Inflation
Swiss inflation soars to 15-year high
Inflation in Switzerland shot up to 2.9% in the year to May, its highest level since 1993, data published on Tuesday revealed.
Nigeria acts to counter likely inflationary surge
The Central Bank of Nigeria has raised rates and its cash requirement ratio on concerns that inflation could soar in the coming months.
Inflation target appropriate: Hungary's Simor
Andras Simor, the governor of the National Bank of Hungary, has defended the central bank's 3% inflation target in the face of political opposition.
Turkish inflation back in double digits
The Central Bank of Turkey looks set to hike rates again after inflation rocketed to 10.74% in the year to May, up from 9.25% the previous month.
SA Mboweni voices agflation fears
Agflation has serious implications for South Africa's poor and unemployed, Tito Mboweni, the governor of the country's Reserve Bank, stressed.
Traded range of Russian ruble to be widened
Sergei Ignatyev, the chairman of the Russian central bank, says the central bank will slowly widen the traded range of the ruble as the central bank moves to adopt inflation targeting.
Former RBA governor calls for inflation re-think
Bernie Fraser, a former governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA), says the central bank might have to re-think its use of interest rates to combat inflation if food and fuel prices continue to rise.
Mboweni on the crunch
Tito Mboweni, the governor of the South African Reserve Bank, said "the fact that we have not had to be concerned about liquidity and financial stability issues has allowed the Bank to continue focussing on its objective of bringing inflation back to…
IMF urges central bankers to hike rates
Policymakers would be better off reacting to the recent surge in commodity prices by raising rates, new research published by the International Monetary Fund states.
Fed minutes reveal some reluctance to cut rates
Most members of the Federal Open Market Committee viewed the decision to cut rates by a quarter point in April as a close call, the minutes of the meeting reveal.
Inflation targeting a dangerous fad, says Stiglitz
Joseph Stiglitz, the Nobel Prize-winning economist and Columbia University professor, has panned inflation targeting as a "fad" that could lead to economic disaster.
Discomfort over inflation led RBA to hold
Despite signs that domestic demand is weakening, Reserve Bank of Australia opted to leave rates at a 12-year high of 7.25% in May on the back of "uncomfortably high" inflation figures.
We must avoid the errors of the 70s: Trichet
Jean-Claude Trichet, the president of the European Central Bank (ECB), has warned that the world's central bankers risk a return to the dark days of the 1970s if they cut rates in the current climate.
Ghana raises rates by 175bp
The Bank of Ghana has hiked its benchmark interest rate to 16% on the back of soaring inflation.
Core inflation no better than other measures
New research published by the Philadelphia Federal Reserve dismisses claims that core inflation is a better predictor of total inflation.
Fed's Pianalto defines inflation
Sandra Pianalto, the president of the Cleveland Federal Reserve, has clarified the difference between relative-price pressures and inflation.
Issue of rising food prices needs reflection
The recent surge in food prices requires careful consideration not knee-jerk reactions, Norbert Walter, the chief economist for Deutsche Bank Group, notes.
Russia’s monetary dilemma
Time is running out for Russia to deal with its “problem of success”. There are three possible ways forward, writes Bill Allen
King readies pen as BoE predicts prices to soar
Mervyn King acknowledged on Wednesday that he would almost certainly need to write at least one letter to the British chancellor in the coming months explaining why inflation is more than a percentage point above the Bank of England's target.
Inflation surge surprises UK economists
Consumer price inflation in the UK soared to 3% in April, reducing the already-slim chances of a June rate cut to practically nil.
Probability of June rate cut falls on UK data
The chances of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) opting to cut rates next month looked slim after data out Monday showed producer price inflation (PPI) shot up in April.
Price instability demands attention: IMF's Lipsky
Central bankers must monitor the recent wave of inflation, which threatens to undermine prospects for restoring the favourable economic climate of recent years, John Lipsky, the International Monetary Fund's first deputy managing director, warned.
Turkey to review inflation target
The Central Bank of Turkey will consider revising its inflation target towards the end of this year, the minutes of its April rate-setting meeting show.
OECD inflation hits 3.5%
CPI inflation in the 30 member economies of the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) rose to 3.5% in the year to March, up from 3.4% the previous month.