Monetary Policy
Growth fears outweigh depreciation threat for CNB
The Czech National Bank (CNB) has cut its key interest rate to 1.75%, the lowest level in more than three years, in an attempt to stave off recession despite concerns about koruna's weakening.
ECB official praises Slovakia's euro entry
The changeover from Slovak koruna to euro, which took place in January, was very smooth, said Jose Manuel Gonzalez-Paramo, a member of the European Central Bank's Executive Board.
Norway sees deeper, longer downturn ahead
Norges Bank shaved half a point off its key rate on signs the downturn could be deeper and last longer than previously expected.
Floating rates worth weight in gold for Germany
German society was better off under the floating exchange-rate regime than during the pre-first world war classical gold standard period, finds a paper by Michael Bordo and Bernhard Eschweiler for the National Bureau of Economic Research.
Avoid Dutch disease with deep financial industry
A deep financial industry can reduce the exchange-rate appreciation effect of capital inflows, posits a new paper from the International Monetary Fund.
SA's new CPI gauge trims inflation by 0.9pp
The new method of calculating South African headline inflation would have trimmed nine-tenths of a percentage point off the December measure, the government's statistics bureau said on Tuesday.
Australia slashes on signs of flagging demand
The Reserve Bank of Australia cut rates by a full percentage point for the second time in as many votes on Tuesday, saying that a dip in confidence was impacting demand.
Enlargement and stability: ECB's new challenges
Enlargement and financial stability are the European Central Bank's (ECB) main new challenges, finds a paper from the National Bureau of Economic Research.
Canada's Carney: controlling inflation fundamental
Controlling inflation is the best contribution that monetary policy can make to the economic and financial welfare of Canada, said Mark Carney, the governor of the country's central bank.
Financial variables impact inflation dynamics
Financial variables can explain the long-term dynamics of inflation expectations, finds a new paper from the European Central Bank.
Eurozone, Japanese inflation sink
Eurozone annual inflation fell to its lowest level since 1999 in January as data revealed price growth in Japan came to a near standstill in 2008.
Philippines cuts again as inflation abates
The Central Bank of the Philippines cut rates by half a point for the second month in a row on Friday, citing a shift in the inflation outlook.
NZ makes another mammoth cut, rates hit fresh low
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand slashed its benchmark official cash rate by 150 basis points to a new all-time low of 3.5% on Thursday and signalled it could cut again in the coming months.
Orphanides comments highlight ECB divide
Comments by the governor of the Central Bank of Cyprus on Wednesday underlined the split between members of the European Central Bank's (ECB) Governing Council on whether eurozone interest rates should fall to zero.
Fed holds on Treasury issue, flags deflation risk
The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) said that it could buy longer-term Treasury securities, but only if market conditions were right. The committee also acknowledged that inflation may fall to "below rates that best foster growth and stability".
US liquidity impacts eurozone inflation
Excessive liquidity in the United States weakens the effectiveness of monetary policy in the euro area, a new paper from the International Monetary Fund posits.
MPC would use additional tools at zero bound
The Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) has considered the options should bank rate come close to or reach the zero bound, said David Blanchflower, a member of the committee.
Trichet: euro is not dollar's competitor
The euro was not created to compete with the dollar, said Jean-Claude Trichet, the president of the European Central Bank (ECB).
India holds but signals cuts could come
The Reserve Bank of India kept its benchmark repo rate at an all-time low of 5.5% on Tuesday but indicated it could soon cut further with the Indian economy vulnerable to the fallout of the financial crisis.
Poland slashes on "considerable" slowdown
The National Bank of Poland cut rates by 75 basis points to their lowest level since April 2007 on Tuesday, citing flagging growth and lower inflation.
Israel cuts to record low, economy to shrink
The Bank of Israel slashed its key rate by 75 basis points to an all-time low of 1% on Monday and said that it now expected the economy to contract by 0.2% in 2009.
ECB officials signal reluctance to cut to zero
Two senior officials at the European Central Bank (ECB) have indicated that the Frankfurt-based institution remains reluctant to follow the Federal Reserve's lead in cutting rates to near zero.
Zim's Gono: sanctions responsible for collapse
Gideon Gono, the governor of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, has said that sanctions are to blame for Zimbabwe's economic collapse and that printing more money was essential for his people's survival.
Central Bank of Turkey - Inflation Report
Turkish inflation is likely to undershoot the 7.5% inflation target in 2009, notes the Central Bank of Turkey's January Inflation Report.