Monetary policy decisions
Stevens highlights housing market improvement at final monetary policy meeting
Reserve Bank of Australia leaves rates on hold at Steven’s last monetary policy meeting; board assesses the current policy stance as appropriate to foster growth and achieve inflation target
Central Bank of Iceland changes course with 50bp cut
Reversal of tightening cycle reflects concern inflation is not rising as expected, in part because of the strength of the króna; growth still forecast to continue above trend
Low inflation and tighter credit gave room for cut, RBA minutes show
Inflation looks likely to remain low for some time, board members note, while tighter lending standards make adverse effects of a cut less likely
Chilean central bank changes guidance and keeps policy on hold
Central Bank of Chile removes reference to continued normalisation as inflation returns to target range; holds benchmark rate at 3.5%
BoE launches broad Brexit response
Central bank wields all its main tools and some new ones as the effects of Brexit begin to appear; aims to support transmission mechanism amid extraordinary measures
RBA cuts as housing risks posed by lower rates ‘diminish’
Reserve Bank of Australia cuts by a further 25bp to 1.5%, after annual CPI inflation drops to 1% in June; growth in lending for housing has "slowed a little"
BoJ boosts ETF purchases in face of global uncertainty
The Bank of Japan nearly doubles pace of ETF purchases to ¥6 trillion per year, and introduces measures to smooth funding in foreign currencies; stock market and exchange rate rise on the announcement
Fed holds as near-term risks ‘diminish’
FOMC says near-term risks to US outlook have diminished, while economic activity is expanding at a “moderate pace”; keeps policy unchanged, but statement sees increasing odds of a hike this year
Njoroge cites need to anchor expectations as Central Bank of Kenya holds
Monetary policy committee keeps policy rate at 10.5%; increase in fuel tax expected to put temporary pressure on prices, but not to push inflation outside target range
Sarb hiking cycle is paused, not stopped, governor stresses
South African Reserve bank delays further tightening in wake of more favourable inflation outlook; governor insists it is a ‘pause’ and should expectations change the MPC would act appropriately
Growth risks push Mauritius MPC to cut by 40bp
Central bank cuts interest rates to 4%, amid risks arising from Brexit and potential volatility from US elections; reducing rate will support investment and encourage growth, says bank
BoE’s Weale sees demand weakening more than supply
Martin Weale thinks short-term impact of UK vote more likely to drag on inflation than boost it; will also weigh impact of exchange rate movements and earnings developments in August meeting
BoE holds but MPC expects August easing
Pound appreciates as monetary policy committee votes 8:1 to leave rates at 0.5%; "most" committee members expect monetary stimulus in August
Dombret sees no need for ECB response to UK vote
Deutsche Bundesbank’s Andreas Dombret says it is not clear to what extent further easing would boost economy; warns against deeper European integration at any cost
Argentine central bank holds rate on its bonds with eye on inflation
Reference rate held at 30.25% ahead of second inflation figure release; second monthly statistic from Indec due today, no official annual figure yet
Fed’s Tarullo looking for more evidence on inflation
Daniel Tarullo wants to see more convincing evidence that inflation is returning to target before tightening monetary policy; headline and core PCE inflation are still below target
Riksbank tweaks forward guidance, citing Brexit uncertainty
Swedish central bank says it will likely only raise the policy rate from the second half of 2017 onwards; highlights “considerable uncertainty” abroad
Mexico hikes rates to stabilise peso depreciation
Bank of Mexico surprises markets with 50bp hike to stem currency depreciation; analysts see global risk factors contributing to exchange rate developments
Bank of Israel sees ‘Brexit’ increasing risks to outlook
Monetary committee warns it is too early to tell whether short-term effect on financial markets has run its course; Flug stresses both central bank and finance ministry “keeping close watch”
BoE seen shifting into easing mode
Many economists view Bank of England as likely to shift towards an easing bias, but the central bank may find itself with limited room for manoeuvre
BoE seen facing tough task in event of Brexit
Economists see Bank of England faced with task of stabilising financial markets while currency plummets and economy slows, making policy decisions tough; Carney hits back at critics
Yellen says July hike ‘not impossible’ as Fed holds
Fed keeps policy unchanged as widely anticipated; expected path of interest rate hikes becomes more gradual while the long-run level is revised down again
Governor cites stabilising inflation as Bank of Uganda cuts
Bank of Uganda cuts policy rate to 15% on back of inflation outlook; Tumusiime-Mutebile says central bank wants to have an "impact" on the state of economy where possible
No room for easing in Tombini’s final meeting
Committee leaves key rate at 14.25%; analysts believe calmer political environment will shape monetary policy stance in future rather than change in governor