Central Banks
BOK head sees no capital flight next year
The implementation of the second-stage foreign exchange liberalisation plan next year is unlikely to lead to a sudden flight of domestic capital to foreign countries, Bank of Korea governor Chon Chol-hwan said yesterday.
Japan FRC head urges BOJ broad view on easing
Japan's top financial regulator on Friday urged the Bank of Japan to take a broad view in deciding whether or not to ease monetary policy, implying he favoured an easing.
Intervention was to punish speculators -Duisenberg
European Central Bank President Wim Duisenberg said on Thursday recent ECB forays into foreign exchange markets were not aimed at pushing the euro to any level but at punishing those speculating against the currency.
El Salvador to use dollar as 'parallel currency'
El Salvador will allow the US dollar to circulate freely alongside its own currency in the new year under a monetary law sent to Congress by the president on Thursday.
Diusenberg says UK euro tests are irrevelant
European Central Bank chief Wim Duisenberg today dismissed Gordon Brown's five economic tests for joining the single currency as irrelevant and insisted that Britain would have to join the European exchange rate mechanism for two years before adopting…
ECB inflation above target for next 6 months
European Central Bank President Wim Duisenberg said on Thursday it could take six months for Eurozone inflation to fall back to the ECB's 2% goal.
South Korea economy heads for slowdown
South Korea posted a strong growth rate of 9.2% in the third quarter, but analysts warn that the economy could begin looking much weaker in the fourth quarter because of increased bankruptcies for debt-heavy companies and resulting job losses.
Russia's gold reserves up on last week
Russia's gold and foreign currency reserves were $26.5bn on 17 November, up from $26bn on 10 November, the central bank said in a press release on Thursday.
Trichet tempers optimism on world economic growth
French central bank governor Jean-Claude Trichet Thursday tempered optimistic forecasts for world growth, saying there remain uncertainties as to economic conditions.
Nigeria cenbank cuts lending rate to banks to 14%
The Central Bank of Nigeria announced on Thursday it had slashed its benchmark minimum rediscount rate (MRR) by 200 basis points to 14%, saying this reflected the low level of inflation in the West African country.
CNB board makes no policy change at meeting
The Czech central bank (CNB) said on Thursday its regular governing board meeting had ended and no monetary policy decisions had been taken.
NBS raps Slovak government for spending plans
The Slovak central bank (NBS) has raised its 2001 inflation forecast to between 6.8% to 7.7%, local news agency SITA reported on Thursday, citing an NBS document commenting on the government's 2001 budget proposal.
Bundesbank predicts soft landing for US economy
Signs of a gradual slowdown of the US economy are increasing, the Bundesbank said in its latest monthly report, citing the "sharp" decline in residential investment and government spending as the main contributions to the "tangible" slowdown in third…
Chile Q3 GDP grew 5.8% in quarter - central bank
Gross domestic product (GDP) for Chile, which is recovering from a recession, grew 5.8% in the third quarter of this year versus the same period last year, the central bank said on Thursday.
SNB sees gold as good diversification tool
The Swiss National Bank still sees gold as a good tool to diversify its reserves even though the central bank is gradually selling off half its original holdings of the metal, SNB Chairman Hans Meyer said.
IMF warns Brown not to increase spending
The International Monetary Fund's report on the health of the UK economy, published yesterday by the Treasury, warned Gordon Brown, the UK Chancellor, that private spending needs to slow down before the economy can accommodate an increase in public…
Costa Rica to maintain exchange rate policy
Costa Rica's central bank said on Thursday it would continue with mini-devaluations of its currency against the dollar, despite complaints that it makes local business less competitive.
Taiwan central bank says forex policy unchanged
Taiwan's central bank said on Wednesday it would maintain its policy of "dynamic stability" in the foreign exchange market after surprisingly allowing the local dollar to fall to a 19-month low.
Italy MTS to adopt RTGS system soon
MTS SpA, Italy's secondary bond market operator, will soon adopt real-time gross settlement (RTGS) for bond operations to replace current end-of-day settlement, MTS deputy director general Ezio Dosa said on Wednesday.
Slovak central bank two day policy meeting
The board of the National Bank of Slovakia will hold a two-day meeting on current and 2001 monetary policy on Thursday and Friday, central bank spokesman Jan Onda said on Wednesday.
A$ bounces back from record lows
The Australian dollar bounced back from this week's record lows against the US dollar on Wednesday, buoyed by talk of central bank support in the options market.
UK's MPC voted 9-0 for unchanged rates in November
The Bank of England's monetary policy committee (MPC) voted unanimously for a second month running in November to leave interest rates unchanged at 6%.
Russia central bank to develop smart card market
Sergei Mikhailov, deputy director of the information systems department of the central bank, has announced that the bank is interested in developing the smart card market.
Liquidity gridlock feared from Japan's RTGS launch
Japan's introduction of real time settlement for stock and bond transactions may expose banks and brokerages to a temporary liquidity gridlock that could force some to reduce yen-based operations, bankers said on Wednesday.