Central Banking staff
Follow Central Banking
Articles by Central Banking staff
Ottawa's plan for G-20 security is out of sight
ARTICLE - Finance ministers and central bank governors from the Group of 20 nations, along with officials of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, will go underground when they congregate here next week. Literally.
Georgia National Bank's reserves raised
GEORGIA - With the receiving of new credit from the International Monetary Fund, currency reserves of National Bank of Georgia had raised to 141.8 million dollars.
Top officials sue Polish central bank for back pay
POLAND - The members of the bank's 10-strong Monetary Policy Council (MPC) say that recently published details of the remuneration of Polish central bankers show they have been underpaid for the past three years.
IMF cuts forecast for growth in France
FRANCE - The International Monetary Fund, blaming the effects of the September 11 terrorist attacks in the US, has cut its forecast for French economic growth next year to around 1.6 per cent from an earlier prediction of 2.1 per cent.
Eurozone inflation dip may smooth ECB move
EUROPE - Annual inflation in the eurozone dipped to 2.4 per cent last month from 2.5 per cent in September, according to a provisional estimate released Monday.
China has no plan to relax foreign bank rule: HKMA
HONG KONG - China said on Tuesday it had no plans to relax its US$20 billion asset-base threshold for foreign banks wanting to open branches in the country, according to a Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) spokesman.
US economy "quite weak" in September-Chicago Fed
US - The U.S. economy was "quite weak" and performed below trend for the 15th straight month in September, the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago said on Monday.
Chicago Fed National Activity Index
REPORT - The Chicago Fed National Activity Index (CFNAI) was virtually unchanged at -1.28 in September. The three-month moving average index (CFNAI-MA3) was -0.95 in September, marking the fifteenth consecutive month that the CFNAI-MA3 was below zero.
Indonesia - The central bank's saga
ARTICLE - This article examines recent events involving Bank Indonesia, the central bank of Indonesia. The article was published before Sjahril Sabirin, governor of the bank, was convicted of fraud on 31 October 2001.
Consumer spending falls in Japan
JAPAN - Japanese households spent less in September in spite of falling prices and government attempts to boost consumer spending, official figures show.
Asian nations agree free-trade zone
ASIA - South East Asian nations and China have agreed to set up the world's biggest free-trade area within 10 years.
Fed expected to cut rates by another half-point
US - The US Federal Reserve is poised to cut interest rates today for the tenth time this year, extending its most aggressive rate-cutting campaign in recent history amid yet more evidence of proliferating weakness in the world's economic power.
Speech by Joseph Yam, Chief Executive of the HKMA
SPEECH - Speech by Joseph Yam, JP, Chief Executive, Hong Kong Monetary Authority, 5 November. Briefing to the Legislative Council Panel on Financial Affairs.
Speech by John Townend, Director for Europe
SPEECH - Speech by John Townend, Director for Europe at a British Bankers' Association Conference, London on 5 November.
Russian reserves growing
RUSSIA - Russia's gold and foreign exchange reserves grew from $38.6 billion to a new peak of $38.8b in the period between 19 October and 26, 2001.
Call for big changes to global financial system
ARGENTINA - A group of former finance ministers from emerging market countries will today propose fundamental changes to the global financial system, including an international bankruptcy procedure for government borrowers.
Envisaged scenarios of the euro changeover
RESEARCH - Regular report of the European Central Bank on Envisaged scenarios of the euro area for the 2002 cash changeover as at 26 October.
Speech by UK Chancellor Gordon Brown
SPEECH - Speech by UK Chancellor of the Exchequer to the CBI annual conference dinner in Birmingham, England, 4 November.
GATA - Howe lawsuit goes to Boston hearing
US - A hearing in GATA consultant Reginald H. Howe's gold market manipulation lawsuit against the Bank for International Settlements, the U.S. Federal Reserve Board and Treasury Department, and five bullion banks will be held at 2 p.m. Monday in U.S…
Thai c bank reshuffle: Six assistant gov's rotated
THAILAND - Pridiyathorn leaves only three assistant heads unchanged in his major reorganisation of top-level executives.
Bank of Japan is pressured to take action
JAPAN - Japanese lawmakers tightened the screws on the Bank of Japan by advancing legislation that would force it to take more aggressive action to stimulate the world's second-largest economy.
Buba Welteke - ECB rate policy no hinder to growth
GERMANY - The European Central Bank's interest rates aren't an obstacle to growth, long-term and real interest rates are low and the ECB must avoid letting long-term inflation expectations build up, Deutsche Bundesbank President Ernst Welteke repeated,…
Error rate high with euro notes trial in France
FRANCE - Two months before euro notes and coins come into circulation, the financial community is concerned that cashiers in shops and banks will not be ready to use euros and detect fake notes from 1 January.
Italy denies tricks to qualify for euro
ITALY - Italy on Monday denied a report that it had used complicated derivatives to hide the true size of its 1997 budget deficit to qualify for membership of the euro currency.