Central Banking Series

Federal Reserve is about to hike interest rates once again – so why are mortgage rates coming down?

Dec 19, 2022 16:43 pm UTC| Economy Central Banks

The Federal Reserve is expected to raise interest rates by half a percentage point on Dec. 14, 2022, to a range of 4.25 to 4.5%, which would be the seventh increase this year. So far in 2022, the Fed has lifted its...

2022 was a rough year for people everywhere – South Africa was no exception

Dec 19, 2022 16:41 pm UTC| Economy

Tough economic conditions meant that 2022 was a rough year for people everywhere in the world. South Africa was no exception. But this years crop of problems came on top of a legacy of poor economic performance. The...

Fungal toxins are widespread in European wheat – threatening human health and the economy

Dec 19, 2022 16:37 pm UTC| Economy

Wheat provides 19% of the calories and 21% of the protein consumed by humans globally. But a fungal disease called fusarium head blight (FHB), which can infect wheat crops and contaminate the grain with toxins, is on the...

Yes, the government's price cap is overly generous to gas producers. But it was necessary

Dec 19, 2022 16:35 pm UTC| Economy

To tackle the energy crisis about to send our bills skywards, the Albanese government last week capped gas prices temporarily in the east coast market, proposing a figure of A$12 per gigajoule. A gigajoule of gas has the...

Interest rates: why your mortgage rates are rising but your savings rates are not – and how better monetary policy could help

Dec 19, 2022 16:34 pm UTC| Economy

The Bank of England, the UKs central bank, has raised its main interest rate by 0.5% to 3.5%. This is the ninth in a series of increases over the past year that have had a ripple effect across the economy. A central...

How crowdfunding could raise US$12 billion to boost renewable energy access in Indonesia

Dec 19, 2022 16:27 pm UTC| Economy

Indonesia has a target to have 23% of its energy mix coming from renewable sources by 2025, and the country needs at least Rp 1,600 trillion (US$102.4 billion) to make that happen. This is not an easy task, especially...

Two economists forecast what's ahead in 2023

Dec 19, 2022 16:23 pm UTC| Economy

With the current U.S. inflation rate at 7.1%, interest rates rising and housing costs up, many Americans are wondering if a recession is looming. Two economists discussed that and more in a recent wide-ranging and...