Central Banking staff
Follow Central Banking
Articles by Central Banking staff
IMF paper on emerging bond markets
The IMF Working Paper "The impact of macroeconomic announcements on emerging market bonds" examines how emerging bond markets react to macroeconomic announcements.
IMF's Krueger on macro policies for EU accession
In the speech 'Macroeconomic policies for EU accession' given on 6 May Anne Krueger of the IMF said the turnaround in Turkey's economic performance has been remarkable. There is every reason to expect further rapid growth, sustainable over a long period.
Iran's central bank independece not in sight
Independence for the Central Bank of Iran is unlikely to take place any time soon, according to a government minister.
Hong Kong foreign currency reserves increase
Hong Kong's foreign currency reserve assets stood at 122.6 bln usd at end-April, up from 122.4 bln at the end of March, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) said.
China ready for currency flexibility says US
US Treasury Secretary John Snow said "now is the time" for China to change its currency system, but there is no indication that the Chinese feel the same sense of urgency.
Joint Indo-Russian seminar to begin in Moscow
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and Russian central bank, along with Vneshtorgbank, are organising the first ever Indo-Russian banking seminar in Moscow to devise joint strategies to control money laundering.
PBOC to increase bank card business
China's central bank and other related government agencies have developed guidelines and measures to accelerate the development of the burgeoning bank card industry.
Bank of Japan Minutes, 15 and 16 March
The Bank of Japan's minutes from its 15 and 16 March monetary policy meeting published on 9 May showed policy makers agreed they can keep the target for reserves available to lenders by changing the way the bank conducts money-market operations.
Malaysia's Zeti on the Islamic financial system
In the speech 'Brief overview of the Islamic financial system' given on 15 April Dr Zeti Akhtar Aziz of the Central Bank of Malaysia said with the strengthened Islamic financial infrastructure now being firmly achieved in the first phase of the Financial…
PBOC deputy says economy performing well
People's Bank of China Deputy Governor Li Ruogu said on Monday 9 May that the Chinese economy is performing well and added that he was satisfied with the inflation rate.
G10's Trichet sees 2005 global growth around 4%
G10 chairman Jean-Claude Trichet said following a meeting of central bank governors on Monday 9 May that they still expect global growth to be around 4 pct this year despite recent mixed signals from economic data.
ECB's Garganas sees no reason for rate hike
European Central Bank council member Nicholas Garganas said in an interview that there is no need for the bank to start raising interest rates until inflation pressures increase.
East Africa moving towards currency union
Central bank governors from the East African Community (EAC) member states of Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania agreed at the weekend to work towards monetary union.
BOJ's Fukui says zero rate policy stays
Bank of Japan governor Toshihiko Fukui said on Sunday 8 May that the BOJ will maintain its fight against deflation despite favourable signs in the economy, but the current policy won't last indefinitely.
RBA on payments system reform in Australia
In a speech on 'Payments System Reform: The Australian Experience' given on 6 May, Philip Lowe and Ian Macfarlane of the RBA said it is fair to say that having specific payment system legislation with responsibility assigned to the central bank has led…
Dodge on the Canadian economy and economic forces
In a speech on 'The Canadian Economy: Adjusting to Global Economic Forces' given on 6 May, David Dodge of the Bank of Canada said Canada's economy is adjusting to powerful forces at work in the global economy, including the emergence of China and India…
Hildebrand on lessons from the SNB's gold sales
In a speech on 'SNB gold sales - Lessons and experiences' given on 5 May, Philipp Hildebrand of the Swiss National Bank said the Swiss National Bank completed its gold selling program of 1300 tonnes on March 30, 2005. Before these sales, Switzerland's…
Ireland's Hurley on monetary and financial issues
In a speech on 'The monetary and financial environment in the euro area' given on 11 April, John Hurley of the Central Bank of Ireland said that recent data suggests the euro area's economy is unlikely to strengthen soon.
RBA's fragile independence
This article published on Thursday 5 May says that although discussion is an integral tool in setting monetary policy, the jawboning should be the domain of the governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia. Unfortunately, over the past six months, the…
Brazil's Supreme Court upholds partial immunity
The Supreme Federal Court on Thursday 5 May upheld the decision to give Brazil's central bank President Henrique Meirelles immunity from prosecution from common courts in an ongoing illegal tax and forex transaction case against him, local media reported.
Nigeria appoints deputy governor after resignation
The Central Bank of Nigeria announced on Tuesday 3 May that Dr Obadiah Mailafia will replace Mrs Wahir Mshelia as the Deputy Governor for Policy on Monday 9 May. Mshelia resigned last week with press reports suggesting there were 'strong indications' she…
US and Chinese officials to meet on yuan issue
Officials from the People's Bank of China plan to meet on Monday 9 May with US Treasury Department officials for continuing discussions relating to various financial issues including China's pegged exchange rate system.
Tanigaki says Japan's economy recovering
Japanese Finance Minister Sadakazu Tanigaki reiterated on Thursday 5 May that the country's consumers are powering economic recovery and vowed to press on with fiscal reforms, although moderate deflation continued to pose a problem.
US on track to halve budget deficit says Snow
US Treasury Secretary John Snow on Thursday 6 May said that continued American economic growth and strong tax receipts had kept the U.S. government in view of its stated aim of cutting the budget deficit by 50%.