Interest rates
Bank holds rates, halts asset purchases
Bank’s rate-setters stand pat, pointing to a clash of pressures between inflation and anaemic growth; ex-MPC members concur
Fed is best in crisis, says British think-tank
The Federal Reserve’s credit easing operations have fostered a quicker recovery than in the UK and eurozone, research finds
Norway puts rate rises on ice
Pause in exit strategy as recovery “takes hold”, inflation likely to fall
RBA surprises with rates freeze
Reserve Bank of Australia wrong-foots markets after three straight hikes, cites Chinese policy tightening
China must look to interest rates: OECD
Paris-based organisation calls on Chinese central bank to move interest rates rather than putting liquidity controls in place
No hikes if inflation stays below 8.5%: RBI
Indian central bank’s governor and deputy governors say hikes could dampen growth, key rates to stay flat unless inflation exceeds 8.5%
Fed could have done more: CEPR paper
A paper reviewing the Fed’s policy actions in the crisis finds that it could have pushed further, according to economic theory
Monthly report (January) – Bank of Japan
Bank of Japan sees upward pressure on corporate goods prices, increases in exports and production
RBI hints at tightening ahead of policy meet
Reserve Bank of India flags inflation as “major concern” on eve of rate vote
Kansas’s Hoenig dissents at FOMC meeting
Kansas Fed president Thomas Hoenig votes against action to keep promise of extremely accommodative policy
Services inflation must fall: Bank’s Sentance
BoE rate-setter Andrew Sentance says spike in goods inflation is increasing pressure for services inflation to be controlled
Iceland cuts by 50 bp as króna stands ground
Unexpected reduction leaves borrowing costs at 9.5%, central bank notes Icesave debacle failed to impact króna
SARB split over rate hold
Majority opt to hold rates at 7%, governor discusses inflation-targeting review
Timing is everything: RBI’s Subbarao on exit
RBI governor Duvvuri Subbarao stresses the need to support recovery while addressing soaring inflation a week ahead of next policy meeting
Denmark surprises with second cut in a week
National Bank of Denmark cuts key rate by a further ten basis points on Thursday in a bid to hold back krone
Greece must help itself: Trichet
Jean-Claude Trichet, the ECB’s president, says the debt-ravaged country must act firmly to save itself and cannot expect special treatment
Fed should hike to 3.5% soon: FOMC’s Hoenig
Thomas Hoenig, president of the Kansas Fed, says the central bank cannot afford to wait for recovery to firm before tightening
Denmark lops off 5 basis points to contain krone
National Bank of Denmark cuts its key rate to 1.15%, as the latest in a series of reductions since last August to halt krone appreciation
Korea holds amid concern over government influence
Bank of Korea leaves the cost of borrowing at 2% for 11th straight month; concern that presence of a minister at meetings will curtail independence
Turkish cuts beginning to ease credit markets
Central Bank of Turkey says loosening has started to produce improvements in financial sector
Romania cuts by half point
National Bank of Romania reduces key rate in bid to meet inflation target
Israeli rates rise as Fischer enforces third hike
Bank of Israel’s Stanley Fischer hikes prime rate to 1.25%
Botswana slashes a point off rates
Bank of Botswana cuts key rate to 10% - a record low
Jordan cuts by half a point
Central Bank of Jordan knocks 50 basis points off key rate as deflation strikes