Central Banking staff
Follow Central Banking
Articles by Central Banking staff
Bank of England Inflation Attitudes Survey, Aug 03
The Bank of England's August 2003 quarterly Inflation Attitudes Survey was published on 15 September. Median expectations of inflation over the coming year were 2.2%, up from 2.0% in May. Respondents were asked to assess the way the Bank of England is …
Wim Duisenberg on Sweden's euro referendum
In a statement made September 14 ECB President Wim Duisenberg said he took note of the result but said the "outcome of the referendum will neither have an impact on the European Central Bank's policies and operation nor on the euro's position".
Trichet lays down the gauntlet
Subjected to a grilling by its Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee in one of the seemingly infinite rooms of the European Parliament's nightmarishly labyrinthine buildings in Brussels on September 11, Jean-Claude Trichet gingerly and with consummate…
Basel's best bet is to keep it simple
Much progress has been made in constructing a regulatory capital framework that can benefit both the industry and its regulators. At this late stage, this article in the Financial Times says, careful revision is necessary to guarantee that the five-year…
France in hot water at EU finance meeting
After meeting his British counterpart Tony Blair in London on Thursday 11 September, French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin claimed a "common view" was emerging about the need not just to respect fiscal discipline but to go for growth as well.,…
Stark on The Euro Area as an Economic Entity
Speech titled 'The Euro Area as an Economic Entity' by Vice President Jurgen Stark of the Bundesbank to the CEPR/ESI conference, Eltville, 12 September. In the speech Stark said "my experience tells me that central bankers and academics alike are willing…
International Monetary Fund - Annual Report 2003
The International Monetary Fund has published its Annual Report for the financial year ended 2003. In the Annual Report the IMF said it was reviewing the way it assists poor nations, a subject international aid groups have emphasized is a constant source…
Charges against BSP governor dismissed
The Philippines Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed criminal charges filed against BSP Governor Rafael Buenaventura and 20 other central bank officials, according to a report by ABS-cbnews. In a resolution dated August 11 but obtained by reporters only…
BOJ governor Fukui to visit China in October
Bank of Japan governor Toshihiko Fukui will visit China in October and meet with the governor of the People's Bank of China, according to a report by Reuters. Fukui is likely to exchange opinions with Chinese officials on the yuan currency.
US Treasury head praises IMF-Argentina deal
US Treasury Secretary John Snow said on Thursday September 11 that he supported the IMF and Argentina for having reached a new three-year financial deal. He said, "I think we have come out with a pretty good agreement" although analysts widely condemned…
Iraq's central bank chief pledges to cut inflation
Sinan Al Shibibi, the newly appointed governor of the central bank of Iraq, said on Thursday 11 September that his top priorities were to fight inflation and to support the currency, according to the Gulf Daily News. But he acknowledged he has few of the…
UAE to take part in Arab c bank meeting in Doha
Sultan bin Nasser Al Suweidi, Governor of the UAE Central Bank, will lead the UAE delegation to the Doha meeting, according to the Khaleej Times. The meeting will include discussion of a paper submitted by the UAE on role of the monetary authorities in…
Bank of Spain governor to appear before congress
The governor of the Bank of Spain, Jaime Caruana, is set to appear before a congressional commission on Wednesday 17 September to report on the way the central bank has handled the Eurobank situation, according to a report by Expansion.
Bank of Japan leaves monetary policy unchanged
The Bank of Japan said on Friday 12 September at the end of its two-day meeting that it would leave monetary policy unchanged,according to AFX-ASIA. The BoJ said in a three-paragraph statement that the central bank will "conduct money market operations,…
Polish central bank rapped over computer tender
The National Bank of Poland has caused uproar among computer producers after a tender it held for new machines allegedly favoured just one manufacturer, according to the Polish News Bulletin.
Trichet's law
This article in the Financial Times accuses Jean-Claude Trichet of portraying himself on Thursday as less willing to understand the problems of the European economy than Wim Duisenberg, the current ECB president. His unfortunate choice of words was…
Trichet given green light for ECB presidency
On Thursday 11 September, The European Parliament's economic and monetary affairs committee backed Jean-Claude Trichet as the next president of the European Central Bank (ECB), putting the Bank of France governor a step closer to one of the most…
Belarus to shift to Russian ruble in October
Belarus has agreed to introduce the Russian ruble in electronic form on October 1, reports The Russian Journal, after Russia agreed to Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko's demands that prices for gas, electricity and oil should be equal to Russian…
Inflation to continue falling: Canada's Dodge
In a speech on Wednesday 10 September, reported by Canada Press, Bank of Canada chief David Dodge said inflation had fallen more than expected and would likely continue the downward trend over the next few months.
New global banks' rules could be delayed
Wim Duisenberg, ECB president, said on Wednesday 10 September "It could be that it [Basel II] would come in the course of or maybe toward the end of 2007", according to the Financial Times. His remarks were the first by a central banker admitting that…
IMF agrees to reschedule Argentina's loan
Argentine President Nestor Kirchner announced on Wednesday 10 September that the outlines of a three-year $21 billion US dollar debt refinancing package had been reached with the IMF, according to Associated Press..
ECBs Issing finds flaws in planned EU constitution
European Central Bank chief economist Otmar Issing said in an interview, published in EU Business, "I have difficulty in understanding why there is resistance to reinstating price stability as one of the goals of the EU" and that while there had been…
Sweden says euro referendum to go ahead Sunday
Despite the murder of Sweden's Foreign Minister Anna Lindh on Wednesday, the euro referendum will still go ahead on Sunday, Swedish Prime Minister Goran Persson said, according to Reuters.
Iraq Council names central bank governor
Sinan Mohammed Rida al-Shibibi, an economist, was named on Wednesday 10 September as Iraq's first central bank governor since the removal of Saddam Hussein from power. The move to appoint a permanent governor comes ahead of an important donors'…