Interest Rate

Interest rate liberalisation likely to dominate bankers' talk at NPC meeting

28 Feb 2013

Business transformation is expected to dominate the talk of banker deputies and delegates when the National People's Congress (NPC) and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (...

Park Geun-hye to be saddled with weak South Korean economy

16 Feb 2013

Growth might stay below potential for a "considerable time", the Bank of Korea said yesterday after officials voted to keep interest rates on hold. Policymakers are concerned about the need to...

Fed's zero interest rate hurts Asia and may not help the US

16 Jan 2013

Speaking in Hong Kong this week, Charles Evans, head of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, reiterated the Fed's pledge to keep US interest rates at rock-bottom levels for the medium term.

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Australian home loan approvals fall despite interest rate cuts

16 Jan 2013

Australian home loan approvals unexpectedly fell in November for the first time in four months as central bank interest-rate cuts failed to boost demand from first-time buyers.

Chinese banks must raise their game

15 Jan 2013

With China's new administration in place, the National People's Congress and Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference will meet again in March to come up with a new framework for the...

Opinion

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Low interest rates fuel shift into investment funds

Retail fund sales rose to a record last year, with fund managers saying the strong performance would continue in 2013 because of the low interest rate environment.

Banking chief Benjamin Hung warns of 'turning point' in interest rates

Hong Kong's banking association has warned that the risk of higher interest rates will rise as the US economy improves and the Federal Reserve links the unemployment level with its short-term...

No system rot to surface from Hibor probe

An investigation into the setting of Hong Kong's interbank interest rates is unlikely to reveal any misconduct that had a major social impact because rates have been low for years, says the Hong...

Draghi leaves rate-cut door ajar as ECB lowers economic forecasts

The European Central Bank lowered its economic and inflation forecasts, and president Mario Draghi said weakness would persist into next year, leaving the door ajar for further interest-rate cuts...

Reserve Bank of Australia cuts interest rate to global recession low

The Reserve Bank of Australia has cut its benchmark interest rate to the half-century low set during the 2009 global recession.

The move comes as hiring falters and an elevated currency...

BANKING

Moody's forecasts bleaker profit prospects for Chinese banks

Rising competition and a squeeze on net interest margins will dampen profit prospects for mainland banks over the next 12 to 18 months, according to global credit rating agency Moody's.