Monetary Policy
IMF criticises Bulgaria over central bank delay
With the name of the new governor of the Bulgarian national bank still to be decided, the IMF has stepped in calling the delay a problem and urged a speedy conclusion to the matter in a transparent way, Bulgaria News Network reported.
Candidates and crystal balls in Bulgaria
Candidates for the post of governor of the Bulgarian national bank were asked to compile reports as part of the selection process. Of particular interest were European Union accession and the date when Bulgaria is likely to introduce the euro.
Confirmed: EU to quiz Trichet on ECB job, 11 Sept
Jean-Claude Trichet will appear before the European Parliament's Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee (EMAC) on 11 September, it was confirmed Friday Reuters reported.
Argentina's GDP could grow 5.9%, Prat-Gay says
Argentina's central bank President Alfonso Prat-Gay told a Senate committee there is a recovery of internal demand and an incipient recovery in consumption and that the Argentine economy may expand as much as 5.9 percent this year, Bloomberg reported.
Fed Reserve Bank of St Louis Review, Jul/Aug 2003
The latest edition of the St Louis Fed's Review for July-August 2003 includes proceedings of the Twenty-Seventh Annual Economic Policy Conference of the Federal Reserve Bank of St Louis. The Review includes articles titled "The Real Effects of U.S…
Sveriges Riksbank Economic Review 2003:2
The Sveriges Riksbank's quarterly journal Economic Review contains articles on central bank-related subjects. The Swedish version of this year's second issue is published today and contains five articles. An English version will be available in two weeks…
Bergstrom: EMU debate contains some lame arguments
Deputy Governor of the Sveriges Riksbank Villy Bergstrom gave a speech on 26 June at the invitation of all parties in the Ljusdal local government on the possible consequences of participation in Stage Three of EMU.
Duisenberg presents the ECB's Annual Report 2002
Presenting the ECB's Annual Report 2002 to the European Parliament Wim Duisenberg of the ECB said emphasised the need for Member States to respect the Stability and Growth Pact and said the ECB believes that the tools chosen by the ECB to communicate and…
Tumpel-Gugerell on financial markets volatility
In a speech on 'The volatility of financial markets' Gertrude Tumpel-Gugerell of the ECB said the increasing importance of technology and quantitative methods in the financial markets present new challenges. There are probably no solutions which involve…
Duisenberg silences ECB rate cut talk
Wim Duisenberg put the onus on national governments to stimulate growth on Thursday 3 July, according to Reuters, telling the European parliament that governments can no longer hide behind the ECB to cover up their failure to enact urgently required…
Alan Greenspan opens Philadelphia Fed mini-museum
Alan Greenspan opened the Philadelphia Fed's new "Money in Motion" mini-museum on Wednesday 2 July, Dow Jones reports. The displays aim to make the complex history of American monetary policy visitor-friendly for tourists and local visitors.
IMF statement on new chief economist Rajan
IMF Managing Director Kohler Proposed Raghuram Rajan as Economic Counsellor and Director of the IMF's Research Department, 2 July.
French PM calls on ECB to lower rates further
French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin has urged the ECB to cut interest rates further, according to Associated Pres, saying recent interest-rate cuts by the ECB are an encouraging sign and he hoped they can be continued.
Bank of Ghana to replace 500 staff with equipment
The Bank of Ghana's plan to shed 1,000 staff which we reported last week includes the installation of a one million dollar Sorting Machine that would replace over 500 counter staff as part of the central banks' transformation exercise, according to Ghana…
Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas 10th anniversary
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) celebrated its 10th anniversary on Wednesday. The Manila Bulletin says the BSP can rightfully claim that it has been doing well in keeping the banking system stable.
Right-wing withdraw from Bulgaria governor talks
Bulgaria's right-wing opposition has withdrawn from debate over the new governor of the central bank of Bulgaria,according to Novinite. They say it is not appropriate to mix talks over the election of a new governor with consultations over Bulgaria's…
Poll shows Swedish opposition to euro growing
Two recent opinion polls have suggested opposition to the euro is increasing in Sweden, the Financial Times reports.
Russian c bank claims Belarus changed ruble date
Russia's central bank chief Sergei Ignatyev told Interfax that Belarus initiated the decision to change the date on which Russian ruble transactions will be introduced in Belarus.
Norges Bank Inflation Report, June 2003
Norway's central bank, Norges Bank, has published its latest Inflation Report for June 2003. The report contains a review of developments in the Norwegian economy and other factors that influence the inflation outlook.
New Bank of England governor speaks of his pride
On the eve of taking over as Governor of the Bank of England, Mervyn King spoke to The Times about his personal approach to the role, filling the shoes of Sir Edward George and crucial issues facing the financial sector, including the prospect of…
Fedspeak with the Fed rate cut
An article in the Washington Times suggests that to understand what the Federal Reserve does, it's best to start with reasonably low expectations about what any central bank can do. It also suggests that the Fed's "balance of risk" assessment of the…
New risk control framework for eligible assets
In the context of the regular assessment of the risk control framework applicable to eligible assets used in Eurosystem credit operations, the Governing Council of the ECB has approved changes to the risk control framework, 2 July.
ECB meeting and press conference schedule for 2004
The Governing Council of the ECB has agreed that in the year 2004 its meetings will continue to be held, as a rule, on a Thursday in the first and third week of each month. As in 2003, the meeting schedule of the Governing Council also accommodates…
IMF, Ecuador talks to focus on reforms- Cenbanker
Sixto Cuesta, the deputy president of Ecuador's central bank, told Reuters that the IMF has concerns over the pace of reforms of the tax system and labour laws in Ecuador prompting the IMF to delay a $42 million payment.