However, the Riksbank can stimulate the economy further in other ways without needing to cut the repo rate to zero. The most important measure concerns ensuring that the real interest rate, that is, the repo rate adjusted for inflation expectations, is sufficiently low. This can be done by influencing inflation expectations, which is made easier as we have a numerical inflation target and we publish forecasts for both the inflation rate and the repo rate. We can, for instance, announce that we are going to hold a low repo rate for a longer period than we assumed at the monetary policy meeting in April and show how the inflation path will then approach 2 per cent more quickly than otherwise. This would raise inflation expectations. A further possibility would be for the Riksbank to contribute to pushing down the rate on government bonds, housing bonds or commercial paper by purchases in these markets. There may also arise a portfolio balance effect if other market participants’ demand for corporate bonds, for instance, were to rise as a result of the Riksbank's purchase of government bonds. However, there is reason to await a more detailed analysis of the need for, and possibilities with, these measures. There are also a number of legal issues surrounding this type of measure that must be taken into account before such measures are implemented. At the most recent monetary policy meeting I did not consider that it was yet time to do anything other than cut the repo rate.
Jean-Pierre Roth: Prospects for the Swiss franc in the heart of the euro area Summary of a speech by Mr Jean-Pierre Roth, Chairman of the Governing Board of the Swiss National Bank, at the Associazione Carlo Cattaneo, Lugano, 9 March 2005. The complete speech can be found in French on the Swiss National Bank’s website (www.snb.ch). *  *  *  The launch of the euro in January 1999 fundamentally transformed the international monetary order. Switzerland, a small country that strongly depends on exports and capital transactions, suddenly found itself surrounded by a market with almost 300 million people sharing a single currency. What were the monetary consequences of this development, and what are the prospects for the Swiss franc, which is traditionally considered a "success product"? The role of the Swiss franc in commercial and financial transactions has certainly diminished. Although the euro is only rarely used as a means of payment in the Swiss market, billing within the euro area is increasingly taking place in the single currency only – a fact to which Swiss companies have to adjust. In the financial markets, the euro now acts as a counterweight to the dollar. The Swiss franc has thus lost some of its significance as a safe-haven currency and has performed more in line with its fundamentals. The introduction of the euro has, however, not affected our monetary autonomy or the Swiss interest rate advantage. The Swiss National Bank has been able to respond with flexibility and determination to the recent economic slowdown.