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SNB see profit fall on gold price, US $
The Swiss National Bank (SNB) has reported an annual net profit of 12.8 bln sfr for the full year 2005, compared to 21.6 bln sfr a year earlier due to the sharp rise in both the gold price and the US dollar.
Iraq seeking $40bn GCC debt relief
Iraq's central bank chief has said he hopes the Gulf GCC countries will follow the example of other states and give Iraq 'generous treatment' over debt cancellation.
Barker: BoE's growth forecast may be optimistic
Monetary Policy Committee member Kate Barker has warned that UK economic growth may fall short of the Bank of England's forecasts, UK daily the Guardian reported.
Buba's Weber says ECB 'ready to act' on rates
The European Central Bank is ready to act again any time if necessary on interest rates in the eurozone, Bundesbank chief Axel Weber said in a newspaper interview.
Trichet renews call for eurozone reforms
Jean-Claude Trichet, president of the European Central Bank, urged euro zone governments to speed up structural reforms of their labour markets and welfare systems, telling a conference in Davos on Saturday that it was the best way to ensure economic…
Russia-Belarus to have common currency from 2008
Russia and Belarus will have a common currency starting from 1 January 2008, representatives of the Interbank Currency Council said on Friday.
Central Bank of Ireland, Quarterly Bulletin 1/2006
The Central Bank and Financial Services Authority of Ireland published its First Quarterly Bulletin for 2006 on 27 January. The Bulletin reports that the outlook for the Irish economy remains good.
IMF's Rajan on perspectives on global imbalances
In the speech 'Perspectives on global imbalances' given on 23 January Raghuram Rajan of the IMF called on the US to cut its fiscal deficit to help counteract global imbalances.
Comment: Talking points in January
January has been an eventful month in central banking circles. Debate intensified at the Federal Reserve and the Bank of Japan over their monetary policy frameworks, while the Bank of Italy and the State Bank of Pakistan saw new governors taking office…
Barbados's Williams on foreign exchange reserves
In the speech 'Foreign exchange reserves - how much is enough?' given on 2 November Marion Williams of the Central Bank of Barbados said we need to develop new measures of foreign exchange adequacy, with some urgency, before we can draw conclusions as to…
Fed will raise rates as Bernanke waits
The pending change in the chairmanship of the Federal Reserve won't stop the FOMC raising US interest rates by a quarter point when they meet on 31 Jan for the 14th consecutive meeting, according to this article published on Tuesday 24 January.
Bank of Thailand - Annual Report 2004
The Thai economy grew by 6.1 percent in 2004, decelerating slightly from 6.9 percent growth in 2003, due to the slowdown in domestic demand especially in private consumption and private investment, according to the Bank of Thailand's Annual Report 2004.
Bush nominates two to Fed board
The White House announced on Friday 27 January it was nominating Randall Kroszner and Kevin Warsh to fill two vacancies on the Federal Reserve's seven-member board of governors.
Gulf seminar warns of monetary policy risks
A four-day regional seminar on 'monetary operations and liquidity management' in Muscat, Oman, has cautioned Gulf central banks against risks and challenges involved in monetary operations.
Zhou says dollar weighting less than 50%
The weighting of the dollar in China's currency basket used as a reference to value the yuan is "much less than 50 percent," according to the People's Bank of China governor.
Slovakia's Sramko named central banker of 2006
The governor of the Central Bank of Slovakia, Ivan Sramko, has been named as The Banker magazine's its Central Banker of the Year for 2006.
Officials warn Japan's deflation not yet over
Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said on Friday 27 January that although the key CPI rose for the second straight month in December, the country's economy has not yet emerged from deflation.
Takeuchi to join BOJ board - report
World Bank economist Sawako Takeuchi has been named as the likely replacement for Miyako Suda on the Bank of Japan's board.
Report says CB gold sales won't meet quota
HSBC analyst Alan Williamson told Dow Jones on Friday 27 January that European central banks are highly unlikely to sell the total 2,500 tons of gold allowed under the current agreement.
Greenspan receives Dept of Defense medal
Outgoing Federal Reserve chairman, Alan Greenspan, was presented with the Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service by US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld on Monday 23 January.
Comment: Greenspan's legacy
As the curtains are drawn on the Alan Greenspan era at the Federal Reserve, the debate over whether or not the Fed should have increased interest rates to curb asset bubbles rages on. This debate misses the extent to which the Fed's actions may have…
RBI's Reddy on the role of accountants
In the speech 'Role of accountants in fostering economic growth' given on 19 January Dr YV Reddy of the Reserve Bank of India said the relationship between the RBI and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India has been mutually reinforcing, where…
Bank of Canada Monetary Policy Report Update
The Bank of Canada released its January 2006 Monetary Policy Report Update on 26 January. The Canadian and world economies are evolving essentially in line with the Bank's expectations, and the outlook for growth and inflation in Canada is similar to…
So much forex reserve, is it a blessing?
After recent figures showed China is not far behind Japan, the world's largest holder of foreign exchange reserves, this article published on Thursday 26 January asks: is it a blessing to have such an enormous forex reserve?