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Latvia ready to link to euro, official says
A Finance Ministry official was quoted as saying that Latvia is ready to link its currency to the euro in a two-year test period prior to adopting the single currency.
PBOC's Zhou says China open to yuan discussion
People's Bank of China governor Zhou Xiaochuan was reported as saying that China is open to discussing the yuan exchange rate at the upcoming G7 finance ministers meeting but will not be pressured on any appreciation.
Report says Fed to consider inflation target
Federal Reserve policy-makers will next week discuss whether to set a numerical objective for inflation and, if so, what it should be, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday 27 January.
Statement on implementation of Basel II framework
The federal banking and thrift agencies released an interagency statement on implementation of the Basel II framework and the qualification process for the framework's "advanced approaches" on Thursday 27 January.
Chicago Fed National Activity Index, Dec 2004
The Chicago Fed National Activity Index (CFNAI) for December 2004 was +0.39, up markedly from +0.05 in November. Three of the four broad categories of indicators that comprise the index made positive contributions in December, while the employment…
BoE paper on low inflation since 1999
In a paper published on Thursday 27 January, 'Why has inflation been so low since 1999?', Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee member Stephen Nickell said looking to the future, there seems no reason why UK domestic goods price inflation will fall…
RBNZ leaves interest rates unchanged
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand left interest rates unchanged at 6.50 per cent on Thursday. RBNZ governor Alan Bollard said the tightening in monetary policy over the past year currently looks sufficient to keep medium term inflation pressures in check.
BIS Red Book on payment systems in Sri Lanka
The Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) announced on Tuesday that the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) has published the Red Book, 'Payment Systems in Sri Lanka' prepared jointly by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka and the Committee on Payment and…
BoJ likely to lower price forecast says Mizuno
Bank of Japan board member Atsushi Mizuno said that the central bank will probably drop its October forecast that consumer prices will have an increase next fiscal year for the first time in eight years.
Eurosystem reserves up 0.9 bln eur to 155.8 bln
The European Central Bank said on Tuesday 25 January that net foreign currency reserves in the euro system rose 0.9 bln eur to 155.8 bln in the week ending 21 January.
EU's Almunia says strong euro not posing problems
EU economic and monetary affairs commissioner Joaquin Almunia told a breakfast briefing held by the European Policy Centre think tank that the strength of the euro is not posing problems for Eurozone countries.
Fed's Hoenig says economic outlook bright for US
Kansas City Federal Reserve President Thomas Hoenig said on Tuesday 25 January that the outlook for the US economy is pretty bright and inflation should not be a major issue this year.
Wellink says Asia can't maintain dollar buying
Asian central banks cannot continue buying up US dollars forever and the US will have to take action to cut its budget deficit, European Central Bank governing council member Nout Wellink said on Wednesday 26 January.
Bank of England MPC Minutes, 12 &13 January
The minutes from the 12 & 13 January meeting of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee published on Wednesday 26 January showed the nine members voted unanimously to hold rates at 4.75 per cent.
Sri Lanka's Mendis on post-disaster rebuilding
In the speech 'Creating a challenging and stimulating work environment' given on 1 January, Sunil Mendis of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka said that with the magnitude of the disaster, there is no question that our nation needs to be rebuilt. Hence, as…
UK Discussion paper:supervising financial services
This joint paper by HM Treasury, the Financial Services Authority and the Bank of England says that there is no single or simple way to achieve supervisory convergence and sketches out five related challenges that need to be addressed to make progress on…
Philadelphia Fed Business Outlook Survey, Jan 2005
According to the firms surveyed for the Philadelphia Fed's Business Outlook Survey, January 2005, manufacturing activity in the region continues to expand, but at a slower pace than reported at the end of 2004. Many of the indicators, including general…
When monetary tools start to lose their edge
This article asks what central bankers do when their monetary tools begin to lose their edge. This may be a question that the Federal Reserve is having to address at the moment, it says. The Federal Reserve's challenge seems to be that the linkage…
BOJ deputy says deflation end may be delayed
Deputy Bank of Japan Governor Toshiro Muto has indicated in an interview that the Japanese economy may move out of deflation later than the central bank has forecasted.
Atlanta's Guynn: cbs adding euros for 6 months
Foreign central banks have been adjusting their reserves to add euros for the past six months and the process has so far been "very smooth," Atlanta Fed president, Jack Guynn said in a speech.
Japan, Thailand agree bilateral swap arrangement
The Bank of Japan, acting as the agent of the Minister of Finance of Japan, and the Bank of Thailand agreed to reach the second bilateral swap arrangement under the Chiang Mai Initiative of the ASEAN+3 Finance Ministers' Process, the Bank of Japan said…
BIS to hold 75th anniversary exhibition
The Bank for International Settlements (BIS) announced on Tuesday 25 January that, as part of its 75th anniversary celebrations, it would hold an exhibition at its headquarters in Basel, Switzerland for two weeks this year.
Bank of Canada keeps interest rates unchanged
The Bank of Canada announced on Tuesday 25 January that it is maintaining its target for the overnight rate at 2 1/2 per cent. The bank said the Canadian economy continues to adjust to major global developments.
Bank of Canada, Business Outlook Survey, Winter 05
The Bank of Canada's Winter 2005 Business Outlook Survey reports that businesses remain positive about the economic outlook but less so than in the autumn survey. The appreciation of the Canadian dollar between the survey periods has heightened…