Monetary Policy
Norway's Qvigstad on the benefits of transparency
Central bank transparency improves the quality of both communication and the decision-making process, said Jan Qvigstad, the deputy governor of the Norges Bank.
Riksbank board unanimous on cut
The executive board of the Riksbank unanimously backed a lowering of the repo rate by 50 basis points to 3.75%, the minutes of the 22 October meeting reveal.
BoJ head hints at bubble-bursting role for rates
Masaaki Shirakawa, the governor of the Bank of Japan, has indicated that monetary policy should act on asset-price bubbles.
Bank to cut by 100 basis points?
The Bank of England will likely cut rates by a full percentage point on Thursday, some leading City of London economists believe.
Fed acts to enforce benchmark target
The Federal Reserve has moved to correct the disparity between its federal funds target and actual rates by raising the amount of interest paid on excess reserves held at the central bank.
Turkey explains October hold
The Central Bank of Turkey's rate-setting committee in October decided to keep rates on hold as the intensification of the financial turmoil called for a cautious approach, the minutes of the meeting reveal.
Inflation targets flexible and resilient
Inflation targeting has proved fairly flexible and resilient, research from the Boston Federal Reserve states.
SARB "distinctly dovish" in latest policy review
South African Reserve Bank on Tuesday adopted a dovish tone in its latest Monetary Policy Review, saying inflation was likely to fall sharply towards the 3%-6% target range in the new year.
RBA slashes rates to five-year low
The Reserve Bank of Australia on Tuesday shocked markets with a sharper-than-expected rate cut of 75 basis points.
Lira's decline won't trigger inflation
The recent depreciation of the Turkish lira will be largely offset by the disinflationary impact of the fall in food and energy prices and weakening domestic demand, states the latest Inflation Report of the Central Bank of Turkey.
Ex-PBoC deputy questions policy after Beijing cut
Wu Xiaoling, a former deputy governor at the People's Bank of China, has said the central bank should not loosen monetary policy further after the institution cut rates and relaxed loan conditions last week.
India acts on stability fears
The Reserve Bank of India has cut rates for the second time in a fortnight and introduced a raft of liquidity measures to shore up financial stability.
Oil price plunge prompts Iraqi cut
The Central Bank of Iraq has cut its benchmark rate by a full percentage point to 15% days after the governor warned that the dismal global outlook and the slump in oil prices could drag the country into recession.
Bank of Japan split on rate cut
Bank of Japan policymakers were divided in making the first cut in more than seven years on Friday. The central bank lowered its overnight lending rate from 0.5% to 0.3% due to a "severe" adjustment in the world economy.
Blanchflower: I told you so on rate cut
David Blanchflower, an external member of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), criticised his fellow committee members for not taking a forward-looking approach, which meant rates had stayed too high too long.
Mauritius cuts after special meeting
The Bank of Mauritius has cut its benchmark interest rate by 50 basis points to 7.75% during a specially convened meeting on Friday.
MPC's Blanchflower calls for aggressive cuts
The Bank of England needs to sharply reduce the cost of borrowing to prevent a "deep and long-lasting recession", said David Blanchflower, an external member of the Bank's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC).
Fed rate cut of little consequence?
The Federal Reserve's half-point cut to its key rate - the federal funds target - may have triggered a surge in Asian and European stock prices on Thursday. But the policy change may have little bearing on the cost of borrowing it is meant to influence…
China cuts again on fears of slump
The People's Bank of China has lowered its key lending rate by 27 basis points to 6.66%.
Norway eases rates and collateral rules
Norges Bank lopped a further half point of its key rate on Wednesday and agreed to accept domestic bonds as collateral regardless of their credit rating.
ECB communicates well
European Central Bank's (ECB) monetary policy communication is clear in about 95% of cases, finds a new paper from the International Monetary Fund.
G7 statements aid currency management
The G3 currencies move in the direction intended by the G7's communiques, research from the European Central Bank (ECB) indicates.
Four reasons for Iceland's headache
Iceland's financial problems are a result of a non-viable business model, finds a new paper by Willem Buiter and Anne Sibert from the Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR).
Iceland hikes rates by 600bp to access IMF funds
The Central Bank of Iceland has raised rates by a staggering 600 basis points to 18% to meet the conditions of the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) $2.1 billion loan.