Governance

Kate Barker reappointed to MPC

The UK Chancellor Gordon Brown announced the reappointment of Kate Barker to the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) on Friday 2 April for a second term of three years.

'Mr Euro' quits EU for Spanish fin min job

Pedro Solbes, a staunch defender of the eurozone's stability and growth pact, is stepping down as European economic and monetary affairs commissioner on 11 April to take up the post of finance minister in Spain's incoming Socialist government.

Japan's funny money

The Bank of Japan's recent high-profile presence in the foreign exchange market has attracted enough popular interest to become the latest topic in Golgo 13, a series in the Big Comic magazine targeted at Japanese salarymen.

Greenspan cancels speech with cold

Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan was due to make scheduled introductory remarks at a Fed conference in Washington on Friday (26 March) because of a cold, a spokesman said on Friday.

Viyuygin to take up post at Russian regulator

Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov on Wednesday (24 March) appointed Oleg Vyugin, deputy chairman of the Russian central bank, as chairman of the national securities market regulator, the government said.

Bank of Israel staff plan strike action

The governor of the Bank of Israel David Klein met Thursday (25 March) with the secretariat of the Histadrut labour federation's bank workers' unit, Zion Shema, in an effort to avert a strike at the central bank.

Poland may replace three board members

Reports say that National Bank of Poland governor Leszek Balcerowicz will soon replace three members of the management board of the NBP, Jerzy Stopyra and Andrzej Bratkowski, while the third name is still unknown.

France 'won't back Rato's IMF candidacy'

Outgoing Spanish Economy Minister Rodrigo Rato emerged as a leading European candidate to head the IMF this week, but his chances of getting the nod were later thrown into doubt following comments attributed to Jacques Chirac.

Brash unimpressed with RBNZ's plans

Former RBNZ chief Don Brash said this week that while the high value of the New Zealand dollar was hurting the economy, any attempt to intervene would be fraught with risk.