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IMF will announce gold sale plan in April - report
The International Monetary Fund plans to make proposals in April regarding selling or re-valuing some of its gold reserves, a German press report said on Tuesday 29 March.
Additional reference exchange rates for the euro
The European Central Bank said on Tuesday 29 March that it has decided to extend the list of currencies for which daily reference exchange rates are published. As from 1 April it will in addition compute and publish euro reference exchange rates on a…
HKMA Quarterly Bulletin, March 2005
The Hong Kong Monetary Authority has published the March 2005 issue of its Quarterly Bulletin. This issue includes a graphical framework for monitoring the property market in Hong Kong - concluding that the risk of a property bubble developing in Hong…
The ECB faces a fiscal fight with its governments
There hasn't been much evidence of stability in the Stability and Growth Pact, according to this article, and now it isn't even a pact any more. Expect to see a damaging fight between the ECB and its member states, which the whole European economy will…
The politics of central bank independence
The authors of this New York Fed Staff Report propose a theory to explain why, and under what circumstances, a politician endogenously gives up rent and delegates policy tasks to an independent agency, in this case the central bank.
IMF paper on the Stability and Growth Pact
This IMF Working Paper, Implementing the Stability & Growth Pact, analyses some key policy trade-offs involved in the implementation of the Stability and Growth Pact. Greater "procedural" flexibility in the Pact's implementation may improve welfare, it…
PBOC says Zhou's comments mis-reported
The People's Bank of China has denied reports that governor Zhou Xiaochuan told a closed door conference in Beijing this week that one-year deposit rates might be lifted in the second quarter of the year.
BOJ fails to sell planned funds
The Bank of Japan failed to drain a planned amount of funds in its money market operation on Thursday 24 March for the first time in some 49 months, the central bank said.
French audit office criticises central bank
The French financial press reported that France's audit office, Cour des Comptes, has submitted what it described as a very severe report on the way in which the Banque de France is managed.
BoE's King: 'Coach and horses' driven through pact
Bank of England governor Mervyn King criticised European Union leaders for loosening the fiscal rules that underpin the value of the euro on Thursday 24 March, saying restrictions on government spending in the region lack "discipline."
Trichet voices concern on fiscal rule changes
European Central Bank head Jean-Claude Trichet voiced concern on Thursday 23 March about reforms to the European Union's stability and growth pact agreed by EU leaders this week.
Adams nominated to U.S. Treasury post
U.S. President George Bush has picked Tim Adams as the Treasury's new under secretary for international affairs, the White House said on Wednesday 23 March.
Georgia to appoint new National Bank chief
Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili has asked parliament to approve the chairman of the parliamentary finance and budget committee, Roman Gotsiridze, as the next president of the National Bank, Imedi TV reported.
BNB governor proposes Kostov as deputy
The governor of the Bulgarian National Bank (BNB), Ivan Iskrov, has proposed Dimitar Kostov as deputy governor of the central bank and head of the banking department.
Turkey's Serdengecti on promised reforms
In an interview published on Wednesday 23 March , the governor of Turkey's central bank, Sureyya Serdengecti, said reforms promised by the ruling AK government - but yet to be finalised - were essential to the bank's continued ability to reduce inflation…
Canada's Dodge on bank's 70th anniversary
In an interview to mark the Bank of Canada's 70th anniversary, governor David Dodge said the bank is more open today than ever about how it goes about its business. "The day of the high priesthood of central bankers has come and gone."
BoE's King: Treasury Committee Opening Statement
In a statement to the Treasury Committee on Thursday 24 March, Bank of England governor Mervyn King said that consumer spending has turned out to be significantly weaker than policymakers had expected.
Sveriges Riksbank Inflation Report, No. 1, 2005
Sweden's central bank, the Sveriges Riksbank, has published its First Inflation Report for 2005. The Riksbank's assessment is that the economic upturn will continue over the coming years and that resource utilisation will increase gradually both in…
Norway's Gjedrem on the economic outlook
In a speech on 'The economic outlook and monetary policy' given on 18 March, Svein Gjedrem of Norges Bank said inflation targeting has proved to be a sound system and particularly well suited for small, open economies.
RBA's Macfarlane on Gresham's Law of payments
In a speech on 'Gresham's Law of payments' given on 23 March, Ian Macfarlane of the Reserve Bank of Australia said one of the longer term aims of the RBA's reforms was to reduce the distortions in the payments system caused by interchange fees.
Chicago Fed National Activity Index, Feb 2005
The Chicago Fed National Activity Index for February 2005 was +0.37, up from +0.13 in January. All four broad categories of indicators that make up the index made positive contributions last month, according to the CFNAI.
Bond yield gains should reflect Japan's economy
Bank of Japan governor Toshihiko Fukui said Wednesday 23 March the central bank does not want increases in bond yields that aren't underpinned by the performance of the economy.
Taiwan to introduce more secure banknotes
The Central Bank of China (CBC) is scheduled to launch new NT$500 and NT$1,000 bills on 20 July featuring strengthened anti-forgery functions, CBC Governor Perng Fai-nan said Wednesday.
Reform delay could harm Turkey's stability
Turkish central bank governor Sureyya Serdengecti said in an interview with the Financial Times that a further delay in completing reforms tied to a new $10bn loan deal with the IMF could put the country's economic stability at risk.