Sweden ditches negative interest rates

Sweden has ended its experiment with negative interest rates. The Sveriges Riksbank, the world’s oldest central bank, has raised the main interest rate from -0.25% back to zero.

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The world's oldest central bank has raised interest rates back to zero
(Image credit: © 2018 Bloomberg Finance LP)

Sweden has ended its experiment with negative interest rates. The Sveriges Riksbank, the world's oldest central bank, has raisedthe main interest rate from-0.25% back to zero, reportsThelocal.se.The rate had been in negative territory since 2015, but policymakers say thatwith inflation runningat 1.8% in November it is now close enough to the 2%target for a return to zero interest rates.

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Alex is an investment writer who has been contributing to MoneyWeek since 2015. He has been the magazine’s markets editor since 2019. 

Alex has a passion for demystifying the often arcane world of finance for a general readership. While financial media tends to focus compulsively on the latest trend, the best opportunities can lie forgotten elsewhere. 

He is especially interested in European equities – where his fluent French helps him to cover the continent’s largest bourse – and emerging markets, where his experience living in Beijing, and conversational Chinese, prove useful. 

Hailing from Leeds, he studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics at the University of Oxford. He also holds a Master of Public Health from the University of Manchester.