The Canadian dollar was falling slightly yesterday and today against the other world currencies as the traders expected the interest rate decision of the Bank of Canada monetary policy meeting, which is scheduled for 22nd of April.
The People’s Bank of China released a monetary policy report for the fourth quarter of 2007 today. In this report, Chinese monetary authorities noted that the yuan’s appreciation really helps in fighting the national inflation.
GCC states — Bahrain, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia — decided to cut their deposit rates from 3.50% to 3.00% today, following the yesterday’s interest rate cut by the Federal Reserve.
The majority of Forex traders expected that the Reserve Bank of India will lower the main interest rates today to pare with recent emergency cut by the Fed and the anticipated additional interest cut at tomorrow Fed’s meeting. But Yaga Venugopal Reddy, Governor of the Reserve Bank of India, decided to leave the key interest rates at the same level.
Palaniappan Chidambaram, the Finance Minister of India, said yesterday that the latest emergency rate cut by the Fed will probably influence the next interest rate decision by the Reserve Bank of India.
Chilean peso gained yesterday against other currencies, notably against the U.S. dollar, after the Central Bank of Chile President, José de Gregorio, commented that the bank will have to increase rates again on the next meeting.
Central Bank of Chile decided yesterday to raise the main national lending rate from 6.00% to 6.25% in order to reduce the threat level of the rising inflation, which has now reached its highest level in almost ten years.
According to the China Foreign Exchange Trading System, the dollar/yuan central parity rate was set at its record low since the scrap of peg to dollar - 7.2775; down from 7.2996 previous recent record level.
The Central Bank of Sudan announced through circular (sent to Sudanese banks last Thursday) that starting from 2008 it will be denominating all currency accounting in euro instead of U.S. dollar.
Magyar Nemzeti Bank (Hungarian Central Bank) decided today during the Monetary Council’s meeting to hold the main refinancing interest rate at the same level - 7.50%, after the last cut made from 7.75% by MNB on September 25.