Bloomberg Colombia raised interest rates for the first time in five years, following in the footsteps of all the other major inflation-targeting economies in Latin America struggling to curb a surge in prices. The seven-member board voted to lift the benchmark rate by a quarter percentage point to 2% in a split decision, central bank Governor Leonardo Villar told reporters …

Bloomberg New Zealand’s central bank (RBNZ) is expected to embark on a series of interest-rate increases to tame inflation and rein in soaring house prices, even as a coronavirus outbreak that has now spread beyond Auckland poses a greater risk to economic growth. Reserve Bank policy makers will raise the official cash rate by a quarter percentage point to 0.5% …

Bloomberg China has urged financial institutions to help local governments stabilise the rapidly cooling housing market and ease mortgages for some homebuyers, another signal that authorities are worried about fallout from the debt crisis at China Evergrande Group. At a meeting chaired by central bank Governor Yi Gang, authorities told financial institutions to cooperate with governments “to jointly maintain the …