Monetary Policy
Bank could have cut by 200bp
Members of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee, who shocked markets earlier this month when they slashed rates by 150 basis points, had considered an even bigger cut.
Trichet defends decision to keep minutes secret
Jean-Claude Trichet, the president of the European Central Bank (ECB), has defended the institution's decision to keep details of its monetary policy meetings under wraps, saying the publication of minutes could damage credibility.
Fed's Kohn unconvinced rates should burst bubbles
The Federal Reserve's vice-chair believes it is still wrong for monetary policy to aim at bursting asset price bubbles despite events since last summer.
Public to blame for inflation: Zimbabwe's Gono
Gideon Gono, the governor of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, has said the public are to blame for the country's bout of hyperinflation.
British inflation dips by record amount
British annual inflation fell to 4.5% in October, down from 5.2% the previous month, on the back of the slump in oil prices. The 0.7 percentage point slide is the biggest since January 1997, when official records began, and since April 1992 based on…
RBA justifies November cut
An attempt to reduce the risk of a sharp weakening of demand was behind the Reserve Bank of Australia's cut in the cash rate by 75 basis points to 5.25%, according to minutes of the November meeting.
CNB's Singer: inflation to dip in 2009
Headline inflation is expected to drop below the current 3% inflation target in 2009 and to hit the new target of 2%, set for 2010, at the end of next year, said Miroslav Singer, a vice governor of the Czech National Bank.
Bank of Latvia - Annual Report 2007
Ilmars Rimsevics, the governor of the Bank of Latvia, praised Riga for implementing inflation-curbing measures, in the central bank's latest Annual Report.
Fed's Kohn: macro models wrong
Macroeconomic models used by central banks to inform their monetary-policy decisions are clearly inadequate, admitted Donald Kohn, the vice-chairman of the Federal Reserve.
Pakistan lifts rates to stem crisis
The State Bank of Pakistan raised interest rates by 2% in an attempt to control inflation, which has spiralled to 25%.
Pakistan's Akhtar: inflation alert
High inflation is hurting Pakistan's competitiveness and eroding the purchasing power of the poor, said Shamshad Akhtar, the governor of the State Bank of Pakistan.
Bank of England sees deep recession
The Bank of England sharply adjusted its outlook for growth and inflation in the British economy, saying it was "very likely" that the UK was already in a recession that could last until 2010.
Slovakia rates to keep up with the ECB
The National Bank of Slovakia (NBS) on Tuesday decided, at an irregular monetary meeting, to cut its key rate by half a point to 3.25%.
Carmaker to borrow from ECB
Volkswagen, a German carmaker, plans to tap the European Central Bank (ECB) for a €2.3 billion ($2.9 billion) loan in December.
RBI may need to cut again: former governor
Bimal Jalan, a former governor of the Reserve Bank of India, has said the institution could have to cut rates again so that banks can lower borrowing costs to a level businesses and the public can afford.
US inflation not persistent
A new paper from the Bank of Mexico finds that in the post-second world war period United States inflation has not proven persistent.
Spain's Ordonez - monetary policy to blame
Miguel Fernandez Ordonez, the governor of the Bank of Spain, has blamed central banks' reluctance to raise rates in the wake of the dotcom crash as the principal cause of the current crisis.
SNB and Poland arrange currency swap
The Swiss National Bank and the National Bank of Poland on Friday agreed a currency swap facility to compensate for a lack of Swiss franc liquidity.
RBNZ to operate TAF to avert liquidity crunch
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand on Friday said it will follow the Federal Reserve's lead in establishing a Term Auction Facility (TAF) operation to enhance liquidity.
Korea cuts for second time in a fortnight
Bank of Korea chopped a quarter-point off its key rate on Friday on signs of a further weakening in domestic economic activity.
Focus of monetary policy research often misplaced
The focus on determinacy in recent monetary policy research is misplaced, Bennett McCallum, an economics professor at Carnegie Mellon University, argues.
Bank shocks with steepest cut for 24 years
The Bank of England on Thursday lopped one-and-a-half basis points off its benchmark rate for the first time since August 1984, confounding expectations of a far less severe move.
Czechs surprise with 75 basis-point cut
The Czech National Bank slashed its key rate by 75 basis points to 2.75% on Thursday on signs inflation risked falling below target next year.
ECB, SNB cut by 50 basis points
The European Central Bank (ECB) on Thursday lopped a quarter point off its key rate and indicated further cuts were likely. The Swiss National Bank (SNB) also cut the upper and lower bounds by the same margin.