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Sri Lankan president says rupee float was timely
President Chandrika Kumaratunga said on Jan 28, 2001, the flotation of the Sri Lankan rupee helped avert a possible economic crisis and added there would be an intervention if the currency fell too steeply. Speaking on a Sinhalese-language television…
Mauritanian govt reshuffled, new cbank governor
The Mauritanian president decreed a partial government reshuffle on Jan. 28, 2001, in which the central bank governor, Mohfoudh Ould Mohamed Ali, was appointed finance minister. According to Mauritanian TV on the night of Jan. 28, the new central bank…
IMF to cut world growth forecast sharply
The deputy head of the International Monetary Fund said on Jan. 27, 2001, the IMF may cut its 2001 world growth forecast to around 3.5 percent from 4.2 percent and warned Japan had little scope to spur growth soon. Stanley Fischer, first deputy managing…
Russia cbank chief sees few results from IMF visit
Russia's central bank chief said on Jan. 27, 2000, he expected little from a visit to Moscow by an IMF mission next week, although agreement with the Fund is needed for Russia to start restructuring talks with the Paris Club. He also saw no reason why…
Dutch cbank scores high in research
The 12 central banks which make up the European central banking system should compete more among themselves. And improvement of each bank's research team will increase the influence of the president of the relevant bank, according to Sylvester Eijffinger…
Bank of Thailand, TRT at loggerheads on bank rules
The Bank of Thailand (BOT) insists that it will not lower the minimum average-weighted capital-adequacy ratio which financial institutions are required to maintain - currently 8.5 per cent of risk assets - even though the incoming government is calling…
Brash -Svensson report due 'within next few weeks'
A New Zealand government-appointed independent review into the country's monetary policy making will publish its findings within a few weeks, Reserve Bank Governor Don Brash said on Jan. 26, 2001.The one-man review is being conducted by Lars Svensson,…
Czech house wants cbank aim cut from constitution
The lower house of the Czech parliament agreed on Jan. 26, 2001, to cut the central bank's policy aim out of the constitution, a part of a wider revamp of central bank laws by the country's two main parties.But the constitutional amendment is expected to…
Cyprus cbank leaves base rate unchanged at 7.0 pct
Cyprus's central bank left its key interest rate steady at 7.0 percent at a board meeting on Jan. 26 as expected, a senior manager said. "The board of the central bank decided to adopt the recommendation of the monetary advisory committee to leave the…
Cyprus angered at Yugo claim on Milosevic cash
One-time Serbian ally Cyprus on Jan. 26 angrily rejected assertions that it was not co-operating with inquiries to track down funds siphoned overseas by former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic.Cypriot Foreign Minister Ioannis Cassoulides said he had…
Macedonia central bank intervenes to prop denar
The National Bank of Macedonia (NBM) said on Jan. 26, 2001, it will begin intervention on the domestic foreign exchange market, selling marks to meet surging demand which has eroded the national currency, the denar. "The denar came under pressure from…
Riksbank new board member is economist, ex-MEP
Kristina Persson, an economist and former MEP, was appointed on Jan. 26, 2001, to fill a vacant seat on the Swedish Riksbank central bank's seven-member board of governors, which sets monetary policy, the bank said. Persson, 55, who has worked at the…
Mexico Ortiz sees 2001 inflation 6.5% despite VAT
Official Mexican inflation targets for 2001 won't be changed whatever the impact of a value-added tax to be imposed shortly on certain goods, central bank governor Guillermo Ortiz said Jan. 26, 2001. Mexico is to impose VAT on food and medicines by an…
Fraga says Brazil not that affected by US slowdown
A slowdown in the U.S. economy won't have a major impact on Brazil, in part because of the diversity of Brazil's export markets, central bank governor Arminio Fraga said Jan. 26. "Scenarios of economic deceleration, without a major crisis or anything…
Egypt money market authority on falling shares
Commenting on the fall in stock prices during the year 2000, an Egyptian official has said that despite the decline, bills and bonds portfolios had achieved a substantial growth rate. He explained that stock prices had fallen because of the negative…
ECB rates on hold for now, Fed moves key - Welteke
The European Central Bank's interest rate policy is on hold for the time being, though another sharp cut from the U.S. Federal Reserve would force European policymakers to carefully assess their stance, Bundesbank President ECB board member Ernst Welteke…
Monetary mechanism in a high inflation environment
A new discuussion paper from the Research Department of the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey examines the basic features of the monetary transmission mechanism in Turkey.
BoJ Gov dismissed worries over financial stability
Bank of Japan Governor Masaru Hayami has downplayed concerns that the country's financial stability could be put at risk by falling stock prices. Speaking on Jan. 25 at the Upper House audit committee, the central bank chief said, "there is no need to be…
Ex-BOJ Wakatsuki - No return to zero rates
The Bank of Japan (BOJ) is likely to keep the key short-term rate target at 0.25 percent for some time, and a return to providing free money was improbable, former BOJ director Mikio Wakatsuki said on Jan. 25. "I think the BOJ will keep the key short…
Zambia economy on mend,2000 growth seen near 4%
Zambia's economy is on the mend after a strong showing by the key mining sector late last year, and is likely to show growth approaching the government's four percent target for 2000, analysts said on Jan. 25.
Indonesia plans talks with IMF, World Bank
Indonesia will hold talks with top IMF and World bank officials during the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos to determine if it can secure funds to help prop up its shattered economy. Chief economics minister Rizal Ramli is due to meet World Bank chief…