Interest rates
RBA raises interest rates 0.25%
The Reserve Bank of Australia raised interest rates to a 5-year high of 5.75% on Wednesday 3 May. "The Board judged at its May meeting that inflationary risks had increased sufficiently to warrant an increase in the cash rate," RBA governor Ian…
Too early to declare end of deflation - Koizumi
Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi told reporters on Tuesday 2 May that it's too early to declare an end to deflation in Japan.
Fed's pause may send Asian currencies higher
With Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke signalling a pause in U.S. interest-rate increases, the spotlight is once again on Asia, according to this article published on Tuesday 2 May.
ECB paper on interest rates and exchange rates
The ECB Working Paper "How does information affect the comovement between interest rates and exchange rates?" compares the link between exchange rates and interest rates under full information and two alternative asymmetric information approaches.
Markets misunderstand testimony says Bernanke
Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke believes that the media and the markets have misinterpreted his words last week as a signal that the Fed would stop after one more rate hike, according to CNBC anchor Maria Bartiromo on Monday 1 May.
China's economy 'overheating a little bit'
People's Bank of China governor Zhou Xiaochuan said on Friday 28 April that the increase in the official Chinese benchmark lending rate is intended to rein in growth as the economy is "overheating a little bit".
ECB's Garganas says more rate hikes possible
European Central Bank Governing Council member Nicholas Garganas said on Thursday 27 April that more interest rate rises are probably on the way, with the timing dependant on economic growth and inflation developments.
RBNZ leaves OCR unchanged at 7.25 per cent
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand announced on Thursday 27 April that the Official Cash Rate (OCR) will remain at 7.25 per cent.
China surprises with interest rate rise
The People's Bank of China raised its benchmark interest rate on Thursday 27 April in an unexpected move.
Bank of Canada raises interest rates
The Bank of Canada on Tuesday 25 April announced that it is raising its target for the overnight rate by one-quarter of one percentage point to 4 per cent.
ECB talk of normalising rates confirms slow pace
This article published on Monday 24 April suggests that a recent shift in ECB rhetoric to talk of normalising interest rates appears to confirm that the central bank has in mind a slow and steady course of rate hikes.
Issing: Inflation forecasts may rise with oil
European Central Bank chief economist Otmar Issing said in an interview that the ECB may have to revise its inflation forecasts upwards after the latest increase in oil prices.
BoJ's Muto says rate shift depends on data
Bank of Japan Deputy Governor Toshiro Muto said Thursday 20 April that the central bank will decide on when to end its zero rate policy by analysing various economic data.
FOMC minutes suggest end to rate rises
According to the minutes of the Federal Reserve's meeting on 27-28 March released on Tuesday 18 April, policy-makers felt that the U.S. central bank was nearly finished raising interest rates, but remained worried about potential inflation risks.
Bank of England voted 7-1 to hold rates
Minutes released on Wednesday 19 April showed that the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee voted 7 to 1 at its meeting on April 6 to keep interest rates unchanged at 4.5 per cent.
Fed comments and data point to one more increase
According to this article published on Tuesday 18 April, recent comments from Federal Reserve officials and the latest economic data continue to suggest that the cycle of US interest rate increases will come to an end next month.
BoJ minutes show govt urged zero rates
The Bank of Japan was urged by the government to keep interest rates at zero when it ended its ultra-easy monetary policy last month, but the BoJ noted the risks of policy becoming too accommodative, minutes released Friday 14 April showed.
Philippines doesn't rule out rate hikes
The Philippines central bank isn't ready to stop increasing interest rates even though inflation has started to show an encouraging moderation, a central bank official told Dow Jones Newswires in an interview published on Wednesday 12 April.
BoJ's Fukui watching long-term rates closely
Bank of Japan governor Toshihiko Fukui voiced concern over rising long-term interest rates on Wednesday 12 April as data showed further evidence of a solid economic recovery.
Liebscher hints at ECB rate rise
European Central Bank council member Klaus Liebscher signalled in an interview published Monday 10 April that the euro zone central bank may raise interest rates in June to curb inflation.
Perspectives on low global interest rates
This IMF Working Paper, published March 2006, looks at the dramatic decline in global real interest rates in recent years from a historical perspective and examines the various factors that may account for this trend.
RBNZ report on supplementary tools
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand and the Treasury on Thursday 6 April released a joint report on possible additional instruments to supplement the role of interest rates in managing demand pressures and inflation.
Ex-BoJ's Taya sees one rate rise by year-end
The Bank of Japan is expected to raise interest rates once by the end of the year and twice in 2007, a former board member said on Thursday 6 April.
PBOC says not right time to raise rates
China will not raise interest rates at this time, a central bank official said, according to a report from the Xinhua news agency on Monday 3 April.