The European Central Bank held its main refinancing rate at a historic low of 0.75 percent, as expected, on Thursday, as it continues to assess the impact of its latest anti-crisis measures.

India's central bank kept its benchmark interest rate on hold on Tuesday due to inflationary pressures, disappointing government and business leaders who wanted a cut to boost the economy.

India's central bank was expected to keep interest rates on hold on Tuesday after stressing that inflation remained stubbornly high, despite ongoing pressure for a cut to boost the economy.

The Philippine central bank trimmed its key interest rates by a further 25 basis points on Thursday, saying the domestic economy needs a further boost to override weak global demand.

Thailand's central bank cut interest rates for the first time in nine months Wednesday as it looks to support the country's manufacturing sector and fight the effects of a global slowdown.

India's inflation accelerated to a 10-month high, hitting 7.81 percent in September, data Monday showed, diminishing chances of an interest rate cut to jumpstart a sharply weaker economy.

Monetary easing in the developed world could cause overheating and asset bubbles in emerging economies, the International Monetary Fund's managing director said in Tokyo on Sunday.

The head of the US Federal Reserve on Sunday defended the central bank's monetary easing measures after criticism that stimulus was to blame for destabilising capital flows around the world.

India's industrial output picked up pace in August, official data showed on Friday, growing 2.7 percent from the same month a year earlier in a better-than-expected but still muted performance.

South Korea's central bank cut its key interest rate by 25 basis points to 2.75 percent and slashed its economic growth estimate for 2012 as a result of the global downturn.

South Korea's central bank cut its key interest rate by 25 basis points to 2.75 percent in response to a stronger-than-than-expected deceleration in economic growth.

Brazil's central bank slashed its interest rate for the 10th time since August last year, to a record low of 7.25 percent, in a bid to stimulate the sluggish economy.

India is becoming an increasingly "key player" on the world stage, US Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke said on Wednesday, after talks with the country's central bank chief in Mumbai.

The Bank of Japan on Friday kept interest rates unchanged and held off further easing measures, opting not to build on the boost to its asset-purchase programme announced last month.

The Federal Reserve is considering linking any increases of its ultra-low benchmark interest rate to specific targets for joblessness and inflation, official documents showed Thursday.

Major European stock markets hit a soft patch on Thursday despite news of successful Spanish bond auctions and after the ECB and Bank of England kept their main interest rates unchanged.

The European Central Bank held its key interest rates at their current record low here Thursday, and is also likely to hold fire on other key policy moves for now, analysts said.

The Bank of England on Thursday said it had voted at a meeting to leave its main interest rate at a record low 0.50 percent and to stick by its current Quantitative Easing (QE) stimulus amount.

The European Central Bank is expected to hold fire on interest rates and other policy moves on Thursday as it takes stock of the market impact of its latest anti-crisis plans, analysts say.

South Korea's central bank said Tuesday it would focus its monetary policy on boosting economic growth, raising prospects of an interest rate cut as new data pointed to a deepening manufacturing slump.