Higher for longer: Why are central banks keeping interest rates elevated?

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Key Points

But as activity resumed and pent-up demand burst out, the excess money caused high inflation, which has stubbornly refused to return to official targets.iStock..

In 2022, governments and central banks worldwide admitted an unpleasant realityhigh inflation was not temporary and harsh steps were required to cool down surging price pressures..

Over the past year, various central bankers including Reserve Bank of India governor Shaktikanta Das and US Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell have said that tackling high inflation may need interest rates being kept higher for longer..

Given that higher interest rates dampen economic growth prospects, the outlook for corporate earnings weakens, hurting stock prices. Further, with higher policy rates pushing up government bond yields, or the risk-free rate of borrowing in the economy, stock market valuations undergo corrections..

When the central bank raises interest rates to tackle inflation, the cost of funds in the banking system goes up and in turn, investors seek a higher yield from the bonds that they purchase..

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