Monetary policy
Sri Lanka keeps on cutting
The Central Bank of Sri Lanka slashed its policy rate by 175 basis points to 14.75% on Wednesday in an effort to encourage lending and revive economic activity.
SA shifts to monthly schedule for rate moves
The South African Reserve Bank's rate-setters are will vote once a month for the remainder of the year after the central bank announced it was doubling the frequency of its meetings for 2009.
Policy can make deflationary episodes more costly
The costs of previous deflationary episodes have been exacerbated by inappropriate policy responses, a new paper from the Bank of England posits.
Chile makes mammoth rate cut
The Central Bank of Chile chopped 250 basis points off its key rate on Thursday, saying that it expected inflation to slide speedily.
BoE's Barker confident on quantitative easing
Increasing the money supply is a significant move that will prop up the economy, said Kate Barker, a member of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee.
Switzerland to intervene to halt franc's gain
The Swiss National Bank pledged to curb the appreciation of the Swiss franc against the euro on Thursday and said that there was a risk of deflation over the next three years.
NZ's Bollard sees recovery soon
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand cut its key rate to a fresh record low on Thursday, but Alan Bollard, the governor of the Reserve Bank, signalled an economic recovery is not far off.
Old Lady begins quantitative easing
The Bank of England began its first round of gilt purchases on Wednesday, buying £2 billion ($2.8 billion) of the instruments outright in an attempt to boost the money supply.
Japan must take active role in regulatory revamp
Japan should be prepared to play an active part in the discussions over a new international system of financial regulation, said Atsushi Mizuno, a member of the Bank of Japan's Monetary Policy Council.
One-sector inflation model insufficient
One-sector models for determining the optimal rate of inflation are insufficient, finds a new paper from the Richmond Federal Reserve.
ECB's Bini Smaghi: go easy with easing
It is unsound to ease monetary policy too much too soon, even when insuring against the worst-case deflationary scenario, said Lorenzo Bini Smaghi, a member of the European Central Bank's executive board.
Bank begins £150 billion money-supply boost
The Bank of England on Thursday said it would boost the money supply by up to £150 billion ($211 billion) in a bid to revive the health of Britain's ailing economy. The Bank's Monetary Policy Committee also cut rates to a fresh all-time low of 0.5%.
India makes fresh attempt to spur growth
The Reserve Bank of India announced a fresh round of rate cuts on Wednesday aimed at restoring the health of its ailing economy.
Buba's focus on output-growth gap significant
The Bundesbank's response in 1970s and 1980s to the output-growth gap under monetary-growth targeting was highly significant, posits a new paper from the European Central Bank.
Iceland selects chief economist for new MPC
Reykjavik appointed Thorarinn Petursson, the Central Bank of Iceland's acting chief economist, to its newly-created Monetary Policy Committee on Tuesday.
Canada lowers again, may boost money supply
The Bank of Canada cut its benchmark rate to a record low of 0.5% on Tuesday, saying that recent data had revealed a worse-than-expected slowdown. The central bank also said that it could raise the money supply through quantitative or credit easing.
Turkey justifies steep cut
The Central Bank of Turkey cut rates by 150 basis points last month on signs that inflation would undershoot its 7.5% target for this year, the minutes for the 19 February meeting reveal.
Avoid Tokyo's mistakes to combat deflation: Ito
Takatoshi Ito, a prominent economist, has urged global monetary authorities to learn from Japan's errors in order to successfully stave off a nasty bout of deflation.
BoE's Blanchflower: employment needs fiscal boost
There is now a case for a large fiscal package aimed at boosting employment, said David Blanchflower, an external member of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee.
Fears for zloty outweigh calls for cuts
The National Bank of Poland opted for a smaller-than-expected cut on Wednesday in a bid to maintain the value of the zloty. The move reflects the mounting concern among central and eastern European countries that marked currency depreciations could…
SA inflation dips as new gauge introduced
South African inflation plunged by more than two percentage points last month following the introduction of a new inflation basket.
Riksbank names new monetary policy deputy
Jesper Hansson, formerly the head of the monetary policy forecasting division of the Riksbank, is the new deputy head of the central bank's monetary department.
Malaysia reneges on pledge to hold firm
Bank Negara Malaysia has cut its benchmark rate by a further half a point despite indication earlier this month that it would hold back on further loosening.
Transparency: too much of a good thing?
Too much monetary policy transparency can be bad, finds a new paper from the Bank of Japan.