Monetary Policy
ECB says Lithuanian mint on track for euros
Lithuania's mint meets the basic requirements for coining euros, the central bank said Thursday, citing the conclusions of a team of European Central Bank officials who visited the mint this week.
BIS Triennial Central Bank Survey - Final Results
The BIS published the final results of its 2004 Triennial Central Bank Survey of Foreign Exchange and Derivatives Market Activity on Thursday 17 March, showing a substantial increase in turnover in the foreign exchange market and in the growth of…
Sweden's Heikensten on monetary policy
In a speech on 'Introduction on monetary policy' given on 15 March, Lars Heikensten of the Sveriges Riksbank told the government's finance committee that the board left interest rates unchanged because too much emphasis had recently been placed on the…
Bank of Canada Annual Report 2004
The Bank of Canada has published its Annual Report for 2004. In the report the Bank said a major challenge during 2004 was the strong appreciation in the value of the Canadian dollar.
IMF's Carstens on Latin America and global economy
In a speech on 'Latin America and the global economy: Prospects for growth and stability' given on 4 March, Agustin Carstens of the IMF said we are going through a phase of growth and expansion that is important in both size and geographical coverage.
IDB meeting to focus on trade and investment
The April 10-12 meeting of the Inter-American Development Bank, to be chaired by Japanese Finance Minister Sadakazu Tanigaki, will bring together finance ministers and central bank governors from its 46 member countries, officials said at a news…
OECD report says dollar fall not unexpected
Global growth is only expected to slow moderately this year despite volatility in oil prices, the OECD said on Thursday 17 March in its semi-annual Financial Market Trends report.
Taiwan cb deputy governor meets BoK's Park
Central Bank of China deputy governor Liang Fa-chin attended an international conference in South Korea, but did not discuss foreign exchange issues with Bank of Korea governor Park Seung, Economic Daily News reported, citing central bank governor Perng…
Former BOJ's Taya says current policy should stay
A former Bank of Japan policymaker told a press conference on Thursday 17 March that the central bank should adhere to its current "quantitative" credit-easing policy until Japan's economic recovery is achieved.
BOK to increase efficiency of reserve management
The Bank of Korea (BOK) said it will strengthen its manpower in the foreign currency asset management divisions to more effectively manage increasing foreign exchange reserves.
Norway's Gjedrem on dialogue without boundaries
In the introduction to the conference "Dialogue without boundaries" given on 9 March, Svein Gjedrem of Norges Bank said monetary policy's most important contribution is to provide the economy with a nominal anchor.
ECB book on statistics and economic policy-making
The European Central Bank published a book entitled "Statistics and their use for monetary and economic policy-making" on 11 March. The book contains the proceedings of the second ECB conference on statistics held in Frankfurt am Main on 22 and 23 April…
Yellen on US economy and the banking sector
In the speech 'Thoughts on the economy and the banking sector' given on 14 March, Janet Yellen of the San Francisco Fed said that regulators are worried that some banks are not well-positioned for "alternative scenarios" on movement of the yield curve or…
Norges Bank Inflation Report, March 2005
Norway's central bank, Norges Bank, published its latest Inflation Report for March 2005 on Wednesday 16 March. The report said growth in the Norwegian economy has become more self-driven with the main driving forces being private consumption combined…
GCC central bankers to meet on monetary union
Central bankers in the six-member of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) are set to meet in Saudi Arabia this Saturday, 19 March, on monetary union, the Arab News daily reported Wednesday 16 March.
BOJ raises assessment of economy
The Bank of Japan slightly raised its assessment of the economy on Wednesday 16 March, saying in its latest monthly report that industrial production is flat, rather than weak - the first upgrade since last June.
PBOC to maintain managed floating forex mechanism
China will maintain its managed floating rate mechanism for its yuan currency, state television quoted central bank governor Zhou Xiaochuan as saying.
ECB's Tumpel-Gugerell on policies in the new EU
In a speech on 'Monetary and financial policies in the new integrated Union' given on 9 March, Gertrude Tumpel-Gugerell of the ECB pointed out that the success of fiscal adjustment and reform crucially hinges on political and public support.
SF Fed's Yellen on prospects for the U.S. economy
In a speech on 'Prospects for the U.S. economy' given on 2 March, Janet Yellen of the San Francisco Fed said the US economy is on a path toward healthy economic growth and stable inflation but interest rates remain accommodative.
Greenspan on Social Security program & retirement
In testimony on the 'Future of the Social Security program and economics of retirement' given on 15 March Alan Greenspan of the Federal Reserve issued a fresh call to Congress to move promptly to put Social Security on firm financial footing, warning…
China's Wen says progress made on yuan rate
China's Premier Wen Jiabao said on Monday 14 March that the country is working on a plan for a more flexible exchange rate of the renminbi but the specific measures may come at an "unexpected" time.
Japan's Tanigaki says deflation end needed
The Bank of Japan should take "effective measures" to end deflation, Finance Minister Sadakazu Tanigaki said on Tuesday 15 March at a press conference in Tokyo.
China technically ready on yuan move - IMF
International Monetary Fund managing director Rodrigo Rato told a press conference China is "technically" ready to adjust its currency and now is the time to move to a more flexible exchange rate mechanism.
Bundesbank reports profit fall on dollar weakness
The German Bundesbank on Tuesday 15 March reported a net profit of A€676 million (US$904 million) for last year, a figure that came in far short of government budget projections as the weak dollar lowered the value of foreign-currency holdings.