The Central Bank of Chile will be releasing its statement with the target interest rate. The current interest rate is maintained at 5.75% after three rate hikes by 0.25% going in a row from July to September 2007. Majority of the analysts surveyed about the forthcoming rate decision agree that the Chilean interest rate will remain at the same level.
The United Arab Emirates decided to cut their bank repository rate by 0.25% to 5.25%; Saudi Arabia decreased its benchmark rate for deposits also by 0.25% to 4.0%; Qatar and Bahrain reduced their deposit rates by the same amount - 0.25% to 4.0%. Kuwait refrained from changing the country’s interest rate, because they’ve already removed their currency’s peg to dollar back in May 2007.
Hungarian central bank, Magyar Nemzeti Bank (MNB), will probably find it necessary to bring an end to the limits of the euro/forint rate maximum change (which is at 15% currently) after country’s inflation report for November showed 7.1% growth, while the target inflation rate is just 3.0%.
The U.S. Federal Open Market Committee lowered its interest rate for open market operations by 25 basis points to 4.25%, while the discount rate for central bank to banks type of lending lending was also cut by 0.25% to 4.75%.
Little time remains before today’s FOMC meeting, which will decide the future target interest rate for the U.S. banks. Dollar gained a some weight against euro on some marginal expectations that Federal Reserve will cut rates by just 25 basis points instead of 50 points predicted by the current futures rate.
Indian rupee ended the start of the week with falling to 39.41 against the U.S. dollar making it the first rupee’s bearish close after two days of growth. The rupee sellout was caused by the rumor of the Reserve Bank of India intervention in the country’s Forex market.
Aussie was on a rising edge today on the better investors sentiments, spurred by the recent stock markets growth. Australian dollar gained against both dollar and Japanese yen - its main carry trade counterparts.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson is going to visit China again in order to motivate the government to increase the pace of the change in which yuan would appreciate against U.S. dollar and other world currencies.
South African Reserve Bank decreased its foreign currency purchases volume almost by a half after the national currency felt significantly against the U.S. dollar in November. Depreciated rand kept country’s central bank from increasing their Forex reserves at the previous pace.
Australian dollar gained against other currencies - about 1% against U.S. dollar and more than 1.1% against Japanese yen, yesterday after U.S. President George W. Bush stated that government will act to prevent the further damage from the mortgage financing crisis and to help those already hurt by the crisis consequences.