Monetary Policy
Mel Gibson's father: 'Greenspan should be lynched'
Well-known Hollywood Actor Mel Gibson is about to release a new movie, but in a bizarre interview his father has made some outrageous comments, including a mention for Alan Greenspan.
Bank Indonesia seeks replacement deputy governor
President Director ECW Nelloe of Bank Mandiri said on Wednesday (18 Feb) that he was not prepared to be nominated for the post of senior deputy governor of Bank Indonesia.
Poor Don Brash splattered with mud
Don Brash planned to take his message direct to the people after recent problems saw him accused of "Maori bashing". But all was not plain sailing for the former RBNZ chief.
'Toshihiko Goldilocks' world's top central banker
According to The Economist this week, Bank of Japan Governor Toshihiko Fukui is the world's best central banker. Fukui was prised for steering monetary policy in the right direction while his counterparts at the ECB and Fed came in for criticism.
Gerashchenko to co-chair of Russians Regions Party
Former chief of the Russian Central Bank Viktor Gerashchenko was elected co-chairman of the Russian Regions Party on Monday (15 Feb). The decision was made by the party's congress, after Sergey Glazyev was booted from the post.
Cleveland Fed's Pianalto reveals basketball link
Visiting a school recently, Cleveland Fed President Sandra Pianalto was mobbed for autographs by the schoolchildren who crowded round her.
Udovicki's future at NBS still in balance
The Serbian Parliament began a debate on proposed changes to legislation on presidential elections on Thursday (19 Feb). Parliament completed debate on the appointment of the National Bank governor but has yet to put it to a vote.
Bies on Financial Markets and Corporate Governance
In a speech on 'Financial Markets and Corporate Governance' given on 19 February, Susan Schmidt Bies of the Federal Reserve said the world of accounting needs to catch up with the growing sophistication of the world of finance. She urged accounting…
Philadelphia Fed Business Outlook Survey, Feb 2004
According to the firms surveyed for the Philadelphia Fed's Business Outlook Survey, February 2004 activity in the region's manufacturing sector continues to expand although indicators for general activity, new orders, and shipments fell from their…
Bank of Canada Review, Winter 2003
The Bank of Canada published its Review for Winter 2003 on 19 February. The Review includes articles titled "The Comparative Growth of Goods and Services Prices" and "Current Account Imbalances: Some Key Issues for the Major Industrialized Economies".
Doubts over Jamaica monetary committee
Bank of Jamaica governor Derick Latibeaudiere has raised doubts over Jamaica's readiness for a monetary policy committee, citing the central bank's lack of independence in controlling monetary policy tools.
Gjedrem says further rate cuts possible
Giving his annual "state of the economy" speech on Thursday 19 February, Norges Bank Chief Svein Gjedrem said he did not exclude the possibility of even further interest cuts this year.
Dallas's McTeer on inflation targets
Dallas Fed president Bob McTeer said on Thursday 19 February that inflation targets were a marketing tool not needed by the Fed, and opposed lobbying to float China's currency.
Czech PM does not see euro entry before 2009
Czech Prime Minister Vladimir Spidla has said his country will aim to adopt the euro by 2009 at the earliest. This is two years later than the timetable agreed last year.
Poole on the state of the U.S. economy
In a speech on 'State of the U.S. Economy' given on 20 February, William Poole of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis said he saw the U.S. economy growing 4 to 5 percent this year and this growth should generate "significant increases" in employment.
Moskow: Regional, national US economic conditions
In a speech on 'Regional and National Economic Conditions' given on 19 February, Michael Moskow of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago said the Fed would not be deterred from raising interest rates by the proximity of the U.S. Presidential election if it…
ECB's Liebscher doesn't rule out intervention
ECB Governing Council member Klaus Liebscher said Friday that foreign currency intervention by the ECB could never be ruled out but would not be discussed in public ahead of time.
BoE's Lomax on Inflation Targeting
In a speech on 'Inflation Targeting - Achievement and Challenges' given on 18 February, Rachel Lomax of the Bank of England discussed the improvement in economic performance since the adoption of inflation targets and the challenges that policy makers…
Minutes from the Sveriges Riksbank Meeting, 5 Feb
Minutes of the Sveriges Riksbank Executive Board meeting on 5 February, published 19 February. The minutes pointed to a continued strengthening in international economic activity. Deputy Governor Kristina Persson entered a reservation against the…
Interview: Central Bank of Iraq's Chief Economist
In an interview Mudhir Kasim said that Iraq's central bank published official statistics for the first time in 26 years on Tuesday (17 Feb). "This is the first central bank bulletin since time immemorial. The information we produced before was secret,"…
The East Asian Dollar Standard
This article by Prof. Ronald McKinnon of the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research says that calls for China to revalue the yuan or allow it to float upward are not the answer. East Asian countries would be better served pegging to the dollar…
BOJ's Taya on recent economic developments
In a speech published on 19 February, Teizo Taya of the Bank of Japan said the Japanese economy has recently started to gain momentum for a cyclical recovery but the pace of recovery is moderate.
ECB won't burst bubbles says Issing
Otmar Issing said on Wednesday 18 February that the ECB would not use monetary policy to burst speculative bubbles in eurozone asset prices as such a move would have a negative effect on the real economy.
BNB's Quaden: Further euro rise 'not desirable'
Belgian National Bank governor Guy Quaden said at the release of the central bank's annual report that any further rise of the euro is "not desirable".