Monetary Policy
Jordan's interest rates on the move
The Central Bank of Jordan (CBJ) governor, Umayya Touqan, announced on Sunday 6 November that interest rates on repurchase agreements for a week would be raised by 25 basis points.
SARB publishes Monetary Policy Review
The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) released its bi-annual Monetary Policy Review yesterday. It expects the main inflation rate to stay inside its 3-6 percent target range over the next two years, although the outlook has deteriorated because of high…
Fed may be on road to neutral monetary policy
The Federal Open Market Committee will make the 13th consecutive rate increase at its next meeting on 13 December, as it continues on its way to the so-called neutral level, according to this article published on Wednesday 2 November.
Minutes from the Sveriges Riksbank Meeting, 19 Oct
The Sveriges Riksbank published the minutes from its 19 October Executive Board meeting on 31 October. The slowdown in the Swedish economy at the beginning of the year was temporary and growth in private consumption had started to increase, the minutes…
Fed raises rates, maintains 'measured' pace
The Federal Open Market Committee decided on Tuesday 1 November to raise its target for the federal funds rate by 25 basis points to 4 percent. In its statement the FOMC kept its 'measured' stance for removing policy accommodation and warned that energy…
Norges Bank increases interest rates by 0.25%
Norges Bank's Executive Board decided on Wednesday 2 November to raise the sight deposit rate by 0.25 percentage point to 2.25 per cent with effect from 3 November. Output growth is high and may in isolation suggest a more rapid increase in the interest…
ECB's Issing on money's role in monetary policy
In the speech 'The role of money in the monetary policy strategy of the ECB' given on 28 October Otmar Issing of the ECB said the acceleration in eurozone M3 money supply growth seen over the past year is likely to increase inflation pressures in the…
Sweden's Heikensten: Monetary policy and academics
In the speech 'Monetary policy and the academics' given on 28 October Lars Heikensten of the Sveriges Riksbank said there is no doubt that the problems central bankers face and the practical experiences they gain also have been, and still are, an…
Comment: Japan sees return to normal
Japan's monetary policymakers yesterday delivered another instalment of what is becoming an increasingly confident message: after seven years of deflation, they expect prices to start rising again early next year.
RBNZ increases OCR to 7 per cent
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand increased the Official Cash Rate (OCR) by 25 basis points to 7.00 per cent on Thursday. RBNZ governor Alan Bollard said medium term inflation risks remain strong.
Bank of Canada Monetary Policy Report, Oct 2005
The Bank of Canada released its October 2005 Monetary Policy Report on 20 October. The latest report says the global and Canadian economies have continued to grow at a solid pace, and the Canadian economy now appears to be operating at full production…
Lambert on challenging times for monetary policy
In the speech 'Challenging times for monetary policy' given on 19 October Richard Lambert of the Bank of England said the central bank is "determined" to prevent higher oil prices from fanning inflation, suggesting he's unlikely to favor another interest…
Monetary policy predictability in the euro area
This Norges Bank Working Paper evaluates the ability of market participants to anticipate monetary policy decisions in the euro area and in 13 other countries.
Bank of England's MPC voted 9-0 to hold rates
Minutes from the Bank of England's 5 and 6 October meeting, released 19 October, showed that all nine members of the Monetary Policy Committee voted to keep interest rates at 4.5 percent this month, not even discussing arguments for a cut.
Fed's Santomero on the evolving role of the FOMC
In the speech 'The evolving role of the FOMC: An insider's perspective on monetary policy' given on 17 October Anthony Santomero of the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia said the transition to a new Federal Reserve chairman will be a smooth one.
BoE's Lomax on UK monetary policy
In the speech 'UK monetary policy: The international context' given on 17 October Rachel Lomax of the Bank of England said the central bank has to be careful not to dislodge inflation expectations at a time when the outlook for world oil prices remains…
BOJ minutes show support for liquidity cut
Two Bank of Japan Policy Board members suggested that they may support the lowering of the current account balance target in the future, according to minutes released Monday 17 October.
Heikensten on monetary policy in Sweden and US
In the speech 'Monetary policy in Sweden and the United States' given on 14 October Lars Heikensten of the Sveriges Riksbank said he expects continued strong growth globally as well as in Sweden, uncertainty on future oil prices and their effects, and an…
Fed minutes suggest more rate rises
Minutes from the Federal Reserve's 20 September meeting were published on Tuesday 11 October. FOMC members believed more interest-rate increases would be needed to keep inflation down when they raised interest rates at their last meeting, the minutes…
Chicago Fed 's Moskow on monetary policy
In the speech 'Reflections on monetary policy: Flexibility, transparency, and inflation guidelines' given on 26 September Michael Moskow of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago said he was wary of setting strict numerical targets for inflation and that a…
Canada's Macklem on the inflation target
In the speech 'The inflation target: More than just a target' given on 6 October Tiff Macklem of the Bank of Canada discusses the Bank of Canada's inflation-targeting system, which aims to keep inflation low, stable, and predictable in order to promote…
Rosenberg on the Riksbank and monetary policy
In the speech 'The Riksbank and monetary policy' given on 29 September Irma Rosenberg of the Sveriges Riksbank said partly on account of the more expansionary economic policy, demand can be expected to be somewhat more robust in the coming two years than…
Canada's Longworth on monetary policy
In the speech 'Monetary policy: One instrument, one target' given on 29 September David Longworth of the Bank of Canada said the Canadian economy will feel only a modest impact from hurricanes Katrina and Rita, but higher oil prices will result in a…
SF Fed's Yellen on US economy and monetary policy
In the speech 'The US economy and monetary policy' given on 27 September Janet Yellen of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco said the Fed must uphold its pledge to keep inflation subdued, suggesting US interest rates would continue to rise.