Monetary Policy
SARB cuts in face of recession
The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) has cut interest rates by 100 basis points to 7.5% as Africa's leading economy enters it first recession in over a decade.
Further cuts possible in Czech interest rates
Miroslav Singer, the vice-governor of the Czech National Bank, has dropped strong hints that further interest-rates cut will be on the cards if the economic situation demands it.
Philippines cuts to 17-year low
The Central Bank of the Philippines has cut its main policy rates by 25 basis points, taking the overnight borrowing rate to new lows of 4.25%.
Policy time horizon must be extended: Shirakawa
The time horizon for rate decisions must be extended as a result of the financial crisis, Masaaki Shirakawa, the governor of the Bank of Japan, has warned.
Policy rates should fall to -5%: SF Fed's Rudebush
The federal funds target would have to fall to -5% for the benchmark rate to be in line with the central bank's Taylor rule, a senior San Francisco Fed official has said.
Iceland explains another deep cut
Members of the Central Bank of Iceland's Monetary Policy Committee decided to cut the key policy rate by 250 basis points to 13% in light of the improved stability of the krona, the minutes for the 5 and 6 May meeting reveal.
Bank's Bean admits QE exit tricky
Charlie Bean, the deputy governor responsible for monetary policy at the Bank of England, has acknowledged that the execution of the Bank's exit strategy for quantitative easing will present the Monetary Policy Committee with a tricky judgment call.
RBA on why it kept policy rate unchanged
The Reserve Bank of Australia decided to leave the cash rate unchanged at 3% as there were signs that the economic stimulus that had been applied was supporting demand, according to minutes of the May meeting.
Gulf monetary-union plans in tatters as UAE quits
The United Arab Emirates (UAE), the second largest economy in the Gulf, on Wednesday withdrew from plans for a regional monetary union, causing further consternation for the beleaguered project.
Bank Negara comes of age
Governors from five continents joined Bank Negara Malaysia in February to commemorate its 50th birthday. Claire Jones reports
Interview: Zdeneˇk Tu°ma
Martina Horáková speaks to the Czech governor about the crisis, calls for cross-border supervision and the process for adopting the euro
Should monetary policy lean or clean: a reassessment
The current turmoil has undermined the view that central banks can deal with bubbles and imbalances after they burst, argues William White
Interview: William White
Claire Jones speaks to William White about the lessons from history in getting out of the current crisis and the need for thinking more long term about the consequences of policymaking
Interview: Nasser Al Shaali
The chief executive of the Dubai International Financial Centre Authority tells Malan Rietveld that the emirate will bounce back strongly
SARB - Monetary Policy Review
The heightened levels of global economic uncertainty are making monetary-policy decisions more challenging, notes the latest Monetary Policy Review from the South African Reserve Bank.
Income distribution impacts the economy
Movements in the distribution of income can have a significant impact on the macroeconomy, a new paper from the St Louis Federal Reserve posits.
Egypt narrows rate corridor with cuts
The Central Bank of Egypt narrowed its rate corridor and loosened monetary policy in a bid to foster credit growth.
Stanford's Taylor warns of balance-sheet threat
John Taylor, a former Federal Reserve economist now a professor at Stanford, has told lawmakers that the expansion of the Fed's balance sheet risks exacerbating inflation.
Global factors in the Great Moderation
Research from the Bank for International Settlements claims that relative price adjustments taking place in the global economy are important sources of the lower rates of inflation which have been observed in recent decades.
An interpretation of the rise of inflation
A research paper from the National Bureau of Economic Research interprets the rise of inflation in the United States from the perspective of a simple macroeconomic framework.
Yam to join PBOC?
Joseph Yam, the chief executive of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), will join the People's Bank of China in the autumn, a local magazine has reported.
Latvia cuts to 4%
The Bank of Latvia cut its key rate by a full percentage point on Thursday in a bid to limit the scale of its economic contraction.
Russia cuts for second time in a month
The Central Bank of Russia chopped a half point off its key rate on Wednesday, little more than a fortnight after its last cut.
BoJ rate minutes: 7 April decision unanimous
Minutes of the 7 April monetary-policy meeting at the Bank of Japan, published on 8 May, show that the council unanimously supported the decision to leave the target rate at 0.1%.