Swedish interest rates go negative as economy grapples with contradictions

Sweden may have one of Europe’s fastest growth rates, but the crown is rising while consumer prices are skirting deflation at the same time as there’s a housing bubble inflating.and household debt remains one of the region’s highest.

So the central bank cutting already-negative interest rates to minus 0.35% is a shock, and the government says it shows its determination to boost inflation to its targeted 2%. It has also increased its bond buying programme by 4.7 billion euros, and says it will intervene on the Forex market if the crown continues to climb.