Interest rates
December FOMC saw monetary policy well positioned
Federal Reserve policymakers believed they had already laid a foundation for a pickup in U.S. economic growth when they decided in December to hold interest rates steady, FOMC minutes released on Thursday showed.
Does the Beige Book move financial markets?
RESEARCH - In the Atlanta Fed Working Paper 'Does the Beige Book Move Financial Markets?' the authors examine whether the descriptive content of the Beige Book affects asset prices. Their results indicate that more positive Beige Book reports on economic…
Beijing signals ease of controls on interest rates
China's new central bank governor will loosen controls on interest rates further by widening the band on lending rates and experimenting with floating deposit rates in more areas, state media said Monday.
Klein leaves February's interest rates unchanged
Bank of Israel Governor David Klein decided Monday to leave the central bank's key lending rate unchanged for the month of February, and interest rates will stand at 8.9%.
Dodge on the Monetary Policy Report Update
SPEECH - In his opening statement on the release of the Bank of Canada's Monetary Policy Report Update David Dodge suggested Canadian interest rates would need to rise to return inflation to the 2 per cent target over the medium term.
RBNZ Bollard says rates may fall as currency rises
New Zealand's central bank chief Alan Bollard said on Thursday he may cut interest rates this year because a rising New Zealand dollar is slowing consumer spending and inflation.
Norges Bank Press Release
PRESS RELEASE - Norges Bank reduces interest rates, 22 January.
Norges Bank reduces interest rates again
Norway's central bank cut its key interest rates by 50 basis points as expected on Wednesday and signalled more cuts were likely to dampen the effects of a global downturn on the oil-backed economy.
Bank of England Press Release
PRESS RELEASE - Bank of England Maintains Interest Rates at 4.0%, 9 January.
Eurozone interest rates held steady at 2.75%
The European Central Bank on Thursday left interest rates in the eurozone unchanged following a half-point cut in December, despite a series of data which have suggested stuttering growth in the 12-nation bloc.
ECB must act now
ARTICLE - The article says the ECB must continue to ease interest rates soon to further boost the flagging eurozone economy as the possibility of deflation in Germany is a greater danger than inflation.
Garganas calls for ECB to change its rules
The eurozone's policy framework suffered a further blow when a leading central banker called for a key change in the way interest rates are set. The criticism comes after the ECB was forced to defend the stability and growth pact. However this time the…
ECB's Liebscher: Rates appropriate, econ improving
Austrian National Bank Governor and European Central Bank governing council member Klaus Liebscher said interest rates are appropriate for the medium term, although they could still be lowered if need be. In an interview he also defended the ECB's two…
Bank of England Inflation Attitudes Survey, Nov 02
REPORT - The Bank of England's November 2002 quarterly Inflation Attitudes Survey was published on 16 December. The survey measures public attitudes to inflation in the UK. The latest survey shows 56% of respondents think the 2.5% inflation target is…
Crockett - Institutions for stability
SPEECH - In the speech 'Institutions for stability - current and past experience' Andrew Crockett of the BIS said the nature of international financial crises has been changing over time. Nowadays the most troublesome issues occur when a crisis of…
Minutes show Fed worried over deflation
The Federal Reserve cut interest rates last month as extra insurance against deflation and the chance that the economy's stumble this summer could become something worse, according to Fed meeting minutes released on Thursday.
ECB Monthly Bulletin, December 2002
REPORT - The European Central Bank published its December 2002 Monthly Bulletin on 12 December. In the report the ECB says the decision of its Governing Council to reduce interest rates last week reflected their assessment that the evidence has increased…
Federal Reserve leaves interest rates unchanged
As expected the Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged on Tuesday at the FOMC's last meeting of 2002. The press release said the risks are balanced with respect to the prospects for both goals (price stability and sustainable economic growth) for…
Growth fears push Norway to cut interest rates
Norway's central bank surprised economists and cut interest rates on Wednesday as growth concerns outweighed stubborn wage inflation. Business leaders had called for a cut to kickstart the economy. The Bank's accompanying press release appeared to…
Thinking about life after Greenspan
ARTICLE - America's interest rates came under the spotlight again on December 10th, when the Federal Reserve met for the last time this year. At the Fed, as well as at the Treasury department, attention is turning to regime change. This article…
Monitoring the European Central Bank - Update
RESEARCH - Surviving the Slowdown, Monitoring the European Central Bank Update No. 4, December 2002, authors include David Begg and Paul De Grauwe. MECB 4 describes the challenge for monetary policy and assesses the ECB response. Interest rates fell much…
ECB chief says euro zone inflation risks falling
Duisenberg's comments on Tuesday, in testimony to the European parliament, seem to strengthen feeling that the ECB will cut interest rates when it meets on Thursday. The futures market seems certain of at least a quarter point cut with a fifty per cent…
Issing: ECB not satisfied with inflation rate
European Central Bank Chief Economist Otmar Issing Monday attempted to debunk talk of deflationary risks in the euro zone, indicating that stagflation is actually a bigger risk for the region. The ECB's Governing Council meets this week and is widely…
Welteke suggests ECB rates may be cut soon
A member of the European Central Bank's governing council suggested in comments published Friday that the bank could cut interest rates by as much as half a percentage point next week, more than a year after it last made a change.