Monetary Policy
South Africa raises interest rate
SOUTH AFRICA - The South African Reserve Bank on Thursday made a one percentage point increase in the country's prime interest rates in an effort to force inflation below 6 per cent.
IMF sees signs of Brazil contagion on bond market
US - The signs of bond market contagion from political uncertainty in Brazil developed in emerging bond markets in the second quarter of the year, according to an International Monetary Fund report published Thursday.
Federal Reserve Board - Beige Book, September 2002
REPORT - The Federal Reserve Beige Book released 11 September showed slow and uneven growth across the country, and that manufacturers, hit hard by the recession, continued to experience weak demand. Other findings included little job growth.
Speech by Cathy Minehan, Boston Fed Bank, 9 Sep
SPEECH - In a speech Minehan said U.S. interest rates are low enough to stimulate the economy and bolster consumer spending in a "slow" recovery from recession. "This recovery will stay the course, however bumpy that might be right now," Minehan said to…
Speech by H Kohler, Managing Director, IMF, 10 Sep
SPEECH - In a speech titled 'Japan and the IMF - 50 Years of Economic Progress and International Leadership' Kohler said there are welcome signs that Japan may at last be emerging from recession. But the consensus among forecasters is that the recovery…
Speech by H Kohler, Managing Director, IMF, 10 Sep
SPEECH - Opening Remarks for a Press Conference on Japan by Horst Kohler, Managing Director, International Monetary Fund, Imperial Hotel, Tokyo, 10 September. Symposium to Commemorate the 50th Anniversary of Japan's Membership in the International…
Deutsche Bundesbank Monthly Report, August 2002
REPORT - Germany's central bank, on 11 September published its Monthly Report for August 2002. The Bundesbank finds that although the global economic recovery continued at a moderate pace in the second quarter, the outlook for the coming months has…
ECB Press Release, 12 Sep
PRESS RELEASE - Monetary policy decisions, 12 September.
ECB Press Conference, 12 Sep
PRESS CONFERENCE - Introductory statement by Willem F. Duisenberg, President of the European Central Bank, Lucas Papademos, Vice-President of the European Central Bank, Frankfurt, 12 September 2002. At today's meeting Duisenberg said the Governing…
Trinidad and Tobago reports slower economic growth
TRINIDAD - The central bank has reported a deceleration in economic growth so far this year, saying in its September report this was due to a contraction in the non-energy sectors.
Report claims the euro may cause skin allergy
SWITZERLAND - Euro coins give some people a skin rash and a group of Swiss scientists have just released their research findings as to why this happens.
Exports provide a boost to Japanese economy
JAPAN - The Japanese government on Wednesday confirmed that the country emerged from a year of economic recession in the April-June period by making a slight upward revision to second-quarter gross domestic product figures.
Greenspan says U.S. weathered several blows
US - Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan told Congress on Thursday that a year after the terrorist attacks, the U.S. economy appears to have done a good job of withstanding a series of severe blows, "although the depressing effects still linger."
Fed's beige book confirms US economy sluggish
US - The Federal Reserve's beige book published Wednesday offered support from the central bank's districts that the economy is in a lacklustre phase of recovery, and may imply no change in interest rates at the Fed's next policy meeting.
Articles from the Federal Reserve Bulletin
PUBLICATION - Retail Fees of Depository Institutions, 1997-2001, by Timothy H. Hannan in the Federal Reserve Bulletin, September 2002. Since 1990, the Federal Reserve Board has reported annually on changes in the availability of retail banking services…
Speech by M Moskow, President, Chicago Fed, 9 Sep
SPEECH - In a speech titled 'Open Markets and Expanded Trade' Moskow said "the road to recovery is turning out to be bumpy". He also said that "the Fed cannot, and should not, try to smooth out every bump. Monetary policy is simply not capable of doing…
Reserve Bank of India Press Release
PRESS RELEASE - Dr. Rakesh Mohan takes over as RBI Deputy Governor, 9 September.
IMF's Kohler says crisis advice is now more humble
US - The managing director of the International Monetary Fund, Horst Kohler, said Tuesday that the IMF had "a lot to learn" about preventing financial crises.
Ministers see tough few months ahead for eurozone
DENMARK - European Union finance ministers ended talks in Copenhagen at the weekend contemplating a fraught few months for the eurozone economy.
Bank of Uganda head rebuffs banking crisis rumour
UGANDA - Bank of Uganda Governor Emmanuel Tumusiime Mutebile has firmly quashed rumours that the banking sector might again be in crisis.
Bomb blast outside Turkey's central bank
TURKEY - An explosion occurred in front of office of the central bank in the Fatih district of Istanbul at about 1140 pm on Tuesday.
Thailand's MPC leave interest rates steady
THAILAND - The Monetary Policy Committee on Tuesday left short-term interest rates unchanged, but said it would lean toward future rate cuts if overseas risks increased.
Venezuelan central bank rejects gov't criticism
VENEZUELA - The Central Bank of Venezuela (BCV) has said that it will continue its monetary policy despite criticism from the government and warned about the negative consequences a confrontation of positions would have on the exchange market.
Speech by U Backstrom of Sveriges Riksbank, 5 Sep
SPEECH - In the speech titled 'In the wake of financial turmoil' Backstrom said that the events to do with WorldCom and Enron are a part of a broader context and are directly connected with the recent years' stock-market bubble. But at a deeper level he…