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Comment: Governments eye foreign reserves
Two dimensions of official sector reserves receive a lot of attention in the press, in policy circles and from market analysts: foreign reserves held by central banks and public pension funds.
Academics discuss East Asian Monetary Union
Academics meeting on Friday 19 August called for Asian nations to set up a regional cooperative body similar to the EU and adopt a common East Asian currency.
Govt won't seek Fazio resignation - minister
The Italian government will not seek the resignation of central bank governor, Antonio Fazio, despite pressures for his removal because of his opposition to the takeover of two Italian banks by foreign companies, a minister was reported as saying by a…
Bank of Canada's speech for 25 August cancelled
A speech that Bank of Canada deputy governor Sheryl Kennedy was due to give in New Brunswick on 25 August has been cancelled, the central bank said on Thursday 19 August.
China appoints new central bank vice governor
Hu Xiaolian has been appointed vice governor of the People's Bank of China (PBOC) by China's State Council, the cabinet, according to the official Xinhua news agency.
Robbery! Brazil's central bank loses $68m
How do you lose $68m? The central bank of Brazil is asking itself the same question after thieves tunnelled in to bank and made this massive withdrawal.
Kidnap! Iraq's central bank manager seized
Gunmen have kidnapped the general manager of the Central Bank of Iraq in front of his home in eastern Baghdad, state-owned television reported.
Modest pay, one term 'best' for central bankers
A new study says that Europe's central bank chiefs should receive only modest pay and serve just a single term in office to avoid self interest creeping into interest rate decisions. It also found that limited terms and confidential interest rate…
Argentina's central bank deputy dismissed
Argentine President Nestor Kirchner has removed central bank vice-president Ricardo Branda from office. Branda is under formal investigation for alleged corruption.
China's 'visionary' Zhou leads yuan float push
An article published on Wednesday 17 August looks at People's Bank of China governor Zhou Xiaochuan in depth. He was a visionary on yuan reform long before it became a global issue, it says, and moved steadily up the banking and finance hierarchy through…
Italy's Fazio to quit, but may take a while
An article published this week says Bank of Italy Governor Antonio Fazio will eventually yield to the relentless pressure on him to resign, but it may not happen for some time. One reform that seems almost sure to emerge from the affair is the…
Greenspan's marriage proposal - 'so oblique'
A recent interview with Fed chairman Alan Greenspan's wife revealed a few details on the maestro.
Kohn to replace Gramlich on loan guarantee boards
Federal Reserve Board Chairman Alan Greenspan on Wednesday 17 August named Governor Donald L. Kohn to replace Governor Edward M. Gramlich as the Chairman's designee on four federal loan guarantee boards, effective 1 September.
Reddy on micro-finance: RBI's approach
In the speech 'Micro-Finance: Reserve Bank's approach' given on 6 August YV Reddy of the RBI said that we, in India, have to focus on extending financial services in both rural and urban areas for ensuring financial inclusion of all segments of the…
ECB behind BoE, Fed on clarity; must reveal more
This article published on Thursday 18 August reveals the results of a poll of economists and academics who were asked to compare the ECB with the Bank of England, U.S. Federal Reserve and Bank of Japan for clarity of communication.
Pricking a housing bubble, Australian style
Reserve Bank of Australia governor Ian Macfarlane has declared victory in the fight to deflate one of the world's most obvious housing bubbles, according to this article published on Wednesday 17 August. In fact, he is so confident he has succeeded that…
Philadelphia Fed Business Outlook Survey, Aug 2005
According to the firms surveyed for the Philadelphia Fed's Business Outlook Survey, August 2005, activity in the region's manufacturing sector continued to expand in August, at a somewhat faster pace than in July.
Bank of Canada Review, Summer 2005
The Bank of Canada published its Review for Summer 2005 on 18 August. The Review contains three articles including "Estimating the impact of monetary policy surprises on fixed-income markets" and "Recent trends in Canadian defined-benefit pension sector…
Comment: Views on King's gambit
Here is a roundup comments on the Bank of England's publication of the minutes of the latest MPC meeting, which revealed that, for the first time in the committee's history, the governor voted with the minority (see yesterday's CentralBankNet).
Copom holds Selic at 19.75% with no bias
The monetary policy committee of the Brazilian central bank announced Wednesday 17 August after its two-day meeting that, as expected, it is holding Selic (base rate) unchanged at 19.75% annually with no bias.
Growth rate in Korea at second-lowest: ADB
Korea's economic growth rate for 2006 will be the second-lowest out of a dozen Asian economies, the Asia Development Bank predicted in a report.
Serb central bank upbeat on IMF warning
Radovan Jelasic, governor of Serbia's central bank, predicted on Tuesday 16 August that the government would react positively to warnings from the International Monetary Fund that its loan arrangement was in jeopardy.
Iran and Bahrain link ATM systems
The Iranian ATM system has been connected to that of Bahrain, allowing the customers of Bahraini banks to use the ATM machines in Iran and vice versa.
RBA could hold meetings 'every two months'
The Reserve Bank of Australia could meet every second month, rather than holding the current monthly monetary policy meetings, a former central bank board member said.