Central Bank Examination

November 17, 2025 | Grace Colson, Research Associate

After a largely synchronized hiking cycle beginning in 2022, there has been a slight divergence in interest rate policies across the Federal Reserve, European Central Bank, and Bank of England in recent time. Both the ECB and BoE initiated their easing cycles in the middle of last year, ahead of the Fed, which has since followed suit with its latest rate cut coming last month. The target range for the effective federal funds rate is now 3.75– 4.00%. The policy rate of the BoE also hovers near 4% following its August 2025 cut, and the central bank is expected to maintain this positioning through November. Meanwhile, the latest rate reduction by the ECB in June has brought its policy rate down to roughly 2.2% given the relatively weaker growth and lower inflationary pressures faced by the euro area.

While it is critical for central banks to maintain independent monetary policies tailored to the conditions of their respective economies, disparate rate regimes across the developed world could have significant implications. For instance, global currency markets remain highly sensitive to interest rate differentials, and currency movements can meaningfully shift trade balances since goods from the country with the stronger currency become more expensive abroad. Additionally, investors may redirect capital toward regions with higher yields, impacting security prices and creating volatility in global financial markets as funds move across borders. In conclusion, if these central banks opt for different policy paths going forward, an additional layer of uncertainty will likely be added to the broader economic outlook.

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