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Lull in hostile criticisms from politicians
The New Year seems to have started on an unusually harmonious note as far as relations between central banks and politicians are concerned. With policy interest rates on hold in the UK and euro areas, and perhaps soon to reach a plateau in the US,…
Serbia's National Bank vice-governor arrested
Serbian police have arrested the vice-governor of Serbia's National Bank, Dejan Simic, on suspicion of taking bribes, Mina news agency reported.
Unipol considers appeal
The European Commission said it has not yet received a reply from the Italian authorities regarding its legal action against Italy over the involvement of its central bank in the takeover battle for Banca Antonveneta SpA. And Unipol was reported to be…
Japan economy minister says leave BOJ alone
Japan's economic and financial services minister, in an interview with the FT, called on senior government officials to stop hassling the Bank of Japan over its monetary policy.
Venezuela sees reserves up by 25 percent
Venezuela closed the 2005 fiscal year with foreign reserves above US$ 30.3 billion, the third highest in Latin America, according to a report authored by Aristimuo Herrera & Asociados.
Trichet says ECB's message well understood
European Central Bank president Jean-Claude Trichet told a press conference Thursday 12 January that market expectations for further interest rate hikes show that the ECB's position has been well understood.
How long can BoU reserves go without aid?
This article published on Wednesday 11 January asks how big are the Bank of Uganda's reserves? And how far can the country run until the financial tank shows 'empty?'
NY Fed's Geithner on U.S. monetary policy
In the speech 'Some perspectives on U.S. monetary policy' given on 11 January Timothy Geithner of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York said the rise and fall of asset prices such as stocks, bonds and homes will probably play a bigger role in setting U.S…
Ferguson's banking expertise may aid Bernanke
Although Ben Bernanke will take the reins of the U.S. economy when he takes over as chairman of the Federal Reserve next month; Roger Ferguson may be the one holding the reins of the Fed itself, this article published on Wednesday 10 January suggests.
Fixing the RBI`s own monetary policy
This article published on Thursday 12 January says the Reserve Bank of India has an absurd officer-to-staff ratio and poor salary structures. And the staffing structure is lopsided in favour of non-officers, it says.
Asian FX surge eases tightening need
Central banks in Asia could be starting to reap the benefits from a recent surge in regional currencies, according to this article published on Thursday 12 January, by possibly tightening monetary policy less than previously thought.
Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe - Annual Report 2004
The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe's Annual Report 2004 notes the urgent need to address the serious macro-economic imbalances, which had permeated the economy.
Deutsche Bundesbank Monthly Report, December 2005
The Deutsche Bundesbank published the English version of its December 2005 Monthly Report on 10 January. The German central bank said the construction industry may have stabilized in the last few months after declining in the past few years.
Regulators should not be competition authorities
Does the Bank of Italy's rejection of the takeover bid for Banca Nazionale de Lavoro by Italian insurer Unipol mean that the Italian authorities have stopped protecting the Italian banking system?
Bank of Italy rejects Unipol bid
The Bank of Italy said on Tuesday 10 January it had rejected insurer Unipol's 5 billion euro ($6 billion) bid for BNL. The move marks the second domestic bank takeover offer to fail following the financial scandal that tarnished Italy's image.
Latin American monetary policy reform in the 90's
The Central Bank of Chile Working Paper "The 1990's institutional reform of monetary policy in Latin America," published December 2005, takes stock of the institutional reform of monetary policy in Latin America since the early 1990s.
St Louis Fed's Regional Economist, January 2006
The Regional Economist, January 2006 edition, from the St Louis Fed includes the article "A lesson in productivity for higher ed". College tuition has increased dramatically over the past decade, yet few think the quality of graduates has kept up…
Deutsche Bundesbank Monthly Report, November 2005
The Deutsche Bundesbank published the English version of its November 2005 Monthly Report on 20 December. The German central bank said it still expects GDP to grow around 1 pct this year following a faster-than-expected rise in the third-quarter…
Analysts sceptical over central bank gold buying
Central banks are unlikely to rush to diversify their reserves into gold in the near future due to the lengthy decision-making process and small size of the bullion market, Reuters said in a report.
Ukraine's reserves more than double in 2005
The gross foreign reserves of the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) grew 2.04 times in 2005 - from $9.5249 billion to $19.39476 billion.
Bernanke Senate vote expected by 31 Jan
The full US Senate will vote on whether to confirm Ben Bernanke as the next Federal Reserve chairman by the end of January, a spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist said on Tuesday 10 January.
Vietnam sets up anti-counterfeit money section
The State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) has set up an anti-counterfeit money section to protect the Vietnamese dong and raise public awareness of how to recognise counterfeit money, said an SBV official.
IMF's Rato welcomes Brazil's economic progress
Rodrigo de Rato, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund said on Tuesday 10 January that since his last visit in September 2004, the Brazilian economy has continued to make remarkable progress.
IMF's Rajan on global current account imbalances
In the speech 'Financial system reform and global current account imbalances' given on 8 January Raghuram Rajan of the IMF said China is reaching important cross-roads and must speed up financial sector reform.