China has cut its interest rate to 6.66 from 6.93; Norway's central Bank has cut its rate by 50 basis point to 4.75%; The European Central Bank is expected to cut a half point off rates to 3.25 percent; The Bank of Japan will consider cutting rates at a policy meeting on Friday; The Federal Reserve is widely expected to cut U.S. rates today by at least half a point to 1 percent, the lowest level since June 2004.
BUT
"The rate cuts lifted stock markets for much of the day but analysts
said any recovery would be short-lived given that a sharp economic
downturn was already in progress."