But it is still bedevilled by difficulties—including political meddling
Tag: monetary
China starts easing monetary policy. Or does it?
CHINESE investors often refer in jest to the central bank as “central mama”. The idea is that it can be counted on to provide tender love—that is, policy easing—when market conditions are rough. But during the past couple of years it has been more of a disciplinarian, taking cash away from reckless investors. Its latest […]
Monetary policy suffers a shortage of central bankers
IN THEIR quest to stabilise the job market, central banks are setting a bad example. Jerome Powell, whom senators this week confirmed as the next chairman of America’s Federal Reserve, will lead an institution with three existing vacancies on its seven-member board, and a fourth that will open up imminently. Not since July 2013 has […]
Apple Watch Series 3 review: LTE comes with high monetary and mental costs
Enlarge (credit: Valentina Palladino) Ahead of Apple’s September event, some things about the high-end iPhone X remained a mystery despite a lot of pre-event rumors regarding the $ 1,000-plus smartphone. On the other hand, the Apple Watch Series 3 proved entirely predictable—we knew its distinctive feature would be standalone LTE service. Wearables with LTE connectivity aren’t new, but […]
China modernises its monetary policy
QIN SHIHUANG was the emperor who first unified China, through bloody conquest more than two millennia ago. Known for starting the Great Wall and burying scholars alive, he has a new claim to fame: the central bank has drawn on his construction of a national road system to help explain its new monetary system. In […]
Sweden’s economy is thriving, so why is monetary policy so loose?
ON A recent balmy day, people thronged the parks and promenades of central Stockholm. Swedes have much to feel sunny about. Real economic growth, at a heady 3.2% in 2016, has averaged 2.8% annually since 2009, compared with the euro area’s 1.1% per year. In April, Swedish inflation was close to the target of 2% […]
Global monetary policy is not tightening as expected
AT ITS outset, 2017 seemed likely to mark a turning-point for global monetary policy. The Federal Reserve had just raised its main interest rate by a quarter-point and was expected to add three such increases this year—or perhaps even more, if a new Republican Congress could agree on tax cuts with a new Republican president. […]
Japan’s monetary experiment isn’t working
Kim Kyung Hoon/Reuters Yesterday’s most interesting headline in the Wall Street Journal was “The World’s Most Radical Experiment in Monetary Policy Isn’t Working”. After reading it, the right questions to ask are “why isn’t the policy working?” and “what does this mean for the global economy?”. Here are my answers. First, the Japanese monetary experiment is […]
The World’s Most Radical Experiment in Monetary Policy Isn’t Working
A generation of Japanese have grown accustomed to falling prices. That’s presented a seemingly impassable obstacle to the central bank, whose negative interest rates and other stimulus policies were supposed to spur wage and price increases. WSJ.com: What’s News US
China tightens monetary policy (discreetly)
IF ASKED before the start of 2017 to bet on which important central bank would be the first to raise interest rates this year, the safe choice would have been the Federal Reserve. Some gamblers, relishing the long odds, might have gone for the Bank of England or even taken a flutter on the European […]
