Monetary Policy
Fullani on central banking in time of integration
In the speech 'Central banking in the time of integration' given on 25 March Ardian Fullani of the Bank of Albania summarises the numerous papers presented during the two days of the Fifth Conference of the Bank of Albania.
ECB's Trichet says euro zone growth continuing
European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet told a press conference Thursday that economic growth in the euro area is continuing at a moderate pace but there are no clear signs of a strengthening in underlying dynamism.
IMF's Rato on sustaining global growth & stability
In the speech 'Sustaining global growth and stability-The role of the IMF' given on 6 April Rodrigo Rato of the IMF warned that the poor state of US finances combined with rising interest rates and high oil prices are a threat to global growth.
Fukui: Reserve target adjustment isn't tightening
Bank of Japan governor Toshihiko Fukui told lawmakers Thursday 7 April a ``numerical adjustment'' in the amount of funds the Bank of Japan makes available to lenders wouldn't mean the central bank is tightening monetary policy.
Asean securities market interlinked by 2010
Asean's finance ministers said at the end of their 9th meeting they have agreed to further enhance the regional capital market by developing an interlinked Asean securities market by 2010.
Russian lawmakers call for central bank probe
Russian lawmakers called on prosecutors Wednesday 6 April to investigate the theft of confidential information from the central bank's computer system.
Switzerland's growth deficit: A real problem
A recent paper by Ulrich Kohli of the Swiss National Bank "Switzerland's growth deficit: A real problem - but only half as bad as it looks" says the anaemic growth performance of Switzerland over the past quarter of a century is a cause for concern.
Fukuma on recent economic developments in Japan
In the speech 'Recent economic and financial developments in Japan' given on 24 February (published 29 March) Toshikatsu Fukuma of the Bank of Japan said the central bank should maintain the current target of 30-35 trln yen at least until April, when the…
NY Fed's Baxter on Islamic financial services
Speaking at the Seminar on legal issues in the Islamic financial services industry in Kuwait City in March, Thomas Baxter of the New York Fed said U.S. financial institutions are beginning to recognise the importance of the Islamic financial market.
Sweden's Heikensten on the economic outlook
In a speech on current monetary policy Sveriges Riksbank governor Lars Heikensten said on 4 April growth is expected to be around three per cent a year, higher than what the economy is deemed capable of sustaining in the long run.
Can Bank of England's Mervyn King take on Blair?
With a general election set for 5 May in the UK, this article asks whether the Bank of England will take on Tony Blair and raise rates on Thursday risking a political backlash from the party that looks set to win the election. Or keep them on hold, and…
Fed's Greenspan on energy
In the speech 'Energy' given on 5 April Alan Greenspan of the Federal Reserve said market forces could lead to a big enough increase in crude oil inventories to cool the recent "frenzy" that has sent prices to record highs.
Greenspan warns of risks from mortgage giants
In testimony on Wednesday 6 April Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan called on Congress to curb the rapid growth of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, telling Senators this was vital to cut the risks the mortgage finance giants pose to the U.S. financial…
World Bank report says US deficit to fall slowly
The US current account deficit is expected to decline gradually over the next three years, according to the World Bank's annual Global Development Finance report.
BOJ reports economy extends recovery
Bank of Japan Governor Toshihiko Fukui told a news conference Wednesday 6 April that a decline in business confidence doesn't alter the bank's view that Japan's economy is maintaining a recovery.
Brazil prosecutor calls for central bank inquiry
Brazil's Supreme Court has been asked by the attorney general to start an investigation into central bank President Henrique Meirelles for alleged financial irregularities.
Top Chinese officials to miss spring IMF meetings
Senior Chinese officials have said they will not attend spring meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank at the end of next week, a U.S. Treasury Department official said on Tuesday 5 April.
IMF's Rato on capital markets in a global economy
In the speech 'Capital markets in a global economy - Recent developments' given on 1 April Rodrigo de Rato of the IMF said "a continued measured withdrawal of stimulus remains appropriate" on US monetary policy.
Serbia's Jelasic on the anniversary of the NBS
In the speech '121-year anniversary of the National Bank of Serbia' given on 16 March Radovan Jelasic of the National Bank of Serbia said the NBS does not need either IMF or the World Bank to "propel" it, as these institutions are real partners rather…
Bank of Canada, Business Outlook Survey, Spring 05
The Bank of Canada's Spring 2005 Business Outlook Survey reports that businesses are more optimistic about the economic outlook than in the winter survey.
Philadelphia Fed Business Review, 1st Quarter 2005
The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia has published its regular Business Review for the First Quarter 2005. In "Preparing for the 21st Century Economy," President Anthony Santomero talks about two trends he deems to be of particular importance.
Sweden's Srejber on asset prices, inflation target
Speaking at a seminar at the Swedish Royal Institute of Technology on 16 March first deputy governor Eva Srejber of the Sveriges Riksbank said it is now more than ten years since the Riksbank adopted an explicit inflation target and the policy has been…
ASEAN finance ministers hold Laos meeting
Finance ministers from the 10 ASEAN member nations will start a two-day meeting on Wednesday 6 April in Vientiane, Laos, to discuss economic development in Southeast Asia.
China to reform forex regime, not just level
China's central bank will focus this year on how to establish a workable exchange rate mechanism instead of simply fixing the exchange rate at a certain level, the official China Securities Journal reported, citing a senior PBOC official.