Interest rates
South African inflation rampant despite rate hikes
Two 50 basis point rate hikes have failed to dampen rising inflation in South Africa, new statistics showed on Wednesday.
Poland hikes rates to combat inflation
The National Bank of Poland's rate-setting board voted on Wednesday to raise the benchmark reference rate by 25 basis points to 5% after inflation rose above the central bank's target in October.
Uncertainty clouds outlook for rates in Norway
Svein Gjedrem, the governor of the Bank of Norway, said on Wednesday that the central bank's interest rate decisions may diverge from the forecasted rate path because of the heightened uncertainty caused by the global financial turmoil.
Mexico holds rates at 7.5%
The Bank of Mexico's rate-setting board voted on Friday to hold its benchmark rate at 7.5%.
Israel holds rates at 4%
The Bank of Israel's rate-setting board voted on Monday to keep rates at 4% for the third consecutive month.
Subprime losses could mount to $300 billion
US housing market losses are likely to be in the region of $200 billion to $300 billion, a report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) finds.
Poor data raises chances of UK rate cut
Worse-than-expected growth and woeful housing statistics have increased the likelihood that the Bank of England will move to cut rates next month.
Markets certain on rate cut despite Fed's stance
In spite of repeated claims by Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) members that the risks between inflation and growth are now balanced, interest rate futures traders believed on Wednesday that a December cut is more likely than ever.
Canada's Duguay raises chances of liquidity shift
Fresh suspicions that the Bank of Canada may alter its liquidity provisions by lending for longer periods arose on Tuesday after a speech by Pierre Duguay, a deputy governor of the central bank.
Japan's Nakamura expects further US housing woe
Seiji Nakamura, a member of the Bank of Japan's rate-setting board, has said that the chances of economic slowdown in the United States are rising as the subprime market slumps further.
Hoenig: US economy will "weather this storm"
Thomas Hoenig, the president of the Kansas City Federal Reserve and the only member of the Federal Open Market Committee to vote against the 31 October rate cut, said that he thought the effects of the credit crunch were unlikely to spread very far.
UK's Gieve surprises with rate cut vote
Sir John Gieve, the deputy governor at the Bank of England responsible for financial stability, was one of two dissenters who voted for a rate cut at the monetary policy committee's November meeting, minutes published on Wednesday reveal.
Koruna's rise presents mixed blessing
Ludek Niedermayer, a vice governor of the Czech National Bank, parried calls for the central bank to act on the appreciation of the koruna and said that the increase in the currency's value made euro accession more favourable.
The trip to transparency
The Fed's decision to increase the frequency and volume of its economic projections is another welcome step towards transparency under Ben Bernanke's stewardship. But it still has a way to go before catching up to the other major central banks, says…
Subprime limited Japanese monetary expansion
The Bank of Japan could have hiked rates if the United States subprime market had not crashed, said Yasuhisa Shiozaki, the chief cabinet secretary under Shinzo Abe, the former prime minister who resigned in September.
Taylor inertia conundrum solved?
Inertia in the Taylor rules on interest rates could be down to inertia in the economy itself, argues research published by the Centre for Economic Policy Research.
Simple rate rules deemed most effective
Simple interest rate rules which include a response to money growth outperform both Taylor-type rules and speed limit policies once real-time output gap uncertainty is accounted for, research published by the Bundesbank finds.
Sweden on course to hit 2% target - Ingves
Swedish inflation should be in line with the Riksbank's 2% target in two years time, says Stefan Ingves, the governor of the central bank.
US subprime conditions set to worsen - Kroszner
Randall Kroszner, a governor of the Federal Reserve, warned on Friday that conditions in the US mortgage market had yet to reach rock bottom. Speaking in New York, Kroszner said that there were two reasons why he believed market conditions would worsen:…
Japanese minutes reveal upbeat forecast
The minutes for the Bank of Japan's monetary policy committee meeting on 10 and 11 October present a positive outlook for the country's economy.
Philippines cuts rates to 15-year low
The Central Bank of the Philippines's rate-setting board voted on Thursday to lower its benchmark key policy rate to 5.5%, the lowest level for 15 years.
Turkey votes for another 50bp cut
The Central Bank of Turkey's rate-setting committee cut the benchmark overnight borrowing rate by half a percentage point to 16.25% on Wednesday.
Spain's Ordoez upbeat on eurozone growth
Sound fundamentals and robust global growth should support relatively favourable medium-term economic conditions in the eurozone, says Miguel Fernandez Ordoez, the governor of the Bank of Spain.
We're half-way to normal, says UK's King
Presenting the Bank of England's Inflation Report for November, Mervyn King, the governor of the Bank, said that key indicators of stress in financial markets had recovered partly from the levels reached in August and September but that the situation was…