By Christine Lagarde
The ECB has cut interest rates, 6th June. President Christine Lagarde explains why and sets out what still needs to be done to bring inflation back to 2% over the medium term. (*)
US Federal Reserve minutes released this Wednesday showed officials split at their last meeting over how to continue with interest rates: some members saw the need for more increases while others expected a slowdown in growth to remove the need to tighten further.
The US Federal Reserve Wednesday upped its benchmark interest rate by a quarter point to between 5% and 5.25%, its highest level in 16 years, which further tightened credit for businesses and consumers, it was announced.
The European Central Bank Governing Council said on Thursday that in the current conditions of high uncertainty it will maintain gradualism and flexibility as the guidelines for its monetary policy anticipating that the assets purchase program will be concluded by the third quarter.
By Edouard Wemy – Tapering refers to the Federal Reserve policy of unwinding the massive purchases of Treasury bonds and mortgage-backed securities it’s been making to shore up the economy during the pandemic.
Brazilian orthodox Economy minister Paulo Guedes has not resigned and has no intention of resigning despite the fact he will have to live with the exceptional expenditure of some 45bn Reais, as part of the Auxilio Brazil support program for vulnerable families and president Jair Bolsonaro's 2022 reelection plan.
Venezuela easily held to the dubious honour of being at the top of the list of the 2020 Global Economic Misery Index, while Argentina was merely seven notches behind.
Brazil's statistics agency IBGE said on Tuesday the monthly rate of producer price inflation kicked off this year at its second highest, with prices rising across all 24 activities surveyed.
A member of Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee, Gertjan Vlieghe, openly supported the use of negative interest rates if the U.K. needs more stimulus, while Deputy Governor Dave Ramsden said the bank still had scope for more quantitative easing. which has been a tried and tested policy.
The Bank of England (BOE) told banks to start getting ready for negative interest rates but added that the message shouldn’t be taken as a signal that the policy is imminent. The BOE made the announcement as it held its key rate at a record low of 0.1%.