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Fed's Bies says bad mortgage debt not problem
Federal Reserve governor Susan Bies said in a speech Tuesday 20 February the bulk of the mortgage market was not troubled by bad debt problems, which were concentrated in the subprime, tarnished-credit sector.
SNB's Roth says rates not high enough yet
Swiss National Bank (SNB) chairman Jean-Pierre Roth said in an interview published Wednesday 21 February that Switzerland's current interest rate level is still not high enough to guarantee price stability in the medium-term.
Minutes show 7-2 split on BoE rate vote
The Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee voted by a 7-to-2 margin to keep its benchmark rate unchanged at 5.25 pct at its meeting earlier this month, minutes showed Wednesday 21 February.
Bank of Japan to keep 'accommodative' policy
Bank of Japan governor Toshihiko Fukui said Wednesday 21 February it will maintain its "accommodative" monetary policy for some time, after voting to raise interest rates.
BoC's Jenkins on the Bank of Canada Act
In a speech given on 20 February Paul Jenkins of the Bank of Canada said in terms of openness and transparency, in many ways, the importance of these issues goes to the heart of our main responsibility: the conduct of monetary policy.
Chicago Fed National Activity Index, January 2007
The Chicago Fed National Activity Index for January 2007, published 20 February, was -0.74 in January, down from +0.36 in December. The production and employment indicators showed the most significant change from the previous month, although all four…
RBA's Stevens on the Australian economy
In a speech to the House of Representatives given on 21 February Glenn Stevens of the RBA said it is more likely that interest rates will rise than fall although the central bank is more comfortable with the outlook for inflation than it was six months…
Bank of Japan faces hard decision on interest rate
According to this article from MarketWatch, published Tuesday 20 February, the Bank of Japan will have a hard decision to make on interest rates at the conclusion of its policy meeting Wednesday.
ECB's Tumpel-Gugerell still sees SEPA from Jan 08
European Central Bank board member Gertrude Tumpel-Gugerell said Tuesday 20 February the plan for a single euro payments area (SEPA) is still on track to begin operations from 1 Jan next year, despite disputes over organising cross-border operations.
Tarisa says BOT aiming to convert to bank deposits
Bank of Thailand governor Tarisa Watanagase said Tuesday 20 February the central bank will not need to issue the same number of bonds as it did in the past once it is authorised by a new law that will allow it to take deposits from commercial banks.
Omi says BoJ should support growth
Japanese finance minister Koji Omi told parliament on Tuesday 20 February that the Bank of Japan's monetary policy should support economic growth, as it prepares to start a two- day meeting to decide interest rates.
GCC chiefs to meet in April - report
Governors of Gulf Arab central banks will meet on April 3 and 4 in Saudi Arabia to discuss plans for monetary union and other issues, an official at the United Arab Emirates central bank was quoted Tuesday 20 February by Reuters.
Ex BoJ's Fujiwara says rate rise needed
The Bank of Japan should raise interest rates before the current rock-bottom rates trigger an asset bubble in the economy, a former BOJ deputy governor said on Monday 19 February in an interview with Reuters.
Key US Democrat warns on inflation target idea
It would be a "terrible mistake" for the U.S. Federal Reserve to adopt any form of inflation target to guide policy, a senior Democratic lawmaker was quoted as telling the Financial Times on Tuesday 19 February.
MAS's Kiang on recent financial developments
In the speech 'Brief review of recent financial and economic developments in Singapore' given on 13 February Lim Hng Kiang of the Monetary Authority of Singapore said Singapore, being at the heart of Asia, provides global financial institutions a unique…
BoE paper on Asia's choice of exchange rate regime
In the Bank of England Working Paper "Does Asia's choice of exchange rate regime affect Europe's exposure to US shocks?" the authors use a stylised three-country model to analyse how the transmission of US shocks to Europe might be affected by Asia's…
ECB paper on emerging market economies
The ECB Working Paper "What drives business cycles and international trade in emerging market economies?" investigates the role of domestic and external factors in explaining business cycle and international trade developments in fifteen emerging market…
Deutsche Bundesbank Monthly Report, January 2007
The Deutsche Bundesbank published the English version of its January 2007 Monthly Report on Monday 19 February. The report said the German economic recovery continued in the fourth quarter of 2006.
IMF's Rato on reform in Latin America
In the speech 'The way forward for reform in Latin America' given on 16 February Rodrigo de Rato of the IMF said Latin America's drift to the political left suggests voters are uncertain, and in some cases dissatisfied, with their economies.
Central banks face rising pressure from politician
According to this article published on the International Herald Tribune's website on Monday 19 February, political pressure is intensifying on central banks.
Libya, Tunisia sign currency agreement
Libya and Tunisia have signed a currency exchange agreement of the Libyan and Tunisian dinar.
Volcker says surging inflation in India worrying
India's surging inflation was a matter of concern but the Reserve Bank's monetary response to the issue was on track, renowned economist Paul Volcker said on Sunday 18 February.
Bank of England ready for 'more turbulent times'
The Bank of England said Monday 19 February it will be able to keep inflation under control even if inflation becomes more unpredictable than during the past decade.
PBOC raises bank reserve requirement again
The People's Bank of China said Friday 16 February it has raised bank reserve requirements, with effect from 25 February.