Monetary Policy
Fed's Ferguson on good policy practice
In a speech on 'Safeguarding good policy practice through maintaining flexibility' given on 8 October, Roger Ferguson of the Federal Reserve said he is opposed to the idea of adopting an explicit inflation target as it could limit the ability of the Fed…
Fed debates policy for post-Greenspan era
This article reports that battle lines are drawn at the Federal Reserve between those who favour formal inflation goals and those who don't, with the debate heating up ahead of Alan Greenspan's retirement. It cites Roger Ferguson and Ben Bernanke at the…
Bank of Canada raises interest rates by 0.25%
The Bank of Canada announced on Tuesday 19 October that it is raising its target for the overnight rate by one-quarter of one percentage point to 2 1/2 per cent. The bank said that given the effects of higher oil prices and the past appreciation of the…
MEPs set to discuss ECB performance with Trichet
MEPs are to debate the performance of the European Central Bank with Jean-Claude Trichet on 25 October when they consider a draft report from Alain Lipietz (Greens/EFA, FR) for the Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee.
Who manages the public debt?
Over the last decade, central banks have been the losers as dozens of countries have created powerful standalone financial supervisors. Is debt management going the same way? CentralBankNet reports on another speciality that may be slipping from the…
Aziz on creating an Islamic Financial System
In the speech 'Towards creating an Islamic Financial System as an integral part of the International Financial System - strategies and challenges' given on 21 September, Zeti Akhtar Aziz of the Central Bank of Malaysia said that as Islamic finance…
Third ECB Central Banking Conference
The Third ECB Central Banking Conference on "The new EU Member States: convergence and stability" will begin on Thursday 21 October in Frankfurt am Main. Discussions include "The economic and structural transformation of the new EU Member States" and …
Report on the efficiency of the ECB's management
The European Central Bank on Friday 15 October published the report prepared by the European Court of Auditors on the operational efficiency of the management of the ECB for the financial year 2003, together with the ECB's reply to it. The report noted…
Bank of Japan Monthly Report, October 2004
The Bank of Japan released the English version of its October 2004 monthly report on 15 October. In the report the bank said exports and industrial production have been on a rising trend, albeit at a slightly slower pace. The report also said Japan's…
US rates 'still simulative' says Fed's Santomero
Philadelphia Federal Reserve President Anthony Santomero said on Saturday 16 October that US interest rates remain simulative but as the expansion continues they should return to "more normal levels".
BOJ's Fukui upbeat on Japanese economy
Bank of Japan Governor Toshihiko Fukui told a quarterly meeting of branch managers on Monday 18 October that Japan's economic recovery is on track as structural reforms continue but record global oil prices require "close attention".
Hungary's Jarai against cb reform proposal
The president of Hungary's central bank (MNB), Zsigmond Jarai, has criticised a proposal to increase the number of members of the MNB's Monetary Council from nine to eleven and to allow the prime minister to choose five of the eleven members and approve…
Ireland's statistics department finally leaves cb
Staff of Ireland's department of Central Statistics office located on the top floor of the Central Bank building started vacating the building this week. The move came as a result of a three-month notice which the central bank sent to the Statistics…
Romania appoints new Board of Directors
The National Bank of Romania has a new Board of Directors, Rompres reported on Tuesday 12 October. The BNR management was agreed by parliament in late September following fierce debate.
Leiderman named favourite to replace Klein
Professor Yitzhak Swary isn't the leading candidate to be the next Bank of Israel Governor, as Professor Leonardo Leiderman, a former senior official at the central bank, has a better chance of being appointed, TheMarker.com financial news service…
McTeer set to leave Dallas Fed
Dallas Federal Reserve President Robert McTeer, the U.S. central bank's resident poet and "lonesome dove" on inflation, is likely to leave if he wins the chancellor's position for the Texas A&M University System.
RBA likely annoyed by political rate talk
In an interview with Dow Jones Newswires on Wednesday 13 October, Professor Stephen Bell, author of a new book "Australia's Money Madarins: The Reserve Bank and the Politics of Money" said the government's argument that interest rates would rise faster…
Eu-row continues
The row over how to spell the "euro" single currency was only partially solved this week when Lithuania (euras) and Slovenia (evro) agreed a compromise on the word but Latvia (eiro) and Hungary (euroo) said they plan to stick to their own spelling.
Nobel prize winner keen to continue his work
Finn Kydland, joint winner of the 2004 Nobel economics prize, was giving a guest lecture at the Norwegian School of Economics and Business Administration (NHH) in Bergen, western Norway when he was told the news he had won the prize.
Fed's Kohn on low-probability, high-impact events
In a speech 'How should policymakers deal with low-probability, high-impact events?' given at the ECB's Conference on Monetary Policy and Imperfect Knowledge on 15 October, Donald Kohn of the Federal Reserve said central banks with credibility for…
Japan's Fukui on global exchanges
In a speech on 'Global imbalances and exchanges' given on 13 October, Toshihiko Fukui of the Bank of Japan said central banks operate in the markets to achieve their policy goals. As a result, the effectiveness of monetary policy depends on the sound…
ECB chief sees uncertainties for eurozone outlook
In an interview on Friday 15 October, European Central Bank president Jean-Claude Trichet said that high oil prices were increasing uncertainties about the economic outlook for the eurozone, although the bank still expects the recovery to continue.
Thai cb chief rejects reform criticism
Bank of Thailand Governor Pridiyathorn Devalkula said on Friday 15 October that under his leadership the central bank had carried out more reforms than other state agencies.
Philippine cb denies bid to cap peso slide
The Philippines central bank said that it is not selling dollars in the currency market to support the peso, currently at a record low of 56.45 to the US dollar.