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ECB rate cut not ruled out: Belgian board
BELGIUM - Belgian national bank chief Guy Quaden, a member of the European Central Bank board, declined Tuesday to rule out an ECB interest rate cut.
CSME no further behind than other trading blocs
BARBADOS - Prime Minister of Barbados Owen Arthur, in delivering the feature address at the opening of the Implementation Unit at the Central Bank on Monday, said CARICOM's Single Market and Economy (CSME) was now at the same point as Europe in 1985 when…
Britain will pay the price of exclusion
ARTICLE - Does a single market really require a single currency? Europhiles say yes, Eurosceptics no. Until recently it was not easy to prove who was right. But now we know for sure. Professor Richard Layard puts the case for the UK's entry to the euro.
Brazil central bank raises interest rates to 21%
BRAZIL - Brazil's central bank yesterday sought to stave off a growing financial crisis by raising overnight interest rates by 3 percentage points to 21 per cent. The increase followed renewed pressure on the Real, the country's currency, before a likely…
Bank defends its position on interest rates
UK - Members of the Bank of England's rate-setting body on Monday defended it against criticism that it has not done enough to prevent escalating house prices in Britain.
Ex-Fed chief steps into US audit watchdog row
US - Paul Volcker, the highly respected former chairman of the Federal Reserve, has stepped into the debate over the new US accountancy regulator, backing a candidate at the centre of a political storm endangering the career of Harvey Pitt, chairman of…
Anne Krueger on supporting globalization
SPEECH - In the speech titled 'Supporting Globalization' Anne Krueger, First Deputy Managing Director, International Monetary Fund said that the prospects were good for continued economic growth and globalization in the 21st century.
A hard test for Britain's euro advocates
ARTICLE - The euro is not just about our economy but our destiny. We should only join the euro if the economic tests are met. That is clear. But if the tests are passed, we go for it." Thus did Tony Blair state his goal and the constraint upon it in his…
Japan 'has drafted' anti-deflation package
JAPAN - The Japanese government has drawn up the outline of an anti-deflation package and will finalise the draft towards the end of the month, the Sankei Shimbun newspaper reported on Sunday.
GCC asks EU for currency advice
ARTICLE - Six Arab Gulf states have turned to the eurozone for advice in how to successfully start a single currency by 2010.
Kuwait to link dinar to dollar
KUWAIT - Kuwait, ending a 27-year-old policy, said yesterday it will fully link the dinar to the U.S. dollar from 2003 as part of a plan by six Gulf states to forge a single currency.
Shanghai Gold Exchange to open in late October
CHINA - Detailed rules governing the value added tax on gold trading have been clarified and the Shanghai Gold Exchange will formally open for business at the end of the month, exchange sources said on Sunday.
Italy's c bank governor makes rare budget comment
ITALY - Italy's new budget drew a less than enthusiastic response last Friday from Antonio Fazio, Italy's central bank governor, who said it relied heavily on one-off measures as a means to raise revenues and reduce the national budget deficit.
Israel debates monetary council for central bank
ISRAEL - The Knesset's Finance Committee will shortly be reopening discussion of a monetary council for the Bank of Israel, which would share some of the responsibilities belonging to the central bank governor, David Klein.
Brazil: PT may give central bank autonomy
BRAZIL - The workers' party (PT) may give the central bank 'operational autonomy', as early as this year, if Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is elected president, says PT president Jose Dirceu.
Brazil's c bank calls extraordinary Copom meeting
BRAZIL - Brazil's Central Bank called Monday an extraordinary meeting of its interest rate-setting Monetary Policy Committee (Copom), two weeks before presidential elections and amid a currency crisis that is fanning inflation and whipping the economy.
David Klein's mysterious adventure
ARTICLE - Several weeks ago, the premier international rating agency Standard & Poor downgraded the credit ratings of Bank Hapoalim, Bank Leumi, and Bank Discount. This action was driven by concern over the quality of loans these banks have issued. In…
New Afghan banknotes go into circulation in north
AFGHANISTAN - New Afghan banknotes have been officially put in circulation in the northern zone. The ceremony started with a recitation from the holy Koran.
Albanian MPs demand sacking of central bank head
ALBANIA - At least 35 deputies of Democratic Party (PD) and of other parliamentary opposition forces, mainly of Union for Victory, signed a draft resolute on Saturday requiring parliament to address the Bank of Albania Supervisory Council to remove…
BOK to begin 10th central banking seminar today
KOREA - Nineteen central bank officials from 18 countries will attend a central banking seminar organized by the Bank of Korea (BOK), from today through Friday at the bank's headquarters in downtown Seoul.
Indonesian bank supports rupiah after bomb blast
INDONESIA - The Indonesian central bank intervened to support the rupiah on Monday in the wake of car bomb blasts on the holiday island of Bali and analysts warned the bombings could weigh on currencies across the region.
How fiscal and monetary policy stifle the eurozone
ARTICLE - For Wim Duisenberg yesterday (10 October), attack was the best form of defence. Explaining the European Central Bank's decision to leave interest rates unchanged at 3.25 per cent, despite the dark clouds gathering over Europe's economy and…
ECB Press Conference
PRESS CONFERENCE - Introductory statement with a transcript of the questions and answers by Willem F. Duisenberg, President of the European Central Bank, Lucas Papademos, Vice-President of the European Central Bank, Frankfurt, 10 October 2002.
ECB Press Release
PRESS RELEASE - Mr. de Beaufort Wijnholds appointed as permanent representative of the European Central Bank in Washington, D.C. with observer status at the International Monetary Fund, 10 October 2002.