Oct 24 (Reuters) - All seven Czech central bank (CNB) policymakers are set to attend a monthly meeting on Thursday, which markets expect to result in rates holding flat for a second straight month after three hikes between May and August.
Below is the line-up of the CNB governing board, background on policymakers' general preferences and a history of the past five rate moves.
=================CENTRAL BANK GOVERNING BOARD==================
GOVERNOR ZDENEK TUMA, 46 years old, mandate until Feb 2011.
- has sounded largely hawkish in recent public statements; the risk of demand-pull price growth and wage contagion in the booming economy makes him reassert his inflation-fighting credentials given his general responsibility for maintaining price stability as the bank's chief executive.
VICE-GOVERNORS:
LUDEK NIEDERMAYER, 41, mandate until Feb 2008.
- seen generally leaning towards hawkish views on inflation;
MIROSLAV SINGER, 39, mandate until Feb 2011.
- a moderate who has recently been tending towards hawkish, albeit very pragmatic, policy views; advocate of flexible policy stance; has said he is not afraid of calling for frequent policy changes in order to ensure interest rates are kept as low as possible.
OTHER MEMBERS:
MOJMIR HAMPL, 32, mandate until Nov 2012.
- seen as pragmatic who has appeared to join hawks on the board to call for tighter policy to prevent inflation from rearing its head; he says he sees himself as an owl rather than hawk or dove, seeking to watch the economy develop without too much interference but not hesitating to peck when need be.
ROBERT HOLMAN, 53, mandate until Feb 2011.
- seen leaning towards dovish views on inflation; says as a general rule, he prefers stability in interest rates to frequent change so as not to disturb the real economy.
PAVEL REZABEK, 46, mandate until Feb 2011.
- pragmatic advocate of accommodative policy stance; speaks in favour of letting inflation both rise and fall within the plus/minus 1 percent tolerance band around the bank's 3 percent inflation target.
VLADIMIR TOMSIK, 33, mandate until Nov 2012.
- usually advocates caution about tightening policy but has spoken about the need for higher interest rates given the strength of the economy this year; in the past has repeatedly criticised the CNB's track record of undershooting its inflation target and missing inflation forecasts. =================FIVE MOST RECENT RATE CHANGES============
August 2007: 25 basis point hike to current 3.25 percent
July 2007: 25 basis point hike to 3.00 percent
May 2007: 25 basis point hike to 2.75 percent
September 2006: 25 basis point hike to 2.50 percent
July 2006: 25 basis points hike to 2.25 percent
(Compiled by Marek Petrus in Prague)
Click on [] for CNB board members recent remarks on policy
(Compiled by Marek Petrus in Prague)
((Reuters Messaging: rm://marek.petrus.reuters.com@reuters.net; e-mail: prague.newsroom@reuters.com or marek.petrus@reuters.com; Tel: +420 224 190 477; editing by David Christian-Edwards))
Keywords: subbed CZECH CENTRALBANK/BOARD
