Iceland, The Future Of America?

April 10 (Bloomberg) -- Iceland's central bank raised its benchmark interest rate for the second time in three weeks, pushing it to the highest in Europe to shore up the krona and damp inflation that is running at three times the target.

The key rate was raised by a half point to 15.5 percent, the Reykjavik-based central bank said on its Web site today. Five of nine economists surveyed by Bloomberg had expected rates to be left on hold, while four forecast an increase.

``They're confirming that they're going to react to any inflationary risk,'' said Kristrun Gunnarsdottir, an economist at Landsbanki Islands hf in Reykjavik.

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