Monetary policy
Rate talk inappropriate: Japan's Shirakawa
Masaaki Shirakawa, the governor of the Bank of Japan, on Monday confirmed the central bank has abandoned trying to raise rates for the time being because of the uncertainty surrounding the economic outlook.
China hikes reserve ratio again
The People's Bank of China raised its reserve requirement ratio for the fourth time this year after producer price inflation soared 10.2% year-on-year in the first quarter.
ECB and BoE leave rates unchanged
As was widely expected, both the European Central Bank (ECB) and the Bank of England left rates on hold on Thursday.
Japan lowers growth forecast
The Bank of Japan has chopped more than half a point off its growth estimate for 2008 and warned that in a highly uncertain climate, downside risks to the economy could further limit expansion.
Mauritius calls special meeting
The Bank of Mauritius will hold a special Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting on 2 May, the central bank said on Tuesday.
BoE must remain focused on inflation
Monetary policy in the UK ought to remain focused on achieving price stability as defined by the inflation target, Tim Besley, a member of the Bank of England's rate-setting committee, has said.
Chief economist underlines BoE's "tricky" task
The juxtaposition of the recent shocks to both inflation and growth makes the task of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee particularly tricky, Charlie Bean, the Bank's chief economist, noted.
RBI hikes reserve ratio on back of price fears
The Reserve Bank of India has taken emergency steps to tackle burgeoning inflation just 12 days before its scheduled monetary policy meeting.
Policy stance remains appropriate: BoJ minutes
Japanese policymakers remain keen to raise rates in spite of a slowdown in the world's second-largest economy, minutes of the March Monetary Policy Council meeting reveal.
Tucker: BoE to only partly offset the credit blow
The Bank of England should cut rates gradually to avoid inflation, said Paul Tucker, the Bank's executive director responsible for markets and member of the Monetary Policy Committee.
Nigeria raises rates 50bp, flags further hikes
Nigeria's central bank raised rates to 10% and warned that policy would need to tighten in the future with "huge fiscal injections" expected.
BoE's Tucker gets second term on MPC
Paul Tucker, the executive director for markets at the Bank of England, is to serve a further three-year term on the Monetary Policy Committee.
Sentance warns of slowdown
Andrew Sentance, a member of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee, has warned of the possibility of a "more significant and sustained" slowdown than those of the recent past.
Chances of big cut diminish on Bernanke testimony
Market predictions of another cut to the federal funds rate of at least 50 basis points looked far from certain, following comments from Ben Bernanke, the chairman of the Federal Reserve.
BoE makes expected rate cut
The Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee cut rates to 5.25%, as widely expected.
Bank of England's King to get second term
Mervyn King has been granted a further five-year term as the governor of the Bank of England.
Basel II's procyclical costs
By increasing capital requirements during economic downturns, Basel II will offset improvements in monetary policy trade-offs caused by countercyclical variations, research published by the Bank of Finland finds.
UK rates "restrictive", says dovish Blanchflower
David Blanchflower, the only member of the Bank of England's nine-strong monetary policy committee (MPC) to back a rate cut earlier this month, has said monetary easing is vital to avoid a recession.
UK MPC voted 8 - 1 in favour of rate hold
David Blanchflower was the only member of the nine-strong Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee to object to the decision earlier this month to hold rates at 5.5%, opting instead for a 25 basis point cut.
British MPC faces tough choices warns deputy Gieve
The Bank of England's monetary policy committee (MPC) faces difficult decisions in the months ahead because of the dual threat of slowing growth and rising inflation, said Sir John Gieve, the deputy governor responsible for financial stability.
Stability not gradualism has influenced UK MPC
The relative paucity of rate changes at the Bank of England since the institution became independent in 1997 is down to the increased stability of inflation and output growth, rather than a rise in the degree of gradualism, research published by the Bank…
UK rates held at 5.5%
The Bank of England's monetary policy committee (MPC) on Thursday voted to keep the benchmark bank rate at 5.5%.
India's central bank cuts again
The Reserve Bank of India cut rates by a percentage point for the second time in less than a month and eased deposit requirements for commercial banks in a bid to limit the impact of the financial crisis.
Rate setters act on inflation not job location
Little evidence exists of any systematic differences in the voting habits of internally- and externally-appointed members of the Bank of England's monetary policy committee, research published by the Bank finds.