It was once thought to be a fringe possibility as an economic tool, but negative interest rate policies are quickly becoming more common around the world. Denmark’s NationalBank was the first to employ negative rates in July 2012. It has been followed by the likes of the European Central Bank (ECB), the Swiss National Bank (SNB), Sweden’s Riksbank and, most recently, the Bank of Japan (BOJ). In principle, the decision to adopt negative interest rate policies, or NIRP as it has become affectionately referred to by markets, is an understandable approach to help boost economic activity. Discouraging upward pressure on a ... (full story)