Monetary Policy
ECB to weigh rate options - Gonzalez-Paramo
ECB executive board member Jose Manuel Gonzalez-Paramo said on Tuesday 25 April that the euro zone central bank will debate raising interest rates at its meeting next week, but nothing was fixed.
Bank of Canada raises interest rates
The Bank of Canada on Tuesday 25 April announced that it is raising its target for the overnight rate by one-quarter of one percentage point to 4 per cent.
ECB talk of normalising rates confirms slow pace
This article published on Monday 24 April suggests that a recent shift in ECB rhetoric to talk of normalising interest rates appears to confirm that the central bank has in mind a slow and steady course of rate hikes.
Comment: Transparent monetary policy
The "transparency revolution" in modern monetary policy is little over a decade old. Just recently, some commentators have started to ask whether this development can go too far. Although it certainly could in theory, it probably hasn't yet.
FOMC minutes suggest end to rate rises
According to the minutes of the Federal Reserve's meeting on 27-28 March released on Tuesday 18 April, policy-makers felt that the U.S. central bank was nearly finished raising interest rates, but remained worried about potential inflation risks.
Bank of England voted 7-1 to hold rates
Minutes released on Wednesday 19 April showed that the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee voted 7 to 1 at its meeting on April 6 to keep interest rates unchanged at 4.5 per cent.
BoJ minutes show govt urged zero rates
The Bank of Japan was urged by the government to keep interest rates at zero when it ended its ultra-easy monetary policy last month, but the BoJ noted the risks of policy becoming too accommodative, minutes released Friday 14 April showed.
Forget ECB rows and secret pacts, it's the data
According to this article published Wednesday 12 April, although conspiracy theories abound to explain why the European Central Bank has dampened expectations of a May interest rate rise, the answer is simple - hard economic data.
RBI seen taking a hard line on rates
According to this article published Thursday 13 April, the Reserve Bank of India's stand in January makes analysts believe it will keep its own counsel and raise rates again at its annual monetary statement on Tuesday.
Trichet leaves ECB's monetary moves in doubt
According to this article published on Friday 7 April, a burst of candor from European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet has left analysts reassessing the timetable for future ECB monetary policy moves. That reassessment may not have gone far…
Ingves on the inflation target and monetary policy
In the speech 'The inflation target and monetary policy' given on 4 April Stefan Ingves of the Sveriges Riksbank said there has been a gradual development in our reasoning on monetary policy.
Ex-BoJ's Taya sees one rate rise by year-end
The Bank of Japan is expected to raise interest rates once by the end of the year and twice in 2007, a former board member said on Thursday 6 April.
Trichet says markets misread ECB rate stance
European Central Bank president Jean-Claude Trichet said Thursday 6 April that eurozone governments need to use the current economic upturn to cut their budget deficits faster.
Canada's Duguay on the conduct of monetary policy
In the speech 'The conduct of monetary policy: Dealing with changes in the terms of trade' given on 4 April Pierre Duguay of the Bank of Canada said interest rates may need to rise to control inflation.
India's central bank is prudent, not miserly
According to this article published on Thursday 30 March, Reserve Bank of India governor Y.V. Reddy is perfectly capable of communicating to the market what he may or may not do, without the intervention of the finance minister.
MPC inaction undermines need for meetings
This article, published on Monday 3 April, looks at recent comments by a member of the Bank of England's MPC, for the first time, which publicly question the need for monthly meetings of the interest rate setting committee.
New BOK chief says policies should be timely
The new Bank of Korea governor emphasised at a weekend press briefing that 'timeliness' was vital in enforcing monetary policy.
PBOC says not right time to raise rates
China will not raise interest rates at this time, a central bank official said, according to a report from the Xinhua news agency on Monday 3 April.
Understanding Fed statement is like child's play
According to this article published on Wednesday 29 March, Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke didn't quite achieve his goal of full transparency in his first time at bat this week.
Comment: Exposed currencies cause jitters
The Central Bank of Iceland raised interest rates by 75 basis points last week. The central bank is concerned over the possibility of further declines in the Icelandic krona, which has fallen 12% against the US dollar this year.
Sweden's Rosenberg on monetary policy
In the speech 'Assessment of monetary policy' given on 30 March Irma Rosenberg of the Sveriges Riksbank said safeguarding confidence in the inflation target is of central importance for monetary policy.
McGauchie reappointed to RBA's board
Australian Treasurer Peter Costello on Thursday 30 March reappointed Telstra Corp. chairman Don McGauchie to the Reserve Bank of Australia's board for another five-year term.
BoE's Lomax questions MPC meetings
Bank of England deputy governor Rachel Lomax said in a speech in Oslo on Thursday 30 March that expectations for inflation have fallen and appear well anchored around the official target of 2.0 percent.
Singapore MAS may tighten further
Singapore's monetary policy may turn more aggressive in April to subdue growing inflationary pressures, according to this article published Friday 24 March. Some banks are adopting a hawkish view because recent increases in the consumer price index have…