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Singapore's central bank profits more than tripled
The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), the country's central bank, announced on 25 July that its profits more than tripled in the fiscal year through March 2007. This huge increase was due to higher interest payments and gains from asset markets that…
Polish rates stay at 4.5% as expected
Poland's central bank kept interest rates unchanged at its meeting on 25 July. The halt in monetary tightening comes after two rises in the three previous months raised rates to 4.5%.
ECB Monthly Bulletin - July
An article interpreting monetary developments in the eurozone since mid-2004 is a timely addition to July's bulletin which shows M3 growth surging above 10% on all measures.
Dr Zeti on building Malaysia's banks
Dr Zeti Akhtar Aziz, the governor of Malaysia's central bank, sets out how Malaysia's banking system must look to develop amidst a changing financial landscape.
Macao - annual report 2006
Improved economic performance saw the island's credit rating lifted from stable to positive, notes the central bank's annual report.
Fed's role in output volatility
This working paper by the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago examines the contribution of monetary policy to the drop in the volatility of output fluctuations in the United States. The author finds that in three periods in particular - the 1960's, 1976 to…
Australia's Stevens warns on CDOs
Glenn Stevens, the governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia, has warned that the country's local government bodies may have invested in collateralised debt obligations (CDOs) without understanding their risks.
Philippines to ease rules on bank investments
Amando Tetangco, governor of the central bank of the Philippines, has said rules concerning bank investments in overseas assets are to be eased.
Monetary policy announcement delayed by Zimbabwe
The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe has announced that it is indefinitely postponing its mid-year monetary policy statement, originally due next week. The central bank said it needed more time to analyse the implications of price controls imposed by the…
Malaysia leaves overnight rate unchanged
The monetary policy committee of Bank Negara Malaysia, the country's central bank, announced today that it has left its overnight policy rate unchanged at 3.5%.
Nepal's cb outlines policy strategy
The Nepal Rastra Bank, the country's central bank, has published details of its policy strategy for the current fiscal year. The central bank says policy will aim to keep inflation under 5% without any change in the compulsory cash ration or the bank…
India proposes regulation of moneylenders
A panel set up by the Reserve Bank of India, the country's central bank, has published proposals for legislation which would regulate unauthorised moneylenders. These can charge annual interest rates of up to 150% to farmers and other borrowers.
Gieve warns of losing inflation battle
John Gieve, a deputy governor at the Bank of England, has warned that the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) could lose the battle against inflation if it took a more gradual approach to raising interest rates.
Post-bubble monetary policy in Japan - paper
A new paper from the Bank of Japan's IMES looks at the the monetary-poicy decsions made in the 1990s as Japan's economy reeled from collapses in propoerty and stock prices.
Introducing Islamic banks - IMF paper
This paper looks at how Islamic financial institutions have been introduced in "conventional" financial systems.
Ingves on how to regulate cross-border banks
Stefan Ingves, the governor of the Riksbank, set out the challenges authorities face in regulating increasingly integrated financial markets.
China's economy not overheating - official
Yao Jingyuan, the chief economist of China's National Bureau of Statistics, says the country's economy is not overheating. Yoa says economic efficiency is improving and "the economic structure is being optimised."
Hungary keeps rates on hold - as expected
As expected by analysts the National Bank of Hungary, the country's central bank, kept its policy rate unchanged today at 7.75% after its monthly review of interest rates.
Inflation spike expected in Sri Lanka
The Central Bank of Sri Lanka has warned of higher inflation in July, indicating that the important Colombo Consumer Price Index is set to spike again.
Papademos sees increased European potential growth
Lucas Papademos, the vice president of the European Central Bank (ECB), says that some countries in the eurozone have recently seen productivity-driven increases in their potential growth rate.
Economic activity up - Chicago Fed
The National Activity Index for the United States, published today by the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, was 0.11 in June compared with -0.32 in May.
Bank of Israel closes "interest rate gap"
The Bank of Israel has announced an interest rate increase of 25 basis points. The hike, which takes rates to 3.75%, was somewhat unexpected as most observers expected rates to remain unchanged.
Yam on Hong Kong's new polymer note
In his weekly column, the HKMA's chief executive, Joseph Yam, lists the reasons why the central bank is trialing a $10 polymer note and what results it is looking for.
Sri Lanka's monetary policy review
The Central Bank of Sri Lanka's tight monetary policy has been vindicated as inflation decelerated to 13%, although rises in administrative prices meant there was a risk this could be reversed.