Monetary Policy
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…
BIS increases transparency
Something which has largely escaped people's notice amid the flurry of recent changes at the BIS is that it has now declared the salaries of its senior management. This is consistent with its more general drive for greater transparency, since, as the new…
Straight talking from Zhou
Straight monetarist talk these days is considered controversial in certain circles; and you would not expect to hear it coming from the mouth of the governor of the central bank of China, with all the country's communist traditions. But the "moderniser"…
Quote of the week from Hormats
"Had there been an IMF in the 1850s to insist that the United States create a strong central bank, its advice would have been bitterly resisted by many Americans".
Chicago Fed's Moskow on U.S. Economic Forecast
In a speech on 'U.S. Economic Forecast' given on 28 July Michael Moskow of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago said the road to recovery has been bumpier than expected. But we believe that the monetary policy we have put in place will support demand and…
Australian Treasury on Macfarlane's reappointment
Statement by Australian Treasurer Peter Costello on the reappointment of Ian Macfarlane as Governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia, 29 July.
RBA statement on the conduct of monetary policy
Second statement on the conduct of monetary policy from the Treasurer and the Governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia, July 2003. The statement is designed to continue to foster a better understanding, both in Australia and overseas, of the nature of…
When great minds should not think alike
Committees are not necessarily the best recipe for good policy outcomes, this article in the Financial Times suggests. After Rachel Lomax joined the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee and immediately ruffled some feathers by dissenting from the…
Serbia's central bank governor braves crossfire
In an interview with the Financial Times at the weekend Kori Udovicki, the recently appointed governor of the Serbian national bank pledged to carry on former governor Mladjan Dinkic's "strict monetary policy" and "just as strict, if not stricter,…
Zimbabwe cash crisis deepens
Zimbabwe's opposition leaders have called the country's bank note crisis "an emergency of the highest order" as riot police control bank queues, according to a report by Sapa AFP. Many banks are now limiting cash withdrawals to 5 000 Zimbabwe dollars as…
'Arch-dove' proposed to Poland's monetary council
Poland's ruling SLD party has named current Deputy Finance Minister Jan Czekaj as its candidate to fill the vacancy on the national bank's interest rate-setting Monetary Policy Council (RPP), according to an Interfax report. The Polish government has…
Ian Macfarlane reappointed chief of RBA
The governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia, Ian Macfarlane, was reappointed on Tuesday 29 July for a further three years rather than the usual seven year term, reports The Australian. The reappointment decision was widely expected with few alternative…
IMF report argues for dollar peg change in Jordan
An IMF working paper has recommended Lebanon and Jordan carefully consider pegging their currencies to the euro or for a peg to a basket of currencies, as opposed to the current US dollar peg, according to the Daily Star. "Both Lebanon and Jordan are…
IMF urges Argentine reforms but approves loan
IMF managing director Horst Koehler has said Argentina comfortably met its fiscal and monetary targets as the final tranche in the $3bn (£1.8bn) aid package was approved, according to a BBC report.
Bank Negara Malaysia consults on money laundering
Bank Negara Malaysia is consulting before invoking the Anti-Money Laundering Act 2001, reports The Edge Daily. Speaking at the Asean Anti-Money Laundering Workshop on July 28, governor Dr Zeti Akhtar Aziz said the consultations undertaken by its Finance…
Europe cashes in on its forgotten money
European governments are rubbing their hands with glee at the prospect of a windfall of up to €13 billion from their forgotten national currencies, CentralBankNet discovers in this week's Monday Special Feature. This is the amount of lire, guilder,…
RBNZ Governor reminds gov't of inflationary impact
Speaking on 28 July Reserve Bank of New Zealand governor Alan Bollard urged local government in New Zealand to consider the broader economic implications when putting up rates and other local body charges.
Broaddus - Update on the Economy, Monetary Policy
In the speech 'Update on the Economy and Monetary Policy' given on 25 July Alfred Broaddus of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond said to sum up on the current state of the economy, there are a few signs in the recently released data that the recovery…
Fukui on prospects for future of Japan's economy
In the speech 'Prospects for the Future of Japan's Economy' given on 23 July Toshihiko Fukui of the Bank of Japan said for Japan's economy to resolve the problems it faces and move forward, firms and individuals must become active in seeking new value…
Sveriges Riksbank Board Meeting minutes, 3 July
Minutes of the Sveriges Riksbank Executive Board meeting on 3 July, published 17 July. A number of members stressed in particular the fact that new information had not provided any clear indications of an upswing and that there were therefore no…
Javier Silva named president of Peru central bank
Peru's president Toledo appointed economy and finance minister Javier Silva as president of Peru's central bank on Friday in a ceremony carried live on local television Bloomberg reports. Silva replaces Richard Webb who resigned recently.
Fed's Broaddus says US economy may be on the mend
Speaking on Friday 25 July, Richmond Fed President Alfred Broaddus said that forecasts for a 3.5 percent pace of growth over the second half of this year appeared on the mark, according to Reuters, but warned that "there is not much hard evidence that…
US economy on track for strong comeback - ECRI
The Economic Cycle Research Institute's managing director has said "The index is on fire", according to Reuters. He was referring to the ECRI's leading US growth rate index which rose to a 16-year high of 10.7 percent from 9.7 percent the previous week.
Poland's Balcerowicz: State finances must improve
President Leszek Balcerowicz of the Polish National Bank told Polish radio that radical improvements must be made to the country's state finances. He said with public finances in poor health, a fast and uninterrupted economic growth will not be possible.