Central Banking staff
Follow Central Banking
Articles by Central Banking staff
French fin min hints over ECB intervention
The newly appointed French finance minister, Herve Gaymard, warned in an interview that the US dollar's weakness is "very worrying" and suggested possible intervention by the European Central Bank.
Qatar to launch Payment Gateway early next year
Qatar's Central Bank (QCB) has said is will launch its Payment Gateway in early 2005 which will boost and ease e-commerce and e-transactions in Qatar.
Deficit cuts vital for U.S. economy says Snow
US Treasury Secretary John Snow said on Wednesday 15 December that cutting the twin deficits, blamed for weakening the dollar, would be a top priority in president Bush's second term.
Sweden's Bergstrom on causes of unemployment
Sveriges Riksbank Deputy Governor Villy Bergstrom spoke at a seminar on economics in Stockholm on Wednesday 15 December. He said there is no long-term stable connection between inflation and unemployment. Instead, structural measures are required to…
EMEAP central banks announce launch of the ABF2
The EMEAP (Executives' Meeting of East Asia and Pacific Central Banks) Group comprising 11 central banks and monetary authorities in the East Asia and Pacific region announced the launch of the second stage of the Asian Bond Fund (ABF2) on Thursday 16…
Bundesbank's Remsperger on research matters
In a speech on 'Research matters' given on 27 November, Hermann Remsperger of the Deutsche Bundesbank said if a central bank's research is to develop on well-organised lines, it has to be " from the top down", with the objectives as the primary focus.
HKMA Quarterly Bulletin, December 2004
The Hong Kong Monetary Authority has published the December 2004 issue of its Quarterly Bulletin. This issue contains the regular Half-Yearly Monetary and Financial Stability Report, which analyses recent external and domestic influences on Hong Kong's…
BIS to administer EMEAP's investments in ABF2
The EMEAP (Executives' Meeting of East Asia and Pacific Central Banks) Group, comprising 11 central banks and monetary authorities in the East Asia and Pacific region,1 announced on Thursday 16 December the launch of ABF2, the second stage of the Asian…
Australia's Battellino on Asian bond markets
In a speech on 'Recent developments in Asian bond markets' given on 15 December, Ric Battellino of the Reserve Bank of Australia said markets had come a long way since the Asian financial crisis.
ECB's Financial Stability Review, December 2004
The European Central Bank published its first ever Financial Stability Review on Wednesday 15 December. In the report the ECB expressed some concern about the risks posed by the large US current account deficit, warning that a "disorderly rebalancing"…
Poll shows Sweden still opposed to euro
Opposition to the euro in Sweden remains strong 15 months after voters rejected the single currency in a referendum, but the number of opponents has fallen, a poll published on Wednesday 15 December by Statistics Sweden showed.
China seeing gold-buying surge as dollar hedge
China is seeing a gold-buying surge as a hedge against the weakening dollar and negative real interest rates, the South China Morning Post reported, citing figures from the China Gold Society and analysts.
IMF's Rajan says US dollar fall is a wake-up call
International Monetary Fund research department director and economic counsellor Raghuram Rajan told the Australasian Finance and Banking Conference in Sydney that the depreciating US dollar is a wake-up call and urged policymakers to pay attention to…
Bank of Japan, a role model for the ECB?
This article looks at recent comments from Gerhard Schroder that Europe "can learn something from Japan and its great monetary policy." Japan is the only major industrialized economy in the past 70 years to experience prolonged deflation and now its much…
Norges Bank keeps interest rate unchanged at 1.75%
Norges Bank's Executive Board decided on Wednesday 15 December to leave interest rates unchanged at 1.75 per cent. The Executive Board said in a press release it did not see any clear alternatives to leaving the interest rate unchanged.
Fed raises rates, says economic outlook unchanged
The Federal Open Market Committee decided on Tuesday 14 December to raise its target for the federal funds rate by 25 basis points to 2-1/4 percent. In its press release the FOMC signalled there had been no change in its assessment of current economic…
Fed's Poole on maintaining financial stability
In a speech on 'Maintaining financial stability: A central banker's perspective' given on 27 November, William Poole of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis said central banks should not respond to every wiggle from inflation as they seek steady prices…
Canada's Dodge on financial system efficiency
In a speech on 'Financial system efficiency: A Canadian imperative' given on 9 December, David Dodge of the Bank of Canada said it is imperative that Canada work to enhance the efficiency of its financial system.
Phil Fed's Survey of Professional Forecasters
The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia has published its Fourth Quarter 2004 Survey of Professional Forecasters. Growth over the next five quarters looks slower now than it did three months ago, according to 34 forecasters surveyed by the Federal…
St Louis Fed's Central Banker, Winter 2004
The Winter 2004 edition of the St. Louis Fed's Central Banker magazine has been published. In the Feditorial, St. Louis Fed President Bill Poole announces several interactive features that facilitate debates and discussions on issues important to its…
EU may clear France, Germany on deficit rule break
The Associated Press reported Tuesday that the European Union's executive office was expected to end an three-year battle with France and Germany on Tuesday, dropping EU procedures against them after the two pledged to get their budget deficits back…
Mersch says ECB ready to act on inflation
European Central Bank council member Yves Mersch said the bank would act if inflation expectations in the eurozone rise further after record oil costs raised prices this year.
Fed likely to raise rates a quarter-point
Federal Reserve policy-makers were widely expected to raise target for the federal funds rate to 2.25 percent from 2 percent on Tuesday, their last regularly scheduled session of 2004.
Korean won climbs on central bank comments
South Korea's won had its biggest gain in more than two weeks Tuesday after the Bank of Korea signaled it won't sell the currency to protect exporters, prompting them to speed up the conversion of their overseas earnings.