Sweden's central bank left its key interest rate unchanged in February on lower growth and near-target inflation, after raising it in December, and reiterated the rate would be hiked in the second half of the year and beyond. The Executive Board decided to hold the repo rate unchanged at -0.25 percent, the Riksbank said in a statement on Wednesday. The decision was in line with economists' expectations. The quarter-basis point December hike was unexpected and was the first since July 2011. Swedish interest rates entered negative territory in early 2015. The hike was decided in a split vote as Deputy Governor Per Jansson entered a reservation against the decision to raise the repo rate and was not in favor of the repo-rate path.
Per Jansson did not participate in the February policy session due to personal reasons. "The strong economic activity and rising cost pressures both in Sweden and abroad mean that the conditions are good for inflation to remain close to the target in the coming years," Riksbank said. "This outlook has not changed to any great extent since December."
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April 17, 2026 15:29 ET The ongoing conflict in the Middle East continues to raise concerns for policymakers who worry about the impact of the supply shock and high energy prices on the real economy. Producer price data and various survey results on the housing market were the main news from the U.S. this week. In Europe, industrial production data for the euro area gained attention. GDP figures out of China and the policy move by the Singapore central bank were in focus in Asia.