{"id":46506,"date":"2014-01-20T09:41:00","date_gmt":"2014-01-20T14:41:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/countingpips.com\/forex-news\/?p=46506"},"modified":"2014-01-20T09:41:00","modified_gmt":"2014-01-20T14:41:00","slug":"monetary-policy-week-in-review-jan-13-17-2014-brazil-raises-rate-as-imf-warns-of-deflation-amid-buoyant-mood","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.investmacro.com\/forex-news\/2014\/01\/20\/monetary-policy-week-in-review-jan-13-17-2014-brazil-raises-rate-as-imf-warns-of-deflation-amid-buoyant-mood\/","title":{"rendered":"Monetary Policy Week in Review \u2013 Jan 13-17, 2014: Brazil raises rate as IMF warns of deflation amid buoyant mood"},"content":{"rendered":"

By CentralBankNews.info<\/u><\/a>
\n    Last week Brazil captured the honor of being the first central bank to raise interest rates in 2014 while Tajikistan cut its rate and six other central banks maintained their policy rates as higher global growth forecasts and a sense of optimism in the euro zone was dented by the head of the IMF who warned against the risk of deflation.
    The mood in global financial markets was upbeat, supported by the World Bank raising its 2014 growth forecast and reports the International Monetary Fund (IMF) will follow suit along with European Central Bank (ECB) board member Benoit Coeure\u2019s confidence in the economic recovery that he said there might not be a need for another round of long-term refinancing operations (LTROs).
    More importantly, the positive tone in global financial markets is allowing the Federal Reserve\u2019s reduction in asset purchases to proceed smoothly, though central banks worldwide remain on tenterhooks, aware that the gradual unwinding of years of extraordinary accommodative policy has the potential to disrupt capital flows and crush financial markets and currencies.
   The Bank of Mozambique, one of the six central banks that held rates steady last week, clearly expressed this sense of cautious relief over how financial markets so far are taking the Fed\u2019s tapering of quantitative easing, saying its own policy decision was taken in \u201ca scenario that requires caution and prudence.\u201d
    IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde injected a dose of harsh reality into the general upbeat mood, acknowledging that the deep-freeze in the global economy is over but world growth remains \u201ctoo low, too fragile and too uneven\u201d with some 200 million people in need of employment.
    \u201cWith inflation running below many central banks\u2019 targets, we see rising risks of deflation, which could prove disastrous for the recovery,\u201d she told the National Press Club in Washington D.C., adding:
    \u201cIf inflation is the genie, then deflation is the ogre that must be fought decisively.\u201d<\/p>\n

   Through the first three weeks of the year<\/b>, 3 central banks have cut rates, or 17 percent of this year\u2019s 18 policy decisions taken by the 90 central banks followed by Central Bank News. This is slightly down from 20 percent the previous week as Brazil last week became the first central bank to raise its rates this year, continuing last year\u2019s tightening cycle.<\/p>\n

LIST OF LAST WEEK\u2019S (WEEK 3) DECISIONS:<\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
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