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RBA's Macfarlane: Economic opportunities and risks
In a speech on 'Economic Opportunities and Risks over the Coming Decades', given on 13 November I.J. Macfarlane of the Reserve Bank of Australia said over any measure, say, 20 years, 10 years or even five years, Asia is the fastest growing region in the…
RBA's McGauchie: Rural sector improving
Speaking on Wednesday 12 November, Reserve Bank of Australia board member Don McGauchie, the rural voice on the nine-member RBA board, said that although much of Australia is still gripped by drought conditions, monetary policy is a broad instrument that…
Snow says US economy on a 'rising road'
US Treasury Secretary John Snow has said that the US economy is on a rising road and is getting stronger every day. In a speech to the Arizona Chamber of Commerce, reported by AFP, Snow said that based on the data, "We can all be encouraged, but we…
BIS publishes OTC Derivatives Market Statistics
The BIS released on Wednesday 12 November its semiannual statistics on positions in the global OTC derivatives market for end-June 2003. The statistics cover the notional amounts and gross market values outstanding of the worldwide consolidated OTC…
Publication of study on the euro area money market
In the context of the regular monitoring activities of the European System of Central Banks, experts from the European Central Bank and from the national central banks of the European Union have carried out an analysis of euro area money market…
Fukui on the Japanese economy and Asia
In a speech on 'The Japanese Economy and Asia' given on 26 September, Toshihiko Fukui of the Bank of Japan said there is an increasing probability that the Bank's standard scenario released in April, a virtuous cycle of recovery in which an increase in…
Bank of England raises growth forecast
Mervyn King told the Bank of England's quarterly inflation report press conference on Wednesday 12 November that "There is a risk that heavily-indebted households will be badly affected by changes in economic circumstances or interest rates", Reuters…
ECB's Issing: Rule breaking undermines euro
Otmar Issing, the ECB's chief economist, has said in an interview reported by AFP that the stability and growth pact is an important institutional part of monetary union and it is a major concern if it is put into doubt. Asked whether the ECB could…
HKMA moves to weaken Hong Kong dollar rate
The Hong Kong Monetary Authority continued selling HK dollars on Wednesday 12 October and buying about US$100 million, according to a report by Dow Jones. The move further weakened the HK dollar against the US dollar which was already declining following…
Brazil's central bank warns over email fraud
The central bank of Brazil has warned the public against an email fraud scheme which asks people to register personal details about their bank accounts, with the email supposedly from the central bank, according to a report by Business News America.
Bank of England Inflation Report, November 2003
The Bank of England published its quarterly Inflation Report for November 2003 on Wednesday 12 November. In the report the Bank forecast that growth in the UK would pick up to just under 3 per cent next year, and would be "marginally above trend" over…
Mboweni sees bumpy road to African central bank
South African Reserve Bank governor Tito Mboweni has struck a cautious note on the idea of a single African currency, reports All Africa News. He pointed out in a recent speech that intra-continental trade was extremely disappointing, thereby making it…
State Bank of Pakistan - Annual Report 2002-2003
The State Bank of Pakistan has published its Annual Report for the year ended 2002-2003. The SBP said that the increase in forex reserves - through either non-debt creating inflows is extremely positive - has left the country well placed to further lower…
Russia central bank deputy fears capital flight
The deputy governor of Russia's central bank, Oleg Vyugin, has said Russia could experience a significant increase in capital flight to $13 billion in the second half of this year, accrding to Reuters, but he added that he could not definitively link the…
Ireland to consider stability pact reform
Mary Harney, the leader of Ireland's Progressive Democrat Party and Minister for Trade, has said that the EU's stability and growth pact will be considered in detail when Ireland holds the EU Presidency next year, according to the Irish Independent. She…
Malta central bank cuts growth forecast for 2003
The central bank of Malta has revised its growth forecast for the country to between 1 and 1.3 percent for 2003, according to the Times of Malta. In its annual report published in April it had previously forecast real GDP growth of 3.1 - 3.7 percent.
Confidence, inflation targets improved says Reddy
Reserve Bank of India governor YV Reddy said on 10 November that the brighter outlook for the global economy increased confidence that India would hit its growth and inflation targets, Reuters reported.
Caruana on contemporary issues in credit risk
In the speech 'Contemporary issues in credit risk' given on 27 October Jaime Caruana of the Bank of Spain said adopting a more risk-sensitive treatment of credit risk will require significant work by all of us. What we learn about the factors driving…
Russian government wants 'mega-regulator'
The Russian government has called for proposals to be put forward about setting up a mega-regulator for financial markets, Gateway to Russia reports. The mega-regulator should divide regulatory and supervisory functions on the market, the report said.
BOK chief brushes off inflation worry
Bank of Korea governor Park Seung said Monday 10 November at the BIS meeting in Bangkok, according to the Korea Herald, "It's true that Korea's foreign-exchange holdings have grown considerably this year, putting upward pressure on the money supply".
Zimbabwe clamps down on illegal FX
Police in Zimbabwe are stopping motorists with road blocks as part of a crackdown on illegal foreign currency trade, Reuters reports. The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe has also set up a unit to probe the flow of local bank-notes to neighbouring countries…
Brazil c bank chief - IMF deal 'insurance'
Brazil's central bank president, Henrique Meirelles, has said the new IMF loan deal would give Brazil cheap insurance against international market volatility. But officials said they did not intend to draw on a $14 billion loan package from the IMF…
Tumpel-Gugerell: Institutions in Financial System
In the speech 'The Role of Institutions in the Financial System' given on 11 November Gertrude Tumpel-Gugerell of the ECB said an integrated European supervisory framework enhances the ability to react quickly, effectively and more transparently to any…
IMF's Koehler says now not time for EU deficit cap
IMF chief Horst Koehler told an Austrian daily, according to Reuters, that it was not the right time to force eurozone countries to stick to the 3 percent deficit limit. He added that he did not favour letting countries that have been too loose with…