The tight monetary policy was regarded as essential to dampen capital outflow.
By September 1997, short-term interest rates increased by about 1000 basis points from prefloat
levels, and continued at high levels until about the third quarter of 1998 (table 5). Some
analysts, such as Krugman (1998b), see this as being necessary to try to stem capital outflow
at a time when net foreign reserves have almost been depleted. The tight monetary policy fits
in with the IMF's strategy of trying to maximise the rollover of short-term debt, given that it
was expecting the current account deficit to continue