Monetary Policy
Vietnam slashes to meet growth target
The State Bank of Vietnam cut its base interest rate by 150 basis points to 7% on Friday, taking borrowing costs to half of the level they were last summer.
PM's adviser wants RBI to cut rates
Suresh Tendulkar, an economic adviser to the Indian prime minister, has said that the Reserve Bank of India should cut rates in the coming week.
Canadian economy to contract this year
Canadian GDP will decline by 1.2% in 2009 and rebound by 3.8% in 2010, according to the Bank of Canada's Monetary Policy Report Update.
Labour markets matter for ECB policy
Disturbances in the wage-bargaining process are a significant contributor to inflation and output fluctuations in euro-area, a paper from the Philadelphia Federal Reserve finds.
Are commodities useful indicators of inflation?
Commodity prices are significant indicators of inflation, research published by the Bank of Canada posits.
BoJ sees falling prices, will buy corporate bonds
Prices will fall in the world's second-largest economy in 2009 and 2010, senior officials at the Bank of Japan predict. The central bank also announced it would buy corporate bonds and begin purchases of commercial paper later this month.
Brazil slashes, signals further easing
The Central Bank of Brazil made its most aggressive cut in more than five years on Wednesday and hinted it would ease rates further in the coming months.
Malaysia slashes rates as exports flag
Bank Negara Malaysia surprised markets on Wednesday, slashing its key rate by 75 basis points to 2.5%.
Bank of England's January minutes
The minutes from the January meeting of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee show most members judged cutting bank rate by 50 basis points would provide a significant stimulus to the economy.
Inflation dynamics uncovered
A new paper from the Kansas City Federal Reserve examines the dynamics of various measures of national, regional and global inflation.
UK inflation still in letter-writing territory
British CPI inflation in the year to December was 3.1%, down a full percentage point from the November figure but still significantly above the Bank of England's 2% target.
Canada sees rates hit all-time low
The Bank of Canada cut its key rate to 1%, the lowest level in the central bank's 75-year history, on Tuesday and said that headline inflation would fall below zero later this year. However, the move was not enough to satisfy some in the markets who were…
Trichet calls for a new economic paradigm
A paradigm change in the global economy is needed, said Jean-Claude Trichet, the president of the European Central Bank.
Saudi, UAE cut by 50 basis points
The Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA) and the Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) both cut their benchmark rates by half a point on Monday on signs that growth in the two economies, both of which rely heavily on oil exports, will slow in…
Hungary cuts on fears of "sharp downturn"
The National Bank of Hungary on Monday lowered rates for the third time since the start of December on signs of a more severe-than-expected economic slowdown.
Monetary policy should consider intermediaries
The size of the balance sheets of market-based financial intermediaries are important macroeconomic state variables for monetary policy, finds a paper published by the New York Federal Reserve.
Turkey slashes to record low as growth slumps
The Central Bank of Turkey on Thursday chopped two percentage points off its benchmark rates, taking the measures to their lowest-ever levels.
ECB cuts, Trichet signals more could come
The European Central Bank (ECB) has chopped a half point off its key rate and indicated rates could reach a fresh low in the months to come. The news followed confirmation that eurozone inflation sank below the central bank's target in December.
Denmark slashes on back of ECB move
The National Bank of Denmark lopped three-quarters of a percentage point of its key rate on Thursday in response to the European Central Bank's (ECB) move.
Thailand slashes rates, cites demand and exports
The Bank of Thailand surprised markets on Wednesday by slashing rates for the second month in a row on further signs of a slowdown.
Congo hikes rates to 55% as currency plunges
The Central Bank of Congo attempted to halt the depreciation of the CFA franc on Monday with a 15 percentage-point hike in its key rate to 55%.
The monetary-policy lag and inflation targeting
Central banks and governments should set a relatively high inflation target when confronted with a long monetary-policy lag and a zero nominal bound for interest rates, research from the Bank of Canada posits.
Explaining America's Great Inflation
Acceleration of US inflation in the 1960s caused by Bretton Woods the exit and the Treasury's role in defending the dollar, say Michael Bordo and Barry Eichengreen, in a new paper.
Communication key in inflation targeting
Communication is crucial in limiting the damage to central bank's credibility associated with overshooting inflation targets, notes a new paper from the International Monetary Fund.