Monetary Policy
Finland's Matti Vanhala on sick leave
Governor of the Bank of Finland Matti Vanhala had some bad luck while staying at his holiday home in the archipelago recently. Vanhala broke his thigh and needed an operation which, the bank said, will keep him at home until after Christmas.
Chile's Senate approves new board member
Economist Manuel Marfan has been approved by Chile's Senate as a new member of the central bank's board. Marfan has an economics PhD from Yale University and currently works for the UN.
RBA appoints new Deputy Governor
The Reserve Bank of Australia has appointed Dr Philip Lowe as Assistant Governor, Financial System. Lowe joined the RBA 1980 after completing a PhD in economics at MIT. He will take up the position in early 2004.
NZ's Bollard's good cheer Christmas cards
Following on from his Goldilocks Christmas card last year, Alan Bollard has continued his seasonal cheer this time around with a card showing Santa's sleigh flying over the Reserve Bank spilling money and with a large percentage sign symbolising the OCR,…
Paul Acquah elected chairman of WAMZ
Paul Acquah, Governor of the Bank of Ghana, was unanimously endorsed as the new chairman of the Committee of Governors of Central Banks of the West African Monetary Zone (WAMZ) at its 10th meeting last Tuesday.
Chicago Fed National Activity Index, November 2003
The Chicago Fed National Activity Index (CFNAI) November 2003 was published on 18 December. The November CFNAI points to solid gains in economic activity and reached its highest value since March 2000 at +0.55. Three of the four broad categories of…
Philadelphia Fed Business Outlook Survey, Dec 2003
Activity in the region's manufacturing sector continued to expand, according to the firms surveyed for the Philadelphia Fed's Business Outlook Survey, December 2003. Noteworthy increases were recorded for key indicators shipments, new orders, and…
Bank of England Quarterly Bulletin, Winter 2003
The Bank of England released its Quarterly Bulletin, Winter 2003, on 19 December. Among articles included in the Bulletin are "The distribution of unsecured debt in the United Kingdom: survey evidence," "The macroeconomic impact of revitalising the…
IMF says rate rises needed in the UK
The IMF said in its annual review of the UK economy, released on Thursday 18 December, that there was a need for more interest rate increases in the UK, warning of the dangers posed by a possible housing market crash. It called for "a gradual but early…
BOJ opens branch office in Beijing
The Bank of Japan opened its Beijing office on Thursday18 December It will be headed by Yosuke Tsuyuguchi and is designed to strengthen relations between the BoJ and the People's Bank of China.
Irish central bank upgrades 2004 growth forecast
The central bank of Ireland has upgraded its forecast for economic growth but said the euro's strength would reduce exporters competitiveness. In its quarterly bulletin, published on Thursday 18 December, it said the Irish economy has shown flexibility…
Ghana pledges commitment to Monetary Zone targets
Ghana's president John Agyekum Kufuor said on Friday 19 December that the country would target a single digit level of inflation by the end of 2004, in readiness for the second monetary zone in West Africa. President Kufuor said the monetary zone would…
Waring appointed to RBNZ Board
New Zealand's finance minister Michael Cullen said on Thursday 18 December that Dr Marilyn Waring has been appointed to the Reserve Bank Board to replace Ruth Richardson whose term expires on 3 February. Waring is currently a Professor of Public Policy…
Philadelphia Fed index rises dramatically
The Philadelphia Fed's general economic index this month registered 32.1 compared with 25.9 in November. It represents the highest level in a decade with more factories hiring workers than at any time since April 1973, the report said.
Ukraine to keep currency policy tied to dollar
Serhiy Tihipko, chairman of the National Bank of Ukraine, has said that Ukraine will continue to tie its currency to the dollar despite its weakness against the euro. He said the central bank might review the policy if the share of euros in foreign…
Sweden's Srejber on saving and inflation
In a speech on 'Saving and inflation' given on 19 November, Eva Srejber of the Sveriges Riksbank discusses Sweden's stabilisation policy framework and its development, mainly over the past 30 years, but also the potential challenges posed to the current…
Bank of Canada Financial System Review, Dec 2003
The Bank of Canada published its semi-annual Financial System Review on 17 December. An improving economic environment and a stabilization in corporate credit quality have contributed to better results for financial institutions, it said. The risks…
Bank of Japan Monthly Report, December 2003
The Bank of Japan published the English version of its December 2003 Monthly Report of Recent Economic and Financial Developments on 18 December. The BoJ said that it expects the Japanese economy to continue its export-led recovery at a slow pace. "Japan…
Sveriges Riksbank Board Meeting minutes, 4 Dec
Minutes of the Sveriges Riksbank Executive Board meeting on 4 December, published 18 December. Members felt that international developments, with the exception of the euro area, had been surprisingly positive in recent months. The uncertainty that…
ECB's Wellink says euro surge a risk to recovery
ECB Governing Council Member Nout Wellink said in an interview that the appreciating euro was "one of the risk factors" for the European economy and the region's growth prospects could be hindered if the euro appreciated rapidly.
Euro-zone inflation up to 2.2 per cent
Euro-zone inflation edged up to 2.2 percent in November with higher food and tobacco prices blamed for the rise. The results were in line with expectations and Eurostat's preliminary estimate.
Brazil central bank cuts rate 1 point to 16.5%
The central bank of Brazil cut its Selic base rate by a percentage point to 16.5% on Wednesday 17 December. A Copom statement said that the cut was made "due to a trajectory of favourable targets for the resumption of economic activity."
Accra tipped to host WAMZ central bank
A random sample of the views of finance ministers, governors and technical advisors of the West African Monetary Zone meeting in Accra concluded that "Ghana is very well placed to becoming the base for the central bank of the WAMZ group."
ECB official unconcerned with euro's strength
Otmar Issing, chief economist of the European Central Bank, said in an interview that the current level of the euro "corresponds to its long-term average". "It is essentially back where it started," he said.