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Is There a Digital Divide?
The new edition of the San Francisco Fed's "Economic Letter" asks whether the region enjoys an advantage over the rest of the US in terms of the digital literacy of the population.
Minutes of BoJ monetary policy meeting
The Bank of Japan monetary policy board met on November 20 and 21. The members agreed that the economy was starting to recover gradually and voted unanimously to maintain the current guideline for money market operations with the target range of "around…
International Research Forum on monetary policy
The second conference organised by the International Research Forum on Monetary Policy was held at the Federal Reserve Board on November 14-15, 2003.
2002 statistics for CPSS countries payment systems
This annual BIS publication provides data on payments and payment systems in the CPSS countries: Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong SAR, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom and the United States.
Duisenberg at a discount
Despite a splendid send-off in October, including a blizzard of awards from European countries, the image of Wim Duisenberg, the former president of the ECB, is starting to fade, CentralBankNet can exclusively reveal.
Predicting euro-area recessions
This ECB working paper looks at the informational content of the slope of theyield curve as a predictor of recessions in the euro area.
Interview with Mexico's Ortiz
Guillermo Ortiz, the governor of Mexico's central bank, has warned that the failure to introduce needed reforms will limit economic recover.
China hints at looser dollar peg
China's central bank new description of its exchange rate policy hints at plans to allow greater movement against the US dollar.
Europe and the dollar
If the dollar retreat of 2003 turns into the rout of 2004, what will be the options facing policy makers? Soundings among Europe's senior central bankers suggest American officials are making a big mistake if they assume that in a dollar crisis they will…
India's foreign exchange reserves top $100 bn
India's foreign exchange reserves broke through the $100 billion mark for the first time, on the back of investment and trade flows and the dollar's weakness against other currencies.
High inflation hurting Irish competitiveness
High inflation in recent years has led to lasting damage to Irish competitiveness, the Central Bank said in its winter bulletin. The bank says the country has not only lost its competitive edge but in absolute terms the price level in Ireland is now 12%…
ECB release forex rules for acceding central banks
The European Central Bank has released a paper which spells out how accession country central banks must manage their currencies in the run up to joining the euro.
Limit foreign takeovers, says Korean central bank
The Bank of Korea expressed its concern over growth in foreign ownership in the country's financial system on 21 December and called on the government to delay the privatisation of banks so that domestic buyers could be found.
RBNZ mulls ANZ takeover
ANZ Banking Group has until Christmas to convince New Zealand's reserve bank about its plans for taking over the National Bank. Following the passage of a new Reserve Bank Act in August, the RBNZ must approve large-bank mergers in New Zealand.
Big cutback at New York Fed
The New York Fed's Buffalo regional office has announced that it will cut 60 of its 130 jobs in a nationwide restructuring of its retail securities business, officials said on Thursday 18 December.
Dollar fall to hit central bank profits
The strength of the euro against the dollar is proving a double-edged sword for Europe's central bankers. The decline in the value of the dollar against the euro is likely to eat into the earnings of the central banks of Germany, Austria and the…
Swiss National Bank given freedom to invest
Under the new Swiss National Bank (SNB) statute, the SNB will be allowed to invest in a far-wider range of assets.
Putting the square mile to the test
Now that the Bank of England can no longer be seen as the champion of the City to government, will London lose out as a financial centre? The Centre for the Study of Financial Innovation (CFSI) held a meeting of interested parties earlier this month to…
Ukraine to keep currency policy tied to dollar
Serhiy Tihipko, chairman of the National Bank of Ukraine, has said that Ukraine will continue to tie its currency to the dollar despite its weakness against the euro. He said the central bank might review the policy if the share of euros in foreign…
Philadelphia Fed index rises dramatically
The Philadelphia Fed's general economic index this month registered 32.1 compared with 25.9 in November. It represents the highest level in a decade with more factories hiring workers than at any time since April 1973, the report said.
Waring appointed to RBNZ Board
New Zealand's finance minister Michael Cullen said on Thursday 18 December that Dr Marilyn Waring has been appointed to the Reserve Bank Board to replace Ruth Richardson whose term expires on 3 February. Waring is currently a Professor of Public Policy…
Ghana pledges commitment to Monetary Zone targets
Ghana's president John Agyekum Kufuor said on Friday 19 December that the country would target a single digit level of inflation by the end of 2004, in readiness for the second monetary zone in West Africa. President Kufuor said the monetary zone would…
Irish central bank upgrades 2004 growth forecast
The central bank of Ireland has upgraded its forecast for economic growth but said the euro's strength would reduce exporters competitiveness. In its quarterly bulletin, published on Thursday 18 December, it said the Irish economy has shown flexibility…
BOJ opens branch office in Beijing
The Bank of Japan opened its Beijing office on Thursday18 December It will be headed by Yosuke Tsuyuguchi and is designed to strengthen relations between the BoJ and the People's Bank of China.