Interest rates
Ireland's Hurley on ECB interest rates
The Governor of the Central Bank of Ireland, John Hurley, has told the Irish Financial Markets Association (FMA) that the ECB is monitoring the interest-rate situation very closely.
Hungary's central bank cuts base rate to 12.25%
The Monetary Council of Hungary's national bank (MNB) cut its base rate by 25 bp to 12.25% at its Monday meeting. The MNB said as a result of improving external and internal economic developments, the conditions for meeting the end-2005 inflation target…
Minutes show Fed wanted increased flexibility
The FOMC was unanimous at their January meeting that they should ditch a pledge to keep interest rates low for "a considerable period" in favour of wording that would increase their flexibility, minutes showed Thursday.
Bank of England MPC Minutes 3/4 March
Minutes of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee Meeting were released on 17 March for the meeting of 3 and 4 March 2004. All nine members of the MPC voted to keep interest rates steady earlier this month, but their arguments may suggest…
Federal Reserve maintains its patience
The Federal Open Market Committee decided on Tuesday 16 March to keep its target for the federal funds rate at 1 per cent, repeating that it can be "patient in removing its policy accommodation".
Fed policy: steady as she goes
Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan and his colleagues were predicted to keep interest rates stable on Tuesday 16 March as data showed further jobless recovery.
Cleveland Fed's Pianalto on interest rates
In a speech on 'A National Voice, A Regional View' given on 5 March, Sandra Pianalto of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland said she can't say when interest rates are going to rise but added, "I know that this is a difficult time we are facing," and…
Bank of Canada cuts rates by quarter point
The Bank of Canada announced on Tuesday 2 March that it is lowering its target for the overnight rate by one-quarter of one percentage point to 2 1/4 per cent.
Poland's Monetary Policy Council hold rates
Poland's Monetary Policy Council kept interest rates on hold on Wednesday 25 February . The decision was expected due to the recently completed council changeover, but the council suggested rates were more likely to rise than fall.
BOJ's Iwata: Inflation at 1-2% would be stable
Deputy Governor of the bank of Japan Kazumasa Iwata said in an interview that the BOJ will probably keep interest rates near zero until consumer prices rise about 1 to 2 per cent.
Gjedrem says further rate cuts possible
Giving his annual "state of the economy" speech on Thursday 19 February, Norges Bank Chief Svein Gjedrem said he did not exclude the possibility of even further interest cuts this year.
Padoa-Schioppa: Lower rates would not boost growth
ECB executive board member Tommaso Padoa-Schioppa was quoted in an interview as saying that the central bank's current monetary policy can't be blamed for slow growth in the eurozone and lower interest rates are not the answer.
Bank of England raises rates to 4%
The Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee voted on Thursday 5 February to raise the Bank's repo rate by 0.25 percentage points. In a statement the MPC highlighted the 'more broadly based' world economic recovery but judged the change was need to…
ECB press conference with questions and answers
At the ECB's press conference on Thursday 5 February, after leaving eurozone interest rates on hold, Jean-Claude Trichet said he saw no need to amend the European Stability and Growth Pact and that the bank would not rush into any decision that impacted…
RBA holds rates unchanged
The Reserve Bank of Australia left interest rates unchanged on Wednesday 4 February, pausing after two increases in November and December.
Strong euro does not require rate cut - Buba
According to Hermann Remsperger, the Bundesbank's chief economist, the ECB does not need to cut eurozone interest rates to stimulate domestic demand. The ECB's rate-setting Governing Council is due to meet on Thursday 5 February.
FOMC holds rates, says 'it can be patient'
The Federal Open Market Committee decided on Wednesday 28 January to keep its target for the federal funds rate at 1 percent. The FOMC stated that it believed "it can be patient in removing its policy accommodation".
RBNZ raises rates citing 'impressive' growth
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand increased interest rates on Thursday 29 January, citing the pressure on resources including the labour market after two years of "impressive" growth. The bank raised the official cash rate 25 basis points to 5.25 per cent.
RBI faces tough issues to resolve the 'trilemma'
This article looks at a school of thought which believes that the Reserve Bank of India has failed to find out an inflexion point for short-term rates. The result, it says, is an unabated inflow of capital and excess of rupee-liquidity in the inter-bank…
Bank of Canada lowers rate target to 2.5%
The Bank of Canada announced on Tuesday 20 January that it is lowering its target for the overnight rate by one-quarter of one percentage point to 2 1/2 per cent.
Dollar not hurting US economy- Atlanta's Guynn
Atlanta Federal Reserve President Jack Guynn said on Thursday 15 January that the US dollar's decline had been controlled and was not hitting the American economy.
ECB press conference with questions and answers
Speaking on Thursday 8 January, ECB president Jean-Claude Trichet said that available indicators point to an ongoing economic recovery in the euro area and that the assessment has not fundamentally changed but he said the ECB did not like excess…
ECB maintains eurozone rates at 2%
The European Central Bank left interest rates unchanged on Thursday 8 January as widely expected, defying calls that cheaper money is needed to prevent a strong euro from hurting economic recovery.
Zimbabwe to announce new monetary policy
The new governor of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, Gideon Gono, is due to announce a new monetary policy on Thursday 18 December, according to all Africa News. Economists say he has two options: one being to leave the situation to find its own levels or…