Interest rates
Israel cuts to record low, economy to shrink
The Bank of Israel slashed its key rate by 75 basis points to an all-time low of 1% on Monday and said that it now expected the economy to contract by 0.2% in 2009.
Vietnam slashes to meet growth target
The State Bank of Vietnam cut its base interest rate by 150 basis points to 7% on Friday, taking borrowing costs to half of the level they were last summer.
PM's adviser wants RBI to cut rates
Suresh Tendulkar, an economic adviser to the Indian prime minister, has said that the Reserve Bank of India should cut rates in the coming week.
Brazil slashes, signals further easing
The Central Bank of Brazil made its most aggressive cut in more than five years on Wednesday and hinted it would ease rates further in the coming months.
Malaysia slashes rates as exports flag
Bank Negara Malaysia surprised markets on Wednesday, slashing its key rate by 75 basis points to 2.5%.
Canada sees rates hit all-time low
The Bank of Canada cut its key rate to 1%, the lowest level in the central bank's 75-year history, on Tuesday and said that headline inflation would fall below zero later this year. However, the move was not enough to satisfy some in the markets who were…
Hungary cuts on fears of "sharp downturn"
The National Bank of Hungary on Monday lowered rates for the third time since the start of December on signs of a more severe-than-expected economic slowdown.
Turkey slashes to record low as growth slumps
The Central Bank of Turkey on Thursday chopped two percentage points off its benchmark rates, taking the measures to their lowest-ever levels.
ECB cuts, Trichet signals more could come
The European Central Bank (ECB) has chopped a half point off its key rate and indicated rates could reach a fresh low in the months to come. The news followed confirmation that eurozone inflation sank below the central bank's target in December.
Denmark slashes on back of ECB move
The National Bank of Denmark lopped three-quarters of a percentage point of its key rate on Thursday in response to the European Central Bank's (ECB) move.
Thailand slashes rates, cites demand and exports
The Bank of Thailand surprised markets on Wednesday by slashing rates for the second month in a row on further signs of a slowdown.
Taiwan - Annual Report 2007
The Central Bank of China (Taiwan) raised its discount rate four times during 2007 by a total of 62.5 basis points, the central bank's latest Annual Report reveals.
The monetary-policy lag and inflation targeting
Central banks and governments should set a relatively high inflation target when confronted with a long monetary-policy lag and a zero nominal bound for interest rates, research from the Bank of Canada posits.
Banco de la Republica, Colombia - minutes
The board of directors of the Banco de la Republica, Colombia decided unanimously to cut the intervention rate by a half a basis point to 9.50%, the minutes of the 19 December meeting show.
MPC minutes: Egypt
The Central Bank of Egypt's Monetary Policy Committee decided to keep rates unchanged at 11.5% owing to high inflation, the minutes of the meeting on 25 December explained.
India's central bank cuts again
The Reserve Bank of India cut rates by a percentage point for the second time in less than a month and eased deposit requirements for commercial banks in a bid to limit the impact of the financial crisis.
Polish policymaker flags half-point cut
Marian Noga, often portrayed as a hawk on the National Bank of Poland's ten-member rate-setting panel, said rates could be lowered by half a percentage point at the next meeting.
Co-movements highlight policy stance
Low-frequency co-movements between inflation and money growth, and short-term interest rates and money growth shed light on a central bank's monetary policy stance, states a paper from the Bank of England.
How to unblock the credit markets
Cutting interest rates is increasingly ineffective. Central banks need to create market-making windows, argues Ronald McKinnon
Forum: Tackling asset-price bubbles
Central Banking asked a select panel of former central bankers and advisors if the current crisis calls for a reevaluation of the policy response to asset prices
Pakistan lifts rates to stem crisis
The State Bank of Pakistan raised interest rates by 2% in an attempt to control inflation, which has spiralled to 25%.
Spain's Ordonez - monetary policy to blame
Miguel Fernandez Ordonez, the governor of the Bank of Spain, has blamed central banks' reluctance to raise rates in the wake of the dotcom crash as the principal cause of the current crisis.
BoE's Besley: rate cut won't save the day
A cut in bank rate, on its own, is not a magic bullet, said Timothy Besley, a member of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee.
Trichet hints at rate cut
Jean-Claude Trichet, the president of the European Central Bank (ECB), on Monday signalled the Governing Council would cut interest rates at its next meeting on 6 November.