Interest rates
Fed can see an end to interest rate increases
Federal Reserve officials may be close to ending the series of interest-rate increases they started 18 months ago, according to this article published on Wednesday 4 January, though they will keep going as long as necessary to combat inflation, it says.
ECB's Quaden says rates supportive
Eurozone interest rates of 2.25 percent are still supportive of economic growth, European Central Bank Governing Council member Guy Quaden told Belgian magazine Tendances Trends on Thursday 29 December.
Trichet defends ECB's rate rise
European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet told Der Spiegel magazine that the ECB's recent decision to increase interest rates would increase confidence and encourage investment in the eurozone.
Fed breaks pattern, signals replace promises
According to this recent article, the Federal Reserve's latest FOMC statement marks the end to an extraordinary 18-month period during which they telegraphed exactly what they were going to do at their next policy-making meeting.
Bank of England voted 8-1 to hold rates
Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee members voted 8- 1 to keep interest rates unchanged this month, the first split vote since August, minutes released on Wednesday 21 December showed.
Why I decided to vote against the governor: Bean
In this article published on Sunday 18 December, Bank of England Chief Economist and MPC member Charlie Bean said that he has no regrets about voting against the governor to cut interest rates and says that we may not have to wait until spring for the…
ECB's Trichet on European financial integration
In the speech 'European financial integration' given on 16 December Jean-Claude Trichet of the ECB said a lack of integration in eurozone mortgage markets may affect the impact that ECB rate decisions have in different countries.
Garganas says ECB will act on rates if needed
The European Central Bank will raise interest rates in the future if December's hike isn't enough to keep inflation subdued, Bank of Greece governor and ECB Governing Council member Nicholas Garganas said Monday 19 December.
Interview with ECB's Trichet
In comments published Thursday 15 December, European Central Bank president Jean-Claude Trichet said there is an essential difference between the ECB's Governing Council and well-respected figures, such as Jean-Claude Juncker and Thierry Breton, who have…
Bell calls Bank of England forecasts 'ambitious'
Former Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee member Marian Bell said in an interview that the central bank's forecasts for economic growth are "ambitious" and that if she was still on the MPC she would consider cutting rates.
Trichet: ECB must act before inflation develops
European Central Bank president Jean-Claude Trichet said in an interview the ECB must not wait for inflation to develop before taking action against it.
Fed raises rates, tweaks statement
The Federal Open Market Committee decided on Tuesday 13 December to raise its target for the federal funds rate by 25 basis points to 4-1/4 percent. In its statement the FOMC removed the term 'policy accommondation' but suggested rates could rise further…
Word junkies get ready for a fix from the Fed
According to this article published on Monday 12 December, while there is little doubt the Fed will raise the funds rate by another 25 basis points to 4.25 percent on Tuesday, the main issue is the language of the statement.
Fed may remove 'accommodation' phrase
The Federal Reserve may say monetary policy is no longer stimulating the economy after it is expected to raise interest rates Tuesday 13 December for the 13th time, according to over half of Wall Street's largest bond trading firms surveyed by Bloomberg.
The ECB's path that was not taken
The ECB risks painting itself into a corner following its recent interest-rate hike, according to this article published on Monday 12 December. The move implies more increases will follow, it says, and that will cost the Eurozone economies heavily.
ECB's Liebscher sees no more hikes 'at the moment'
ECB Governing Council member Klaus Liebscher said in a media interview that the eurozone central bank is not planning any further rate rises for now but will keep a close watch on new economic data.
Quaden notes rates favour euro zone growth
European Central Bank council member Guy Quaden told Belgian TV that the ECB's benchmark rate can still foster economic growth and that policy makers haven't decided whether to add to this month's increase in rates.
ECB's Liikanen says rates support growth
European Central Bank Governing Council member Erkki Liikanen said on Monday 12 December that eurozone interest rates are low and support growth.
ECB's Bini Smaghi on economic forecasting
In the speech 'Economic forecasting and monetary policy' given on 8 December Lorenzo Bini Smaghi of the ECB hinted that further interest rate increases may be on the way for the euro zone.
IMF chief economist sees further US rate hikes
The International Monetary Fund's chief economist, Raghuram Rajan, predicted on Friday 9 December that the Federal Reserve would probably continue to raise interest rates.
Greece's Garganas: ECB won't follow Fed rate rises
The European Central Bank won't follow the US Federal Reserve's practise of continuous interest rate hikes, Bank of Greece governor and ECB Governing Council member Nicholas Garganas said Friday 9 December.
ECB Monthly Bulletin, December 2005
The European Central Bank published its December 2005 Monthly Bulletin on Thursday 8 December. In the report the ECB defended its decision to raise its key interest rate by a quarter of a percentage point earlier this month, saying that the move was…
RBNZ Monetary Policy Statement, December 2005
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand published its December 2005 Monetary Policy Statement on 8 December. It also announced that the OCR will increase by 25 basis points to 7.25 per cent. The report said the RBNZ remains concerned about the tightness of…
Mersch says ECB ready to act when necessary
The European Central Bank has not determined what or when its next move will be, but would act if it felt the need to raise rates again, ECB Governing Council member Yves Mersch told a German newspaper.