Central Banking Series

Central Banking Series

The evidence suggests Reserve Bank rate cuts don't hurt confidence

Feb 04, 2020 12:16 pm UTC| Insights & Views Central Banks Economy

When the Reserve Bank board meets today for the first time this year it is likely to leave its cash rate unchanged at the current all-time low 0.75%. Afterwards, it will announce its reasons, many of them good. But...

Central Banking Series

Quantitative easing now looks permanent – and has turned central banks into pseudo governments

Jan 24, 2020 05:38 am UTC| Insights & Views Economy Central Banks

After a pause of a few months, the worlds leading central banks are printing money again to try to bolster their economies. Commonly known as quantitative easing or QE, the European Central Bank (ECB) resumed its programme...

Central Banking Series

The next Bank of England governor must take a radically different approach to running the economy

Dec 20, 2019 03:30 am UTC| Insights & Views Central Banks

Following the monumental Conservative election victory, now is the time for the economics to work through. Mark Carney is due to leave his post as governor of the Bank of England at the end of January after six and a half...

Central Banking Series

BoJ likely to remain on hold for foreseeable future, says Capital Economics

Dec 16, 2019 07:51 am UTC| Commentary Economy

The Bank of Japan seems to have underestimated the drag on domestic demand from Octobers sales tax hike. But the global outlook has improved and the governments fiscal stimulus announcement has given policymakers a further...

Central Banking Series

Paul Volcker helped shape an independent Federal Reserve – a vital legacy that's under threat

Dec 11, 2019 03:57 am UTC| Insights & Views Central Banks Economy

Paul Volcker, who died on Dec. 8, is the poster boy for central bank independence and why it matters. One of his legacies, as you may have read in the many obituaries published since his death, is taming the runaway...

Central Banking Series

Why the Fed has no choice but to keep cutting interest rates?

Oct 31, 2019 06:13 am UTC| Insights & Views Central Banks Economy

The U.S. Federal Reserve is stuck between an apparently booming economy and a financial crisis that might be right around the corner. Thats why its decision to cut interest rates by another quarter point on Oct. 30 its...

Central Banking Series

When cutting interest rates might not help

Sep 13, 2018 21:56 pm UTC| Insights & Views Economy Central Banks

Theres a meme around official interest rates since the financial crisis, and it goes like this. Central banks have already cut them to nearly zero (or actually zero) but advanced economies are still languishing. Therefore...