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BOJ official sees steady progress on deflation
Japan is making steady progress in its fight against deflation as consumer prices appear set to keep rising amid a balanced economic recovery, a senior Bank of Japan official said Friday 6 January.
Bundesbank rejects report of 1,500 job cuts
The German government is planning to cut about 1,500 jobs at the Bundesbank by the end of 2007, Der Spiegel magazine reported, quoting a letter Barbara Hendricks, secretary of state to the finance ministry, sent to Volker Wissing, a member of the lower…
Interview with Hans Tietmeyer
Former Bundesbank president Hans Tietmeyer said in comments published Friday 6 January, that it's too early to pass final judgment on the legacy passed down by Alan Greenspan. "He is an impressive personality. He is open to debate. You can use all…
Argentina's Kirchner replaces Lavagna
Argentine President Nestor Kirchner yesterday replaced Economy Minister Roberto Lavagna on Monday 2 January following disagreements between the two with regard to inflation.
Asian FX intervention may have less bite this time
Asian central banks have made it clear they are not happy with a surge in their currencies as 2006 gets under way, this article published on Friday 6 January notes.
Are we headed toward one world currency?
This article published on Friday 6 January suggests that we are unlikely to see one world currency in our lifetimes, but that we may see a new currency zone develop in China.
Bernanke may have to grow up fast
Alan Greenspan's first major test came a mere 10 weeks into his tenure as chairman of the Federal Reserve, with the stock market crash of 1987. This article published on Wednesday 4 January looks at the challenges that could face Ben Bernanke when he…
Interview with ECB president Jean-Claude Trichet
In recent comments European Central Bank president Jean-Claude Trichet said that monetary policy "cannot resolve all problems by itself". "We need profound structural reforms to increase our growth potential", Trichet warned.
First woman takes over as SBP chief
The first woman ever to be appointed as the governor of the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) took up her position on Monday 2 January.
Euro 'War of the words' continues
Latvia has poured oil on the fire in the standoff over the Eurozone common currency spelling (EURO) and supported Malta for sticking to its principles in wanting to use the spelling which is correct according to its national language.
IMF's Rato to visit Brazil on January 10-11
Rodrigo de Rato, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, will visit Brazil on January 10-11, 2006, at the invitation of the President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva to mark the nation's early repayment of its outstanding obligations to the Fund.
Atlanta Fed names vice president
John Robertson was named vice president at the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta on Tuesday 3 January.
Fed may take pass at Jan. 31 meeting
According to this article published on Thursday 5 January, there's an outside chance the Federal Reserve could pass on raising rates on 31 January following 25-basis-point moves at each of the last 13 meetings. The next move skywards would put the Fed's…
Muto: Price stability, central bank responsibility
In the speech 'Price stability and central banks' responsibility' given on 2 December (published 29 December) Toshiro Muto of the Bank of Japan said he holds a different view from other central bank policymakers who say the bank should end its ultra-easy…
Norges Bank, Economic Bulletin, December 2005
Norges Bank, the central bank of Norway, has published its December 2005 Economic Bulletin. The latest Bulletin includes the article "Norges Bank's role in cash distribution" the major changes Norges Bank has made in its cash operations during the past…
Danmarks Nationalbank, Monetary Review 4th Q 2005
The Danmarks Nationalbank's Monetary Review for the Fourth Quarter 2005 notes that even though oil prices are very high, momentum in the global economy remains robust.
PBOC pledges continued improvement on ex rate
The People's Bank of China disclosed the macro-control goals for its monetary policy in 2006 on Thursday 5 January. China's SAFE also revealed plans "to actively explore ways of investing foreign exchange more efficiently".
Study shows Fed deflation tools can work
The Federal Reserve has several ways to boost the economy even if official U.S. interest rates were ever to hit zero, but the public needs to understand them to make them effective, a new Fed study shows.
ECB misses inflation target
The European Central Bank failed to hit its inflation target for the sixth year running last year, according to figures from Eurostat.
Spain sees risk to economy of house price fall
The risk of a sharp fall in house prices is increasing and could put a brake on Spain's robust economic growth, the Bank of Spain's governor said in a report published on the bank's website.
Constancio says no specific ECB rate rises planned
The European Central Bank has no specific plans for future monetary policy changes, ECB Governing Council member Vitor Constancio of Portugal said on Wednesday 4 January.
Fed Reserve Bank of St Louis Review, Jan/Feb 2006
The latest edition of the St Louis Fed's Review for Jan/Feb 2006 includes the article "The Fed's monetary policy rule" by William Poole. The article "Are the causes of bank distress changing? Can researchers keep up?" says that since 1990, the banking…
Switzerland gives ECB a lesson on interest rates
According to this article published on 28 December, it's only four hours on the train from the ECB's Frankfurt headquarters down to Zurich - yet it provides a very different brand of central banking.
ECB paper on the new Basel capital framework
The ECB Occasional Paper "The New Basel Capital Framework and its implementation in the European Union" published December 2005 gives an overview of the main issues that relate to the EU implementation, mainly from the perspectives of financial stability…