Central Banks
Chirac nominates Noyer as Bank of France president
French President Jacques Chirac nominated Christian Noyer on Wednesday 22 october as Jean-Claude Trichet's successor at the Bank of France, the Financial Times reports. Noyer, 53, is a former deputy governor of the European Central Bank.
Rwanda: Central bank to withdraw old bank notes
The Central Bank of Rwanda has decided to withdraw legal tender for old banknotes beginning December this year, according to The New Times. An official from the Central Bank said that new notes were already in circulation to replace old ones that had…
BI hands over money laundering authority to PTATK
Bank Indonesia has handed over the handling of suspicion transaction reports from banks to the PTATK in accordance with a new law, acording to a report by AFX Asia. The Financial Action Task Force on anti-money laundering had pressed for the new law to…
Ecuador reports record monetary reserves
The Central Bank of Ecuador has reported that reserves, which have been increasing since August, have hit a record breaking level, according to a report by CRE Satelital radio. The increase is due to the arrival of new loans from international…
Belarus, Russia discuss money-emission centre
The National Bank of Belarus and the Russian Central Bank have approved the framework of pegging the Belarusian rouble to the Russian rouble for the first quarter of 2004, according to the Belapan news agency.
New Deputy Governor elected to Bulgaria c bank
Bulgaria's Parliament has elected Tsvetan Manchev deputy governor of the Central Bank and head of the Emission Department, according to a report by Novinite. He was previously executive director of the Agency for Economic Analyses and Forecasts with the…
Plan to move Russian central bank to St Petersburg
Sergei Mironov, speaker with the Russian Federation Council, has said, according to a report by Gateway to Russia, that the Russian central bank might be transferred to St Petersburg. Mironov said he is for the transfer as it will bring funds to the city.
Bank of Canada sees lower inflation
The Bank of Canada said on Wednesday 22 October that Canadians can expect lower inflation and increased economic growth next year, according to CBC News. The bank said in its latest monetary policy report that growth is expected to average a bit over 3…
Minehan on Housing in the Nation & in New England
In a speech on 'Housing in the Nation and in New England' given on 16 October, Cathy Minehan of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston said despite worries that job losses could hurt the booming housing market, the level of housing investment will likely…
San Francisco Fed's Parry on the economic outlook
In a speech on 'Economic Outlook: National Trends, Regional Implications' given on 16 October, Robert Parry of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco warned that interest rates will not stay at their current lows indefinitely. "The most likely outcome…
Poole on Economic Growth & the Real Interest Rate
In a speech on 'Economic Growth and the Real Rate of Interest' given on 14 October, William Poole of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis said his best guess is that the current stance of policy makes adequate allowance offsetting the risk that the…
Ferguson's testimony before the US Senate
In testimony before the US Senate given on 14 October, Roger Ferguson of the Federal Reserve said "During my years on the Board of Governors, I have done my best to contribute positively to all aspects of the Federal Reserve's many responsibilities. I…
Bank of Japan's Monetary Policy Meeting Minutes
Minutes of the Bank of Japan's Monetary Policy Meeting on 11 and 12 September 2003, released 16 October. Members agreed that economic activity still continued to be virtually flat as a whole, although signs of improvement had been observed in such areas…
Deutsche Bundesbank Monthly Report, September 2003
The Deutsche Bundesbank published the English version of its September 2003 monthly report on 21 October. The German economy remained on a path of stagnation in the second quarter of 2003, the report says. Despite a number of positive signals, major…
Israel central bank's Klein to continue rate cuts
Bank of Israel Governor David Klein said on Satueday 18 October that he would continue to cut interest rates for as long as prices and financial markets remained stable, according to a report by Reuters.
Cen bankers: Slovaks, Poles should adopt euro ASAP
The governors of the Slovak and Polish central banks agreed this week, according to Interfax, that both countries should try to meet Maastricht criteria and adopt the European single currency as soon as possible after joining the EU in 2004.
Fukui, local BOJ chiefs voice concern over yen
Bank of Japan Governor Toshihiko Fukui said on Monday October 20 that the central bank will closely watch developments in overseas economies and financial markets, The Japan Times reports. Fukui also said the BOJ is firmly committed to maintaining its…
Snow's remarks on interest rates clarified
Clarification of US Treasury Secretary John Snow's comments on interest rates has been given by a spokesman, who explained, according to the Financial Times, that he was talking about long-term market interest rates, not short-term official rates. Snow…
Exchange-rate reform studied in China
Signs are growing, reports China Daily, that China may embark on a long-awaited programme to reform the country's exchange-rate regime despite its determination not to revalue the yuan. As the first signal of the emerging trend, Chinese President Hu…
Malta c bank chief denies euro stories
The governor of the central bank of Malta, according to Malta Independent, denied stories that Malta, along with a few acceding countries, had begun talks with the European Central Bank about joining the euro. He said the whole story came about after an…
Ghana meets three criteria for single currency
Ghana has met three of the four primary convergence criteria of the West African Monetary Zone (WAMZ) for a single currency by July 2005, according to Ghana Web. The only criterion yet to be met is the single digit inflation rate.
CPA Briefs on Iraqi Currency Exchange
Saddam-free dinars have hit the streets in Iraq. How has this been achieved? This week's CentralBankNet Monday Special Feature gives a fascinating glimpse of the immense logistical challenges faced by the authorities in Iraq. The Central Bank of Iraq has…
Issing on Inflation targeting: prospects, problems
In a panel discussion at the conference "Inflation targeting: prospects and problems" on 17 October Otmar Issing of the ECB said that the differences in the practices of central banks oriented to price stability are in fact relatively limited. "I believe…
Solans: Prices productivity and growth - and money
In a speech on 'Prices, productivity and growth... and money' given on 17 October Eugenio Domingo Solans of the ECB asks If a central bank does not pay due attention to monetary developments, the question is then: who, if anybody, shall do it? The only…