Monetary Policy
Bulgaria rejects bid to speed up c bank election
A proposal by the deputy chair of the right wing opposition, Dimitar Abadzhiev to speed up the election of a new governor to the Bulgarian central bank before the summer recess was rejected by parliament this week, Novinite reported.
Central Europe and the euro - patience needed
This article from the Economist reflects on the cautious note the Bundesbank recently sounded on EU accession countries haste to enter the euro. Several central banks including Hungary and the Czech Republic have urged caution from their governments not…
ECB opinion on new president
The European Central Bank adopts an opinion on the appointment of a new President, 31 July.
Rumours abound on Trichet successor in France
ECB bound Jean-Claude Trichet is lobbying for Herve Hannoun to take over as governor of the bank of France when Trichet leaves. But politics may scupper the plan, the FT's Observer column reports.
OECD warns euro zone on growth, deficits
In its latest survey of the 12 nation euro zone the OECD highlighted a persistent lag in innovation and research in the bloc compared with other advanced countries. The Paris based organisation also urged fiscal discipline, AFP said.
Nat cen bank sold US agency debt for ECB - source
Contrary to denials of debt sales, Reuters on Wednesday reported that a source told them he had seen orders to sell from the ECB, saying "Yes, I think it is fair to say that". The unnamed source said large sales went through from the ECB on 18 July…
Fed's Beige Book says US growth up a notch
The Federal Reserve published its influential Beige Book on Wednesday. The report said the US economy picked up somewhat since it was last published and even the long-suffering manufacturing industry has increased optimism, Reuters reported. The Beige…
ECB holds rates at 2% ahead of holiday
The European Central Bank met Thursday before its traditional August holiday and held its main interest rate steady at 2%, Bloomberg reported. The ECB's governing council also said it endorsed the candidacy of Jean-Claude Trichet, governor of the Bank of…
Brazil c bank sees 2003 inflation above target
The minutes from its most recent policy meeting showed Brazil's central bank may not meet its inflation target this year. However, the eight policy makers said the rate should fall below the government set target of 5.5 percent for 2004.
Testimony on National credit reporting system
In testimony on the 'National credit reporting system' given on 29 July, Dolores Smith, Director of the Division of Consumer and Community Affairs, said the Committee is to be commended for undertaking an examination of the Fair Credit Reporting Act and…
Sveriges Riksbank Economic Review 2nd Quarter 2003
The Sveriges Riksbank has published its Economic Review for the 2nd Quarter 2003. The Review includes articles 'The use of market indicators in financial stability analyses', 'Card payments in Sweden' and 'The Riksbank's submission on the final report…
IMF Working Paper on central bank independence
The IMF Working Paper "A Political Agency Theory of Central Bank Independence" proposes a theory to explain why, and under what circumstances, a politician gives up rent and delegates policy tasks to an independent agency. The authors apply this theory…
Interview with Bank of England's Paul Tucker
In an interview with Dow Jones, Paul Tucker said that the outlook for the world economy remains uncertain. Tucker, who sits on the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee, spoke of a "delicately poised" domestic and international economy but said…
Bank of Japan plans to open office in China
The Bank of Japan plans to open an office in China, according to Bloomberg. In a statement the BoJ said "China is playing a growing role in the global economy and its ties with the Japanese economy are also becoming stronger".
Interview- National Bank of Serbia's Kori Udovicki
In an interview with the Financial Times. the newly appointed governor of the National Bank of Serbia, Kori Udovicki, said she would resist pressure from the government, if it came, to invest the central bank's foreign exchange reserves. She intends to…
PBOC: Improvements needed to prevent inflation
The People's Bank of China said in a press release on Monday 28 July that the central bank needs to improve its monetary policy decision making in order to maintain the stability of the yuan. Instability of monetary policy will "significantly erode the…
BSP makes wish list to Congress
Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Rafael B. Buenaventura told reporters that the central bank has a wish list of five pending bills it wants to be passed by Congress but admitted only one was likely to go through before May next year, according to a…
ECB expected to rest with rates on hold
The European Central bank is expected to hold interest rates steady when it meets on Thursday 31 July, according to AFP, but analysts said on Tuesday 29 July it will probably cut in September when it returns, to stimulate the euro zone economy further.
Euro-zone central banks and their euro windfalls
The Financial Times was quick to pick up on CentralBankNet's Monday special report on euro zone central bank's windfall profits from legacy currencies still in circulation and presumed lost down the back of Europe's sofas.
Fed McTeer: Econ helped by monetary, fiscal policy
Dallas Fed chief Bob McTeer said Tuesday "we would do whatever is necessary" to stimulate growth but he didn't think there was any likely scenario in which the Fed would be forced to adopt extraordinary measures such as heavily increasing purchases of…
New Serbian governor asserts independence
Did the Serbian government give Mladjan Dinkic the boot because of his questionable running of the central bank? If so, his successor won't last long. Energy minister Kori Udovicki who has been chosen to take his place told the Financial Times, "I will…
Another one for the ladies
CentralBankNet notes that Udovicki's appointment pushes the number of the world's lady central bank governors a little more comfortably into double figures, now numbering a still rather paltry eleven. She joins Bodil Nyboe Andersen as Europe's only other…
Meltzer magic
Allan Meltzer and the dear old Bretton Woods twins haven't always been on the best of terms. As he told Central Banking journal barely a year and a half a go: the world bank's inefficiencies were a "scandal"; in many of its activities it "contributes…
Macfarlane goes for a decade
Ian Macfarlane, the governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia, is buckling down for another term - but not a full one. At the age of 57, it seems that the prospect of another whole seven-year term would have been a bit much, so he put a bid in for a…