Monetary policy
Social role of banks must change: UK's McFall
John McFall, the head of Britain's influential Treasury Committee, on why finance-industry pay must be curbed, some of the country's biggest banks nationalised and lessons can be learned from abroad
Canada's Carney: controlling inflation fundamental
Controlling inflation is the best contribution that monetary policy can make to the economic and financial welfare of Canada, said Mark Carney, the governor of the country's central bank.
Philippines cuts again as inflation abates
The Central Bank of the Philippines cut rates by half a point for the second month in a row on Friday, citing a shift in the inflation outlook.
NZ makes another mammoth cut, rates hit fresh low
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand slashed its benchmark official cash rate by 150 basis points to a new all-time low of 3.5% on Thursday and signalled it could cut again in the coming months.
Orphanides comments highlight ECB divide
Comments by the governor of the Central Bank of Cyprus on Wednesday underlined the split between members of the European Central Bank's (ECB) Governing Council on whether eurozone interest rates should fall to zero.
US liquidity impacts eurozone inflation
Excessive liquidity in the United States weakens the effectiveness of monetary policy in the euro area, a new paper from the International Monetary Fund posits.
MPC would use additional tools at zero bound
The Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) has considered the options should bank rate come close to or reach the zero bound, said David Blanchflower, a member of the committee.
Italy's Saccomanni hits out at protectionist claim
Fabrizio Saccomanni, the director general of the Bank of Italy, has attacked claims that a new facility set up by the central bank is protectionist.
India holds but signals cuts could come
The Reserve Bank of India kept its benchmark repo rate at an all-time low of 5.5% on Tuesday but indicated it could soon cut further with the Indian economy vulnerable to the fallout of the financial crisis.
Poland slashes on "considerable" slowdown
The National Bank of Poland cut rates by 75 basis points to their lowest level since April 2007 on Tuesday, citing flagging growth and lower inflation.
Israel cuts to record low, economy to shrink
The Bank of Israel slashed its key rate by 75 basis points to an all-time low of 1% on Monday and said that it now expected the economy to contract by 0.2% in 2009.
Vietnam slashes to meet growth target
The State Bank of Vietnam cut its base interest rate by 150 basis points to 7% on Friday, taking borrowing costs to half of the level they were last summer.
PM's adviser wants RBI to cut rates
Suresh Tendulkar, an economic adviser to the Indian prime minister, has said that the Reserve Bank of India should cut rates in the coming week.
Canadian economy to contract this year
Canadian GDP will decline by 1.2% in 2009 and rebound by 3.8% in 2010, according to the Bank of Canada's Monetary Policy Report Update.
Labour markets matter for ECB policy
Disturbances in the wage-bargaining process are a significant contributor to inflation and output fluctuations in euro-area, a paper from the Philadelphia Federal Reserve finds.
Brazil slashes, signals further easing
The Central Bank of Brazil made its most aggressive cut in more than five years on Wednesday and hinted it would ease rates further in the coming months.
Malaysia slashes rates as exports flag
Bank Negara Malaysia surprised markets on Wednesday, slashing its key rate by 75 basis points to 2.5%.
Bank of England's January minutes
The minutes from the January meeting of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee show most members judged cutting bank rate by 50 basis points would provide a significant stimulus to the economy.
Canada sees rates hit all-time low
The Bank of Canada cut its key rate to 1%, the lowest level in the central bank's 75-year history, on Tuesday and said that headline inflation would fall below zero later this year. However, the move was not enough to satisfy some in the markets who were…
Hungary cuts on fears of "sharp downturn"
The National Bank of Hungary on Monday lowered rates for the third time since the start of December on signs of a more severe-than-expected economic slowdown.
Monetary policy should consider intermediaries
The size of the balance sheets of market-based financial intermediaries are important macroeconomic state variables for monetary policy, finds a paper published by the New York Federal Reserve.
Turkey slashes to record low as growth slumps
The Central Bank of Turkey on Thursday chopped two percentage points off its benchmark rates, taking the measures to their lowest-ever levels.
ECB cuts, Trichet signals more could come
The European Central Bank (ECB) has chopped a half point off its key rate and indicated rates could reach a fresh low in the months to come. The news followed confirmation that eurozone inflation sank below the central bank's target in December.
Recovery to begin in 2009 - Philadelphia's Plosser
President of the Philadelphia Fed Charles Plosser sees the economy starting to slowly recover in the second half of 2009.