Monetary Policy
BIS to hold 75th anniversary exhibition
The Bank for International Settlements (BIS) announced on Tuesday 25 January that, as part of its 75th anniversary celebrations, it would hold an exhibition at its headquarters in Basel, Switzerland for two weeks this year.
Japan, Thailand agree bilateral swap arrangement
The Bank of Japan, acting as the agent of the Minister of Finance of Japan, and the Bank of Thailand agreed to reach the second bilateral swap arrangement under the Chiang Mai Initiative of the ASEAN+3 Finance Ministers' Process, the Bank of Japan said…
BOJ deputy says deflation end may be delayed
Deputy Bank of Japan Governor Toshiro Muto has indicated in an interview that the Japanese economy may move out of deflation later than the central bank has forecasted.
Bank of Japan Minutes, 16 & 17 Dec 2004
The Bank of Japan's minutes from its 16 and 17 December Monetary Policy meeting revealed that board members see four negative side-effects of the BoJ's current super-loose credit policy.
Sweden's Bergstrom: Investment v capital export
In a speech given on 18 January, Sveriges Riksbank Deputy Governor Villy Bergstrom said in the long-term, the current declining trend in capital formation in Sweden could threaten the upturn in productivity that has been witnessed, and thereby also…
Euro area balance of payments
In introductory remarks to a press briefing at the launch of a new set of statistics on the geograhical breakdown of the euro area balance of payments and international investment position on Friday 21 January, ECB Executive Board member Jose Manuel…
NY Fed's Geithner at the NAF's 2004 Dinner
In a speech at the National Academy Foundation's 2004 Dinner given on 8 December, Timothy Geithner of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York said that improving educational achievement, access to educational opportunity, and the level of public…
Trichet: Stability and growth pact needs improving
European Central Bank president Jean-Claude Trichet said that some aspects of the European Union's Stability and Growth Pact need to be improved.
Schroeder sees stability pact agreement in March
German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and EU Council President Jean-Claude Juncker met Friday and expressed optimism that an agreement could be reached soon on reform of the stability and growth pact.
BoE's Barker on housing market and wider economy
In a speech on 'The housing market and the wider economy' given on 24 January, Kate Barker of the Bank of England said UK house prices are likely to continue falling, though the effect on consumer spending won't be as big as in the past.
Da Afghanistan Bank appoints first deputy governor
At the proposal of the governor of Da Afghanistan Bank, the central bank, and following the approval by the president Hamed Karzai, Sameollah Ebrahimi has been appointed first deputy governor of the central bank, the BBC Monitoring Service reported…
New directors for Chicago Fed
Two new members of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago's board of directors were announced on 10 January, as well as one new member of the bank's Detroit Branch board. In addition, the chairmen of both boards and the Seventh District representative to…
New website speculates on World Bank top job
A new website dedicated to airing speculation on who will succeed James Wolfensohn as the next president of the World Bank is offering the rumours and gossip on who is in the running to take the job.
Venezuela's Chavez nominates Parra as BCV chief
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez Frias has proposed economist Gaston Parra as his choice for the presidency of the Venezuelan Central Bank (BCV).
Interview with Bank of Finland's Liikanen
In an interview published on Thursday 20 January, the Governor of the Bank of Finland, Erkki Liikanen, strongly defended the Stability and Growth Pact of the European Union. He expressed concern that financial discipline and budgetary restraint in the…
Fischer approved as Bank of Israel governor
Israel's state appointments committee approved the nomination of renowned American economist Stanley Fischer late on Tuesday 18 January as chief of Israel's central bank.
Hungary's Monetary Council elects deputy chairman
The National Bank of Hungary (MNB) has elected Henrik Auth as deputy chairman of its Monetary Council in order to conform with the changes to the Central Bank Act passed in December 2004.
Yushchenko's swearing in set for 23 Jan
Viktor Yushchenko, former governor of the National Bank of Ukraine, will be sworn in as Ukraine's president on Sunday 23 January, ending a two-month standoff over disputed election results.
BMA gets new governor after reshuffle
The king of Bahrain, Sheikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, made a ministerial reshuffle this week which saw Bahrain Monetary Agency Governor Shaikh Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, named Finance Minister on Saturday 15 January.
Albania's Fullani on monetary policy challenges
In a speech on 'Monetary policy challenges in the framework of approximating the Bank of Albania to the European Central Bank' given on 8 December, Ardian Fullani of the Bank of Albania said much importance will be given to the institutional development…
BoE's King on fiscal discipline
In a speech given on 20 January, Mervyn King of the Bank of England called on UK chancellor Gordon Brown to maintain "prudent" government borrowing over the medium term. He also said it would be "foolish" to place too much weight on UK retail sales…
Bank of Japan Monthly Report, January 2005
The Bank of Japan released the English version of its January 2005 monthly report on 21 January. The report said that the Japanese economy will continue recovering despite some soft patches, leaving its view unchanged from December.
Geithner with a view from the New York Fed
In the speech 'A view from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York' given on 19 January, Timothy Geithner of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York said the U.S. expansion has proven quite resilient and we enter the new year with what appears to be a pretty…
The ECB's new premises
Jean-Claude Trichet, the ECB president, unveiled the bank's final choice for its new building at a press conference on Thursday 20 January, saying it will not only come to symbolise Frankfurt and European unity, but develop into a "global icon".