Swiss Cut Rates to Historic Low, Signal Currency-Market Intervention
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: ZURICH -- Switzerland's central bank Thursday cut interest rates to a historic low and said it announced non-standard measures to boost liquidity and curtail the rise of the Swiss franc.

After its quarterly monetary policy meeting, the Swiss National Bank said it has set a new fluctuation band for the three-month Swiss franc London interbank offered rate of 0% to 0.75%, down from 0% to 1% previously.

The central bank's new interest-rate target is 0.25% -- matching a historic low from 2003 -- down from 0.5% previously.

The SNB said after its policy-setting meeting that it will start purchasing foreign currency on foreign exchange markets and buying Swiss franc bonds issued by private-sector borrowers.

The steps, coupled with the interest-rate cut, are aimed to prevent further gains of the Swiss franc against the euro, the SNB said in a statement. >>> By Martin Gelnar and Anita Greil | Thursday, March 12, 2009

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Interest Rates Could Hit 1 Per Cent Next Week, in Another Blow to Savers
THE TELEGRAPH: Interest rates, already at their lowest level in history, are expected to fall yet further next week to 1 per cent, hitting hard pressed savers.

The Bank of England's monetary policy committee is meeting on Wednesday and Thursday to decide on whether to cut interest rates once again, to stave off the worst of the mounting recession.

If it does so, it will be the fifth month in a row it has cut rates. It has already slashed them from 5 per cent at the start of October to 1.5 per cent, the lowest they have been since the Bank was founded in 1694.

In recent weeks the economic data has worsened, with more and more businesses forced to axe staff, shut down factories and delay investment.

However, a further cut would be a severe blow to savers, who are already suffering from a dearth of good savings accounts. >>> By Harry Wallop, Consumer Affairs Editor | Friday, January 30, 2009

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Interest Rates Cut: Bank of England Cuts Rates from 3 per Cent to 2 per Cent
THE TELEGRAPH: The Bank of England has cut UK interest rates from 3 per cent to 2 per cent, the lowest level since 1951 in an attempt to stop the economy sliding into a deep recession.


Rates have never been any lower since the Bank's foundation in 1694.
The aggressive move, which most economists had forecast, comes as a raft of data shows the state of the economy is worsening by the day.

Earlier today, Halifax, the country's largest lender said that house prices had fallen by 2.6 per cent in the last month alone, and have now lost more than £37,000 from their peak last summer.

Two important manufacturing and services surveys this week have shown factories and businesses are feeling the squeeze, while The Pier furniture chain became the latest retailer to collapse into administration.

Economists welcomed the move, saying it was the bare minimum required.

Hetal Mehta, Senior Economist from the Ernst & Young ITEM Club, said: "You could almost hear the sigh of relief up and down the country when the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee announced a 100 basis point cut in the base rate.

"As was the case last month, it was almost certain that interest rates would be slashed, but the big question was by how much. ITEM believes that the MPC was right to cut the base rate of interest to 2 per cent – anything less would have been a missed opportunity."

The move will save anyone on a £200,000 tracker-rate repayment mortgage just over £100 a month. Someone on an interest-only mortgage would save even more. >>> By Harry Wallop, Consumer Affairs Editor | December 4, 2008

THE TELEGRAPH: World Stability Hangs by a Thread as Economies Continue to Unravel

The political bubble is bursting. Spreads on geo-strategic risk are now widening as dramatically as the spreads on financial risk at the onset of the credit crunch.

Whether it is the Indian rupee, the Shanghai bourse, or Kremlin debt, the stars of the credit boom have fallen to earth. Investors are retreating into 3-month US Treasury bills – the ultimate safe-haven. The yield has fallen to 0.02pc, less than zero after costs. You pay Washington to guard your money.

The working assumption of the "Great Boom" is – or was – that we live in a benign era where most societies are converging towards some form of market liberalism; where trade and capital flows are unrestricted; where governments have enough legitimacy to keep order by light touch; where a major war is unthinkable.

This illusion is now being tested. >>> By Ambrose Evans-Pritchard | December 1, 2008

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