Israel keeps its base rate unchanged

Aug 28, 2015 12:44 pm UTC| Commentary Central Banks

Israel kept its 0.10% base rate on hold this week, as expected. The central bank is under pressure to loosen monetary policy conditions with inflation low at -0.3% y/y and recent growth indictors very negative. The main...

Dovish ECB should lead to a reversal of the latest steepening move

Aug 28, 2015 07:45 am UTC| Commentary Central Banks

While the ECB will be likely to deliver a dovish message, it is unclear whether the Governing Council would consider recent developments big enough to tweak the QE programme in terms of size, extension of the eligible...

ECB likely to lower its inflation forecast next week

Aug 28, 2015 07:41 am UTC| Commentary Central Banks

More clarity on the ECBs view on inflation should come from its 3 September meeting. As for the latest forecasts published in June, the ECB sees inflation averaging 0.3% this year, 1.5% in 2016 and 1.8% in 2017."However,...

Currency War Series

Intensified currency war implies stronger effective Euro

Aug 28, 2015 04:48 am UTC| Commentary Central Banks

The ECBs outlook for higher inflation is threatened by a renewed trend higher in the effective EUR, which, when considering the 3M change, is at the highest rate in more than two years. The upward pressure on the EUR...

Why analysts think Fed's September rate hike is unlikely

Aug 27, 2015 12:31 pm UTC| Insights & Views Central Banks

Recent turmoil in the financial market along with drop in inflation has seriously pushed back expectations of a rate hike from FED as early as September. Here is why some analysts and economists think that it is...

ECB policy stance amid renewed deflation risks

Aug 27, 2015 11:26 am UTC| Insights & Views Central Banks

Euro area inflation expectations are turning south again: the 5y euro HIPCx swap stands at 0.8%, and the 3y2yf euro HIPCx swap is just 1.0%, both far from the ECBs medium-term target. Even the longterm 5y5yf has dropped to...

PBoC may take additional monetary easing

Aug 27, 2015 07:07 am UTC| Commentary Central Banks

The PBoC has already cut interest rates and the reserve requirement ratio (RRR) twice since June as a response to the stock market turmoil. Additional monetary easing is expected but the benefit of every additional move is...