On the last monetary policy meeting, the NBR came up with a surprise by which it wants to convince us that it still holds a relevant position in the mechanism of an economy which is incapable of overcoming the recession.

Governor Isărescu has made a preliminary announcement concerning the initiation of a new cycle of quantitative easing, which is intended to, at least theoretically, restart the engines of the economy by making lending cheaper. But aren't cheap loans, both in terms of the interest rates and the ease of borrowing, that have led us to the current economic situation?

In the latest inflation report, the NBR has cut the inflation forecast for 2013 to 3.2%, down from 3.5%, in order to justify the evolution of the key policy rate.

Let's assume that things are different after so many years of crisis and that an overdose can still stimulate the patient, even though far more famous "doctors" and far more reputable "hospitals" failed to do the same thing. Even given this vagarious hypothesis, doubts remain concerning the necessity and the timing of the preliminary announcement.

Once, prior to the beginning of the crisis, there used to be plenty of debates concerning the beneficial effects of the monetary policy surprises, such as the unexpected or greater than expected cuts of the policy rate.

If the effect of the surprise is that beneficial, why didn't the Romanian National Bank keep the announcement under lock and key until the right time? Maybe the answer should be sought in the reaction of the benchmark yields of government bonds. They have collapsed in the last day of the past week, and the trend picked up speed in the following days (see chart).

What does this drop in yields mean, aside from the reduction of the financing costs for the state? An increase in the price of the government bonds, which brings an essential c