Monetary Policy
Central bankers have to practise silence
This article published on Wednesday 11 May says central bankers have an obligation to speak out when politicians' actions threaten price stability, but on matters of tax and expenditure policy, central bankers, including Alan Greenspan, should tread…
Bank of England Inflation Report, May 2005
The Bank of England published its May 2005 Inflation Report on 11 May. In the report the Bank said it expects CPI inflation to rise above the 2 pct target in the near term due to temporary factors before settling back to the 2 pct level over the two year…
PBOC official says prepared for yuan reform
A deputy governor of the People's Bank of China said the central bank is now "technically" prepared to carry out currency reforms, according to a report on Wednesday 11 May.
Fed rate increases appropriate says Poole
A top Federal Reserve officials said on Wednesday the Fed was correct to raise interest rates gradually because recent indications of an economic soft spot are misguided.
Fed's Hoenig: statement error a 'doggone mistake'
Kansas City Fed President Thomas Hoenig said on Tuesday 10 May that the omission of a reassurance about the long-term inflation outlook in last week's Federal Reserve policy statement was just a mistake.
Fed's Fisher sees US economy in 'sweet spot'
Dallas Federal Reserve President Richard Fisher said on Tuesday an apparent soft spot in U.S. growth may have been influenced by technical factors making March data look especially weak, but in fact the economy is pulling ahead well.
Japan's MOF may yield to BOJ on reserves
Japan's Ministry of Finance is expected to approve the Bank of Japan's plans to build up its reserves beyond the amount legally required, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported.
IMF's Krueger on macro policies for EU accession
In the speech 'Macroeconomic policies for EU accession' given on 6 May Anne Krueger of the IMF said the turnaround in Turkey's economic performance has been remarkable. There is every reason to expect further rapid growth, sustainable over a long period.
Tumpel-Gugerell: Interchange in a changing market
In the speech 'Interchange in a changing market: Observations from the euro area perspective' given on 6 May Gertrude Tumpel-Gugerell of the ECB said we are aware of the problems and issues at stake in relation to interchange fees. For the moment, we see…
Malaysia's Zeti on the Islamic financial system
In the speech 'Brief overview of the Islamic financial system' given on 15 April Dr Zeti Akhtar Aziz of the Central Bank of Malaysia said with the strengthened Islamic financial infrastructure now being firmly achieved in the first phase of the Financial…
Bank of Japan Minutes, 15 and 16 March
The Bank of Japan's minutes from its 15 and 16 March monetary policy meeting published on 9 May showed policy makers agreed they can keep the target for reserves available to lenders by changing the way the bank conducts money-market operations.
PBOC to increase bank card business
China's central bank and other related government agencies have developed guidelines and measures to accelerate the development of the burgeoning bank card industry.
Joint Indo-Russian seminar to begin in Moscow
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and Russian central bank, along with Vneshtorgbank, are organising the first ever Indo-Russian banking seminar in Moscow to devise joint strategies to control money laundering.
China ready for currency flexibility says US
US Treasury Secretary John Snow said "now is the time" for China to change its currency system, but there is no indication that the Chinese feel the same sense of urgency.
Hong Kong foreign currency reserves increase
Hong Kong's foreign currency reserve assets stood at 122.6 bln usd at end-April, up from 122.4 bln at the end of March, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) said.
Iran's central bank independece not in sight
Independence for the Central Bank of Iran is unlikely to take place any time soon, according to a government minister.
RBA's fragile independence
This article published on Thursday 5 May says that although discussion is an integral tool in setting monetary policy, the jawboning should be the domain of the governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia. Unfortunately, over the past six months, the…
Ireland's Hurley on monetary and financial issues
In a speech on 'The monetary and financial environment in the euro area' given on 11 April, John Hurley of the Central Bank of Ireland said that recent data suggests the euro area's economy is unlikely to strengthen soon.
Hildebrand on lessons from the SNB's gold sales
In a speech on 'SNB gold sales - Lessons and experiences' given on 5 May, Philipp Hildebrand of the Swiss National Bank said the Swiss National Bank completed its gold selling program of 1300 tonnes on March 30, 2005. Before these sales, Switzerland's…
Dodge on the Canadian economy and economic forces
In a speech on 'The Canadian Economy: Adjusting to Global Economic Forces' given on 6 May, David Dodge of the Bank of Canada said Canada's economy is adjusting to powerful forces at work in the global economy, including the emergence of China and India…
BOJ's Fukui says zero rate policy stays
Bank of Japan governor Toshihiko Fukui said on Sunday 8 May that the BOJ will maintain its fight against deflation despite favourable signs in the economy, but the current policy won't last indefinitely.
East Africa moving towards currency union
Central bank governors from the East African Community (EAC) member states of Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania agreed at the weekend to work towards monetary union.
ECB's Garganas sees no reason for rate hike
European Central Bank council member Nicholas Garganas said in an interview that there is no need for the bank to start raising interest rates until inflation pressures increase.
G10's Trichet sees 2005 global growth around 4%
G10 chairman Jean-Claude Trichet said following a meeting of central bank governors on Monday 9 May that they still expect global growth to be around 4 pct this year despite recent mixed signals from economic data.