Monetary Policy
PBoC will 'actively promote' exchange rate reform
The People's Bank of China said in a report released on Thursday 24 February that it will "actively promote" reform of the exchange rate regime this year.
ASEAN currency swap deal extended
Central bankers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations signed an agreement on Thursday 24 February to extend until 2006 a currency swap deal intended to help ASEAN members experiencing international liquidity problems.
RBI's Udeshi on the pursuit of financial stability
In a speech on 'The pursuit of financial stability' given on 10 February, Smt. KJ Udeshi of the Reserve Bank of India said India's banking regulator will continue to focus greatly on financial stability, considering that the country is more vulnerable to…
Philadelphia Fed Business Outlook Survey, Feb 2005
According to the firms surveyed for the Philadelphia Fed's Business Outlook Survey, February 2005, expansion in the region's manufacturing sector is growing at a slightly faster rate than in January.
BoE's Bean: Monetary policy in an uncertain world
In a speech on 'Monetary policy in an uncertain world' given on 22 February, Charles Bean of the Bank of England said that uncertainty is an ever-present feature of the economic landscape that monetary policy makers cannot escape.
Bank of England MPC Minutes, 9 &10 February
The minutes from the 9 &10 February meeting of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee published on Wednesday 23 February showed eight members voted to hold interest rates unchanged, with Paul Tucker voting against, preferring a rise in the repo…
Fukui says reserve target assessment in April
Bank of Japan Governor Toshihiko Fukui said Wednesday 23 February the central bank will decide after April if its target for reserves available to lenders is appropriate, adding that the policy of pumping funds into the economy will be maintained.
ECB's Caruana says inflation outlook favourable
European Central Bank governing council member Jaime Caruana said in a speech the eurozone's inflation outlook is relatively favourable and inflation should fall below 2 per cent in the coming months.
ECB policy 'appropriate' according to Tietmeyer
Former Bundesbank President Hans Tietmeyer said in an interview with Bloomberg television the European Central Bank's interest rates were at the right level and called on countries to respect for the European Union's rules on budget deficits.
IMF's Rajan says Europe needs 'balanced' Pact
Europe needs balanced budget rules to boost economic growth, the IMF's Chief Economist Raghuram Rajan said in an interview published on Wednesday 23 February, referring to recent plans to revamp the European Union's Stability and Growth Pact.
South Korea's central bank denies dollar sale plan
The Bank of Korea denied on Wednesday 23 February that it planned to offload its US dollar assets after media speculation it was about to do so sent the US currency falling.
Hurley: Ireland's & Europe's economic performance
In the speech 'Some perspectives on Ireland's and Europe's economic performance' given on 28 January, John Hurley of the Central Bank and Financial Services Authority of Ireland warned about competitiveness threats to both the Irish and European…
Bank of Japan Minutes, 18 and 19 January
The Bank of Japan's minutes from its 18 and 19 January monetary policy meeting published on Tuesday 22 February revealed that board members discussed lowering the central bank's liquidity target as a response to improved financial stability.
Phil Fed's Survey of Professional Forecasters
The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia has published its First Quarter 2005 Survey of Professional Forecasters. Economic growth in the first half of 2005 looks stronger now than it did three months ago, according to 36 forecasters surveyed.
Bundesbank's Weber visits Riksbank
The President of the Deutsche Bundesbank, Professor Axel A Weber, was due to visit the Sveriges Riksbank on Tuesday 22 February.
BoE's Barker says uncertainty prevented rate rise
Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee member Kate Barker was reported as saying in an interview that the uncertain short-term outlook for the UK economy prevented the nine-member MPC from raising interest rates in February.
Politicians’ itch to interfere
Central Banking takes a look at some recent skirmishes between central bankers and politicians. A report by economics correspondent Paul Brione.
Managing IT as a business
How can a central bank get the best out of its information technology? Bruce Summers explains.
The Bank’s reforms take shape
Central Banking reports on the Bank of England’s plans to revolutionise the way it sets interest rates.
Bank of Japan Monthly Report, February 2005
The Bank of Japan published the English version of its January 2005 monthly report on 21 February. In the report the BoJ said the economy continues to recover, leaving its view unchanged for a third consecutive month.
Sweden's Persson: monetary policy in low inflation
In a speech on 'Monetary policy in a low-inflation economy' given on 18 February, Kristina Persson of the Sveriges Riksbank said international economic activity is expected to continue to strengthen and resource utilisation in the world economy to become…
IMF's Rato on Latin America in the global economy
In a speech on 'Latin America in the global economy - Challenges and opportunities' given on 4 February, Rodrigo de Rato of the International Monetary Fund said global growth should remain robust in 2005 although at a slightly slower pace than a year…
Fazio on outlook for the global economy and Italy
In a speech on 'The outlook for the global economy and Italy' given on 12 February, Antonio Fazio of the Bank of Italy said the ECB has left interest rates at two per cent "given the expectation of inflation returning below 2pc and the still uncertain…
Fed's Pianalto relaxed on US inflation
Cleveland Federal Reserve President Sandra Pianalto said on Monday 21 February that US inflationary pressures remain muted despite a surge in January wholesale prices.