Monetary nerves fray on four continents

FILE PHOTO: People wearing protective face masks walk along a street in Melbourne after it became the first city in Australia to enforce mask-wearing in public as part of efforts to curb a resurgence of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), July 23, 2020. REUTERS/Sandra Sanders/File Photo

CENTRAL banks on four continents will project a collective message of nervous unease in interest-rate decisions this week as the persistence of the coronavirus impedes economic recoveries throughout much of the world.

Monetary authorities in Brazil and India -- both enduring acute outbreaks of the disease -- will probably cut benchmark borrowing costs. Others from the U.K. to Australia are likely to pledge heightened vigilance and continued support, similar to that offered by the U.S. Federal Reserve when it left rates near zero on Wednesday.