Inflation
Zambia converting debt into marketable securities
The Zambian government has converted part of its long term debt owed to the Bank of Zambia (BoZ) into short-to-medium term marketable government securities in a move to boost the central bank's scope for liquidity management in the economy, the Times of…
IMF paper on goal-independent central banks
The IMF Working Paper "Goal-independent central banks: Why politicians decide to delegate" develops a model which explains why the expected negative relationship between central bank independence and inflation is not empirically robust.
ECB's Papademos on monetary policy
In the speech 'Monetary policy in a changing world: Commitment, strategy and credibility' given on 1 December Lucas Papademos of the ECB said that the ECB's policy for fighting inflation had been proven successful in the period since Europe adopted a…
SA's Mboweni unconcerned about rand
The governor of the South African Reserve Bank, Tito Mboweni, is unperturbed by the level of the rand, but remains worried about rising debt levels and rampant consumer spending.
Brazil cuts rates by half a point
The Central Bank of Brazil lowered its benchmark lending rate by 50 basis points to 13.25 on Wednesday in the face of falling growth.
Core CPI still "uncomfortably high" - Bernanke
Fed chairman, Ben Bernanke, appeared to pour cold water on suggestions of an imminent cut in US interest rates in a speech in New York on 28 November.
RBA: Separating "signal" from "noise" in inflation
Estimating underlying inflation is crucial in monetary-policy making that uses "noisy" CPI data in forecasting. In a recent speech Tony Richards, head of economic analysis at the RBA, set out work the central bank has done in this area.
UK's Lomax: rate hike was inflation 'insurance'
Rachel Lomax, a deputy governor at the Bank of England suggested that successive interest rate hikes by the Bank this year were akin to "buying insurance" against possible inflation spikes.
Room for improvement in Riksbank's monetary policy
A parliamentary report into Sweden's monetary policy says that while the Riksbank compares favourably with other central banks in terms of monetary policy, the persistent undershooting of its inflation target in recent years means there is room for…
UK rates have peaked - OECD
British interest rates are likely to have hit their peak according to the OECD's latest Economic Report, released on 28 November.
Canada to research inflation target
Although the Bank of Canada's inflation target will remain at 2% for the next five years, the central bank has announced a major research project on the benefits of lowering the target.
Bank of Israel cuts rates again
The Bank of Israel lowered its benchmark lending rate by 25 basis points on 27 November. This second reduction in two months takes rates to 5%.
Mexico holds rates despite inflation spike
On 24 November, the Bank of Mexico held its benchmark lending rate at 7%, as expected, for a seventh straight month. The central bank also indicated that the recent increase in inflation would be temporary.
Euro entry unpredictable - Hungarian CB chief
The National Bank of Hungary believes it is no longer possible to say when the country will be ready to join the euro.
Lower growth, inflation forecast in US - survey
The rate of growth in US output over the next few quarters looks slower now than it did just three months ago, according to 51 forecasters surveyed by the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia.
Chicago Fed inflation conference report
The December 2006 "Chicago Fed Letter" summarises the findings of a conference hosted by the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago's Inflation Research Center on price stability.
New Thai governor on IT
In a speech called "Inflation targeting - a reflection on Thailand's experience," the newly-appointed governor of the Bank of Thailand, Tarisa Watanagase, cautioned that the framework should not be seen as a panacea.
Unplanned system trumps Bretton Woods - paper
According to this new NBER working paper by Andrew Rose, the current international monetary system of independent central banks targeting domestic inflation is more stable than the post-war Bretton Woods system of fixed exchange rates.
Warsh on financial markets and the Federal Reserve
In the speech 'Financial markets and the Federal Reserve' given on 21 November Kevin Warsh of the Federal Reserve said the U.S. economy is still at risk of higher inflation, although market signals point to a gradual receding of price gains.
Japan's economy to keep growing - minutes
The Bank of Japan reiterated plans to raise interest rates ``gradually,'' keeping pace with inflation and growth in the world's second-largest economy, minutes of a policy board meeting held last month showed Tuesday 21 November.
Chicago Fed's Moskow on the US economic outlook
In the speech 'U.S. economic outlook' given on 16 November Michael Moskow of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago said the risk of inflation in the US remaining too high, rather than a slowing economy, is the Federal Reserve's main concern.
BoE's King on inflation and the UK economy
In a speech given on 16 November Mervyn King of the Bank of England said inflation will likely rise further above its 2 percent target in the near term before falling back to meet it.
IMF's Rato says more rate rises may be needed
International Monetary Fund managing director Rodrigo de Rato said in an interview with Bloomberg on Friday 17 November that central banks may need to increase interest rates further to keep inflation under wraps, amid faster global economic growth.
SARB's Mboweni on supporting development
In the speech 'Joining hands in support of development' given on 14 November Tito Mboweni of the South African Reserve Bank said the SARB will remain resolute to keep inflation under control, and not hesitate to change monetary policy before Christmas if…