Central banks risk a global recession by raising interest rates in a bid to contain soaring energy costs, an analyst has said.
Julian Howard, chief multi-asset investment strategist at GAM Investments, warned that rate-setters are now “on the verge of policy mistake territory” as expectations of rate rises grow.
Howard said that the traditional response to rising energy costs — ramping up borrowing costs — is an error given the supply-side nature of the energy price shock.
“The kind of interest rates that are needed to actually stop people filling up their car, to stop people flying, would be seriously high, very, very high — and recession-inducing,” Howard said.
The European Central Bank held interest rates steady last week, despite eurozone inflation coming in at 3% in April. The Bank of England also left rates unchanged as the U.K. grapples with higher oil prices.
