Central banks face ‘difficult balancing act': IMF chief

Central banks face a ‘difficult balancing act’ as they start lowering interest rates around the globe in the face of falling inflation, the head of the IMF said.

Central banks on both sides of the Atlantic have cut rates in 2024, with the US Federal Reserve reducing its key lending rate by half a percentage point earlier this week in a bid to boost demand, following in the footsteps of the European Central Bank (ECB).

But as they do so they must tread carefully, International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said at an event with ECB President Christine Lagarde in Washington on Friday.

"Central banks face a difficult balancing act," Georgieva said. "They must ensure that inflation sustainably returns to target and remains there, while avoiding the risk of excessively tight policies."

"While clearly weaker than we would have wanted, economic activity has been remarkably resilient," she added. "While inflation is retreating, rates are going down. Recession appears to be unlikely."

The ECB has cut rates twice this year, while the Bank of England voted on Thursday to leave rates unchanged after just one cut, as UK inflation remained above-target.

Lagarde said Friday that the ECB's "determined policy actions have successfully kept inflation expectations anchored," adding that inflation remains on track to hit its two percent target in the middle of next year.

"But is the uncertainty gone? No, there is still plenty of that around," she said.