Central Banking staff
Follow Central Banking
Articles by Central Banking staff
MEPs set to discuss ECB performance with Trichet
MEPs are to debate the performance of the European Central Bank with Jean-Claude Trichet on 25 October when they consider a draft report from Alain Lipietz (Greens/EFA, FR) for the Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee.
Bank of Canada raises interest rates by 0.25%
The Bank of Canada announced on Tuesday 19 October that it is raising its target for the overnight rate by one-quarter of one percentage point to 2 1/2 per cent. The bank said that given the effects of higher oil prices and the past appreciation of the…
Fed debates policy for post-Greenspan era
This article reports that battle lines are drawn at the Federal Reserve between those who favour formal inflation goals and those who don't, with the debate heating up ahead of Alan Greenspan's retirement. It cites Roger Ferguson and Ben Bernanke at the…
Fed's Ferguson on good policy practice
In a speech on 'Safeguarding good policy practice through maintaining flexibility' given on 8 October, Roger Ferguson of the Federal Reserve said he is opposed to the idea of adopting an explicit inflation target as it could limit the ability of the Fed…
St Louis Fed's Poole on good policy practice
In a speech on 'Safeguarding good policy practice' given on 8 October, William Poole of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis said central bank leadership requires at times a willingness to push hard enough to get the job done, and recognition of how…
Netherlands' Wellink on business cycles
In a speech on 'Business cycles and foreign direct investment' given on 23 September, Nout Wellink of the Netherlands Bank and President of the Bank for International Settlements said looking at the current business cycle he is convinced that the worst…
BOJ's Sept. Monetary Policy Mtg Minutes
The Bank of Japan released the minutes from its 8 and 9 September Monetary Policy meeting on 18 October. The minutes showed that the bank was not greatly worried by a slowdown in export and industrial output growth, seeing it as due to temporary factors…
Renewed central bank gold sales not disruptive
A report by London metals researcher GFMS suggests that renewed selling of gold by central banks is unlikely to be a major disruptive factor in the market, Business Day reported on Tuesday 19 October.
Fed's Olson says US economy still improving
Federal Reserve Governor Mark Olson said on Monday 18 October that although the US economy was improving it had not maintained the pace it had been expected to. Olson also said rising oil prices have put a damper on the economy's performance, but he did…
BOJ's Fukui upbeat on Japanese economy
Bank of Japan Governor Toshihiko Fukui told a quarterly meeting of branch managers on Monday 18 October that Japan's economic recovery is on track as structural reforms continue but record global oil prices require "close attention".
US rates 'still simulative' says Fed's Santomero
Philadelphia Federal Reserve President Anthony Santomero said on Saturday 16 October that US interest rates remain simulative but as the expansion continues they should return to "more normal levels".
Fed's Santomero on changes in US payments
In a speech on 'The Changing Pattern of Payments in the United States' given on 16 October, Anthony Santomero of the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia discusses the current status of the U.S. payments infrastructure, how the roots and evolution of the…
Bank of Japan Monthly Report, October 2004
The Bank of Japan released the English version of its October 2004 monthly report on 15 October. In the report the bank said exports and industrial production have been on a rising trend, albeit at a slightly slower pace. The report also said Japan's…
Report on the efficiency of the ECB's management
The European Central Bank on Friday 15 October published the report prepared by the European Court of Auditors on the operational efficiency of the management of the ECB for the financial year 2003, together with the ECB's reply to it. The report noted…
Trinidad & Tobago central bank selects Finance KIT
Trema, a leading provider of strategic software solutions for the financial industry, announced on Friday 15 October that the Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago (CBTT) in Port of Spain has selected the Trema solution, Finance KIT, to support its foreign…
Third ECB Central Banking Conference
The Third ECB Central Banking Conference on "The new EU Member States: convergence and stability" will begin on Thursday 21 October in Frankfurt am Main. Discussions include "The economic and structural transformation of the new EU Member States" and …
IMF assesses financial stability in Norway
A delegation from the IMF is currently visiting Norwegian authorities and financial market participants to gather information about the Norwegian financial system.
Aziz on creating an Islamic Financial System
In the speech 'Towards creating an Islamic Financial System as an integral part of the International Financial System - strategies and challenges' given on 21 September, Zeti Akhtar Aziz of the Central Bank of Malaysia said that as Islamic finance…
Who manages the public debt?
Over the last decade, central banks have been the losers as dozens of countries have created powerful standalone financial supervisors. Is debt management going the same way? CentralBankNet reports on another speciality that may be slipping from the…
Greenspan not worried over oil price
In a speech titled 'Oil' given on 15 October Fed chairman Alan Greenspan said the current surge in energy prices is likely to have far less of an impact on the economy than the oil shocks of the 1970s.
Pensioners to sue Bank of Canada
Canadian pensioners look set to go to court in a bid to wring up to $42 million out of the Bank of Canada, Canadian Press reported. It is alleged the bank misused their pension trust fund since at least 1993.
Philippine cb denies bid to cap peso slide
The Philippines central bank said that it is not selling dollars in the currency market to support the peso, currently at a record low of 56.45 to the US dollar.