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Bank of Finland to cease Baltic monitoring
The Bank of Finland will end its monitoring of the Baltic states from next year, the Baltic News Service reports. The bank said the states have in a way reached a watershed and at a certain point the transition is regarded as complete.
BOK Governor discounts deflation risk
The Bank of Korea (BOK) governor Park Seung said on Thursday 22 May that there is little possibility of deflation at this point with the current heated real estate market, according to a report in the Korea Times.
Bank of Spain presents annual report on regulation
The Bank of Spain presented its annual report on its regulatory activities on Thursday, it is reported by Expansion.
Zimbabwe's central bank raises gold sale price
Zimbabwe's central bank has raised the price paid to small scale gold producers by 114 percent following the abolition of the gold floor price support scheme, the Financial Gazette reports.
Financial data and monetary policy transparency
The Reserve Bank of Australia published a Research Discussion Paper on 23 May titled "What Do Financial Market Data Tell Us About Monetary Policy Transparency?" by Jonathan Coppel and Ellis Connolly. This paper attempts to discern from financial market…
New Bank of England Agency Opened in Exeter
Eddie George opened the Bank of England's new regional office in Exeter on Friday 23 May. This is the central base for the Bank's Agency for South West England.
Bo J Monthly Report downgrades economy view
The Bank of Japan published its Monthly Report of Recent Economic and Financial Developments, May 2003, on 22 May. In the report the BOJ downgraded its view on the economy, citing "greater uncertainty" over the outlook. It said that overall conditions…
Survey of Professional Forecasters
The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia has published its Survey of Professional Forecasters for the Second Quarter 2003. The U.S.economy will likely expand at a slower pace in 2003 than predicted just three months ago, according to the survey.
Gjedrem on policy response to the economic outlook
In a speech on 'The monetary policy response to the economic outlook' Svein Gjedrem of Norges Bank said the last interest rate reduction reflected expectations of low inflation as a result of the strong krone and low international price inflation with…
Kennedy on business continuity planning
In a speech on 'Business Continuity Planning for the Financial Sector: Developing a System-Wide Approach' Sheryl Kennedy of the Bank of Canada said talks about the importance of Business Continuity Planning (BCP) and disaster recovery, in the context of…
Britain misses its euro connection
An article in the Financial Times says that it shouldn't be forgotten that the decision over whether Britain joins the euro is a political rather than an economic one. Both Gordon Brown and Tony Blair, the authors argue, are guilty of dressing the…
Drive for greater SEC powers
Senior Republicans on Wednesday 21 May introduced a draft bill that they said would help rebuild investor confidence and increase the powers of the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Financial Times reports.
Secrets of a soon to be missed central banker
Speaking on Tuesday 20 May, UK chancellor Gordon Brown spoke in glowing terms of Sir Edward George, the soon to depart governor of the Bank of England. "I will miss Eddie" he said, and went on to reveal a few central banking secrets, including the case…
Fed's Greenspan on the economic outlook
In testimony on 'The economic outlook' Alan Greenspan of the Federal Reserve said the economic information received in recent weeks has not, in his judgment, materially altered the outlook. Nonetheless, the economy continues to be buffeted by strong…
Jenkins on modern central banking in Canada
In a speech om'Modern Central Banking: A Canadian Perspective' Paul Jenkins of the Bank of Canada said there is no doubt that today we have a better understanding of what monetary policy can do and cannot do, who should be responsible for it, and how it…
ECB rates may be too low for Denmark
An OECD study warns that Denmark's policy of shadowing the ECB's interest rates could result in inappropriate rate levels thereby creating a risk the economy will overheat, according to Reuters.
Bundesbank chief wants tightening stability pact
Bundesbank president Ernst Welteke has warned that Germany should not abandon its budget consolidation efforts and called for a tightening of the European Stability and Growth Pact rules, according to a report in Deutsche Welle.
Reserve Bank of Australia "rushed" card reforms
Australia's Federal Court heard Thursday that the Reserve Bank had rushed through reforms of the Australian credit-card market because an ACCC price-fixing action against National Australia Bank was about to fail, according to a report in The Age.
Japan on brink of crisis, warns central banker
Speaking to parliament on Wednesday 21 May, Bank of Japan governor Toshihiko Fukui said Japan faces a situation where a so-called financial crisis could be triggered at any time, according to a report by Sapa-AFP.
Philippines central bank reviews inflation target
The governor of the Philippines central bank, Rafael Buenaventura, said on Thursday that the inflation target may be revised down as previous concerns such as high oil prices no longer existed, according to Reuters.
Ex-central banker Fraga takes wheel of a cab
Former president of the central bank of Brazil Arminio Fraga has recently appeared on Brazilian television in a comedy sketch playing a taxi driver who likes to voice his opinions on the economy, according to a Bloomberg report
Brazil central bank under pressure to cut rates
Several of Brazil's top government officials have echoed the call of industry bosses for a cut in the central bank's prime interest rate from 26.5 per cent, according to a report in the Financial Times. In what was described as an unusually harsh tone,…
Peter Nicholl welcomes Presidency decision
Governor Nicholl welcomes the decision of the Presidency of BH on the new Governing Board of the CBBH, 20 May.
UK inflation stays at highest level in five years
The Office for National Statistics said on Wednesday 21 May the underlying annual inflation rate in the UK - the measure targeted by the Bank of England - was 3 per cent in April, unchanged from the previous month, reports the Financial Times