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SNB's Hildebrand on the hedge fund industry
In a speech on 'Developments in the Hedge Fund industry' given on 4 February, Philipp Hildebrand of the Swiss National Bank said hedge funds have been an important source of innovation in the asset management industry. They have rendered financial…
Bank of Korea plans to diversify reserves
South Korea's central bank has said it plans to diversify its reserves, which are the world's fourth largest, into a greater variety of currencies. It's reserves have traditionally been held in U.S. Treasuries and agency debt.
BoE's Barker says uncertainty prevented rate rise
Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee member Kate Barker was reported as saying in an interview that the uncertain short-term outlook for the UK economy prevented the nine-member MPC from raising interest rates in February.
Rating agency positive on Lebanon reserves
Leading international rating agency Standard & Poor's said on Monday 21 February that Lebanon's central bank foreign currency reserves will not be affected in the short term by the murder of former Premier Rafik Hariri.
Colombia to sell $1 billion in foreign reserves
Colombia's central bank will sell the government at least $1 billion in foreign reserves to help prepay debt, according to the Finance Minister, Bloomberg reported.
Bundesbank's Weber visits Riksbank
The President of the Deutsche Bundesbank, Professor Axel A Weber, was due to visit the Sveriges Riksbank on Tuesday 22 February.
BIS's Sleeper: How cbs manage their finances
In a speech 'How central banks manage their finances' given on 18 February, Robert Sleeper of the BIS said the fact that central banks are increasingly taking risks in an attempt to improve the return on their reserves raises the question of whether or…
Phil Fed's Survey of Professional Forecasters
The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia has published its First Quarter 2005 Survey of Professional Forecasters. Economic growth in the first half of 2005 looks stronger now than it did three months ago, according to 36 forecasters surveyed.
ECB's new version of 'General Documentation'
The European Central Bank (ECB) published on Monday 21 February a revised version of the document entitled "The implementation of monetary policy in the euro area: General documentation on Eurosystem monetary policy instruments and procedures" (generally…
UK, China plan cooperation on global economy
Britain and China agreed on Monday 21 February to work together to address the macroeconomic and structural challenges of the global economy.
UAE central bank, Isle of Man sign cooperation MOU
The UAE central bank signed a memorandum of understanding with the Isle of Man Financial Supervision Commission (IOMFSC) on Monday 21 February.
ECB's Wellink: Inflation expectations 'contained'
European Central Bank council member Nout Wellink said in an interview that inflation is under control and does not pose a threat to the eurozone economy.
Bundesbank report optimistic on economy
The Bundesbank expressed cautious optimism on the outlook for German growth this year in its February report released on Monday 21 February, despite the surprise contraction in gross domestic product in the final quarter of 2004.
Fed's Pianalto relaxed on US inflation
Cleveland Federal Reserve President Sandra Pianalto said on Monday 21 February that US inflationary pressures remain muted despite a surge in January wholesale prices.
Fazio on outlook for the global economy and Italy
In a speech on 'The outlook for the global economy and Italy' given on 12 February, Antonio Fazio of the Bank of Italy said the ECB has left interest rates at two per cent "given the expectation of inflation returning below 2pc and the still uncertain…
IMF's Rato on Latin America in the global economy
In a speech on 'Latin America in the global economy - Challenges and opportunities' given on 4 February, Rodrigo de Rato of the International Monetary Fund said global growth should remain robust in 2005 although at a slightly slower pace than a year…
Sweden's Persson: monetary policy in low inflation
In a speech on 'Monetary policy in a low-inflation economy' given on 18 February, Kristina Persson of the Sveriges Riksbank said international economic activity is expected to continue to strengthen and resource utilisation in the world economy to become…
Bank of Japan Monthly Report, February 2005
The Bank of Japan published the English version of its January 2005 monthly report on 21 February. In the report the BoJ said the economy continues to recover, leaving its view unchanged for a third consecutive month.
New General Manager at Banco de la Republica
Dr Jose Dario Uribe Escobar has been designated by the Board of Directors as new General Manager of the Banco de la Republica, Colombia.
Indonesia, Malaysia launch joint ATM network
Against the setting of an increasing number of Indonesian workers, tourists and students in Malaysia, the two nations have launched a joint Automatic Teller Machine (ATM) network, Xinhua reports.
Park calls for China rethink on peg
Korean central bank governor, Park Seung added his voice to the chorus calling on China to rethink the yuan's peg to the dollar in an interview with Central Banking journal.
Italy's Fazio says bank sector not protectionist
Bank of Italy governor Antonio Fazio has told the European Commission that the Italian banking sector is not protectionist, the Financial Times reported.
PBOC's Wu: China needs to ease lending controls
China needs to move towards easing strict controls over private lending, legalizing the business in order to mitigate lending risk for banks, the China Business News reported, citing a senior official from the People's Bank of China.
OECD says global recovery gathering speed
Global economic growth is poised to gain momentum, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development has said.