Interest rates
Serbia's Jelasic: microfinance struggling
The microfinance sector has been hit hard by the crisis, said Radovan Jelasic, the governor of the National Bank of Serbia.
Iceland dismisses IMF advice and cuts
The Central Bank of Iceland's rate-setting board cut its key rate by a percentage point on Thursday despite the International Monetary Fund (IMF) last week supporting a "firm" monetary stance.
Debt discharge no guarantee for a clean start
Debt discharges fail to generate a fresh start as intended by the law, new research from the Federal Reserve Board posits.
Strong policy responses shorten crises
Strong policy responses have a marked impact on the duration of crises, a new study from the International Monetary Fund posits.
Should monetary policy lean or clean: a reassessment
The current turmoil has undermined the view that central banks can deal with bubbles and imbalances after they burst, argues William White
Egypt narrows rate corridor with cuts
The Central Bank of Egypt narrowed its rate corridor and loosened monetary policy in a bid to foster credit growth.
Latvia cuts to 4%
The Bank of Latvia cut its key rate by a full percentage point on Thursday in a bid to limit the scale of its economic contraction.
Russia cuts for second time in a month
The Central Bank of Russia chopped a half point off its key rate on Wednesday, little more than a fortnight after its last cut.
BoJ rate minutes: 7 April decision unanimous
Minutes of the 7 April monetary-policy meeting at the Bank of Japan, published on 8 May, show that the council unanimously supported the decision to leave the target rate at 0.1%.
India ex-finance minister calls for "massive" cuts
A former Indian finance minister has called on the Reserve Bank of India to cut rates drastically in order to buoy the country's flagging economy.
Canada's Carney stresses policy flexibility
The Bank of Canada retains considerable monetary-policy flexibility despite rates being near the zero bound, said Mark Carney, the governor of the central bank.
Norway cuts to a record low
Norges Bank on Wednesday cut its key rate by half a point to an all-time low of 1.5% on signs that the global recession was having an adverse impact on the domestic economy.
SA expected to continue easing after 100bps
The South African Reserve Bank acted in line with market expectations on Thursday by cutting 100 basis points off its main rate - a move which it is now forecast to repeat in May after the governor signalled the economy was in recession.
ECB council members signal May cut
Two of the members of the European Central Bank's (ECB) Governing Council have signalled that the central bank will cut again next month and may introduce further measures to soothe credit conditions.
Philippines' Tetangco mindful of inflation
Monetary policy in 2009 will continue to pursue prudent rate movements mindful of price stability as the primary mandate, Amando Tentangco, the governor of the Central Bank of the Philippines, has said.
Sweden cuts rates to record 0.5%
The Riksbank cut its benchmark interest rate by half a percentage point to an all-time low of 0.5% on 21 April.
Mexico cuts despite above-target inflation
The Bank of Mexico cited its growing concern about the extent of the slowdown in the national economy as the reasons for a deeper than anticipated cut in interest rates last Friday.
A new method for evaluating risk aversion
Researchers from the European Central Bank have uncovered a new method of extracting time-varying risk aversion from asset prices.
Bank of England holds on quantitative easing
The Bank of England has opted to wait and see what impact its quantitative easing programme is having before pledging a further boost to the money supply.
ECB's policy rule does not fit all
Euro policy rates best fit the largest eurozone members, research from the Bank of Finland posits.
We won't let banks fail - Nigeria's Soludo
Chukwuma Soludo, the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, said on Monday that the central bank will not allow any of the domestic banks to fail.
Inflation in new EU10 driven by common factors
A major part of inflation in the ten new European Union (EU) member countries is driven by common factors, a new paper from the International Monetary Funds reveals.
South Africa cuts by 100 basis points
The South African Reserve Bank chopped 100 basis points off its key rate for the second month in a row on Tuesday.
Monetary policy can affect relative prices
Monetary policy can affect relative prices in the economy, a new paper from the Bank of England posits.