at 7.25 per cent.
Bank of Japan's statement on policy guidelines
Following is the full text of the Bank of Japan's statement on its change in monetary policy guidelines, Thursday 9 March.
Bank of Japan ends quantitative-easing policy
The Bank of Japan voted 7-1 to end its five-year-old super-easy monetary policy on Thursday 9 March at the end of a two-day meeting, but said it will maintain short-term interest rates near zero until its next meeting in April.
Swedish Riksbank unanimous in rate hike decision
The Swedish Riksbank's board was unanimous in its 22 February decision to raise the repo rate by 0.25 pct to 2 pct, according to the minutes of the meeting published Wednesday.
Comment: Has the ECB become more credible?
A recent New York Fed staff paper finds that market perceptions of the ECB's "inflation aversion" have improved significantly over the last six years, reflecting the idea that monetary policy has been guided by a dedication to price stability.