Interest rates
Comment: Exposed currencies cause jitters
The Central Bank of Iceland raised interest rates by 75 basis points last week. The central bank is concerned over the possibility of further declines in the Icelandic krona, which has fallen 12% against the US dollar this year.
Tumpel-Gugerell on ECB, Italy & Eastern Europe
In the speech 'The European Central Bank, Italy and the integration of Eastern Europe' given on 31 March Gertrude Tumpel-Gugerell of the ECB said the ECB's track record of containing inflation means that it does not have to hike interest rates…
As rates rise, Asia's risky markets get riskier
The appetite for riskier Asian assets is strong, according to this article published Thursday 23 March, but rising interest rates raise the chance of investors dumping some of these assets and if sentiment turns suddenly, local markets could be…
Fed raises rates again
The Federal Open Market Committee decided Tuesday 28 March to raise its target for the federal funds rate by 25 basis points to 4-3/4 percent.
Comment: More of the same from Bernanke
The Fed completed its first monetary policy meeting under the chairmanship of Ben Bernanke on Tuesday 28 March. The 25 basis point increase - taking US rates to 4.75% - was a mere formality, but Fed watchers were preparing to pore over the accompanying…
Trichet praises ECB's courage on rates
European Central Bank president Jean-Claude Trichet said the ECB's "courageous" decision to maintain a low level of interest rates in recent years has meant a more marked slowdown in eurozone growth has been prevented and helped economic recovery.
Bank of England voted 8-1 to hold rates
Bank of England policymakers voted 8-1 to leave UK interest rates unchanged at their most recent meeting. Stephen Nickell remained the only member of the Monetary Policy Committee to vote for a cut in the cost of borrowing in March, the minutes released…
Trichet says no foregone decision on rates
Jean-Claude Trichet, president of the European Central Bank, said on Monday 20 March that its governing council had not already decided to continue with a series of monthly rate increases.
Bet on the Fed pausing at 5 percent
Federal Reserve officials seem more likely to pause in raising their target for the overnight lending rate when it reaches 5 percent than to push it up to 5.5 percent, according to this article published Wednesday 15 March.
Norges Bank increases interest rates by 0.25%
Norges Bank's Executive Board decided on Thursday 16 March to raise the sight deposit rate by 0.25 percentage point to 2.50 per cent with effect from 17 March.
SNB hikes rates as expected
The Swiss National Bank (SNB) raised interest rates by 25 basis points on Thursday 16 March, saying that the economy is gaining further momentum and is becoming increasingly broad-based.
Excess liquidity clinches case for ECB rate rises
According to this recent article, several factors, including a lack of dissenting voices on the ECB Governing Council, have persuaded financial markets in recent days that the ECB is heading faster than previously expected toward an interest rate of 3…
BoJ's Mizuno says rate hikes necessary - report
Atsushi Mizuno, a Bank of Japan policy board member, has said that raising interest rates is necessary to have some flexibility in managing monetary policy, Jiji Press reported.
RBNZ leaves OCR unchanged at 7.25 per cent
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand announced on Thursday 9 March that its Official Cash Rate (OCR) will remain on hold at 7.25 per cent.
Swedish Riksbank unanimous in rate hike decision
The Swedish Riksbank's board was unanimous in its 22 February decision to raise the repo rate by 0.25 pct to 2 pct, according to the minutes of the meeting published Wednesday.
Comment: Has the ECB become more credible?
A recent New York Fed staff paper finds that market perceptions of the ECB's "inflation aversion" have improved significantly over the last six years, reflecting the idea that monetary policy has been guided by a dedication to price stability.
Bank of Canada raises rates to 3.75%
The Bank of Canada announced Tuesday that it is raising its target for the overnight rate by one-quarter of one percentage point to 3 3/4 per cent.
ECB statements and interest rate predictability
The DNB Working Paper "Is a word to the wise indeed enough? ECB statements and the predictability of interest rate decisions" shows that comments by euro area central bankers contain information on future ECB interest rate decisions, but that the…
ECB raises rates, says more rises are possible
The European Central Bank raised its benchmark interest rate on Thursday 2 March for the second time in three months and suggested more hikes are possible as economic growth and inflation accelerate.
Sweden's Riksbank raises interest rates
Sweden's Riksbank raised its interest rate, the repo rate, by 0.25 percentage points to 2% on Thursday 23 February.
BoE voted 8-1 to hold rates
The Bank of England's policy-making Monetary Policy Committee voted 8-1 to keep UK interest rates unchanged this month, with Stephen Nickell again as the sole member calling for a reduction.
Fed can't rule out more rate rises
Minutes from the Federal Reserve's 31 January FOMC meeting released on Tuesday 21 February showed Fed officials felt a 14th straight increase in interest rates last month put borrowing costs near where they needed to be, but they could not rule out more…
Garganas says eurozone inflation risks increased
Greek central bank governor Nicholas Garganas said on Friday 17 February that since December's hike in eurozone interest rates, inflation pressures have increased, partly due to rising oil prices.
Buba's Weber says inflation risks remain
Bundesbank president Axel Weber told a conference on Monday 20 February that inflation risks still exist in the eurozone and a forward-looking monetary policy is needed to counter these risks at an early stage.