Monetary Policy
Stability Pact rule changes ruledout: Solbes
Pedro Solbes said on Wednesday 18 February that the current terms of the stability and growth pact will be maintained, ruling out any changes to the EU's much criticised budget rules.
PBOC reaffirms stability of renminbi
The People's Bank of China denied speculation on Wednesday that China's financial authorities have decided to appreciate the nation's currency in the near future.
Brazil's Copom holds rate at 16.5%
The Banco Do Brasil's monetary policy committee (Copom) announced Wednesday it was holding its Selic interest rate steady at 16.5%.
Bank of England MPC Minutes 4/5 February
Minutes of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee Meeting were released on 18 February for the meeting of 4 and 5 February 2004. In a rare move, the MPC voted unanimously to raise interest rates by a quarter point.
Cleveland's Pianalto on the process of policy
In a speech on 'The Process of Policy' given on 13 January, Sandra Pianalto of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland said provided a snap shot of a typical FOMC meeting, from the "go-round" when Committee members give their views on the economic outlook…
Serbian central bank warns parliament
The National Bank of Serbia warned on Tuesday 17 February that it would appeal to the Republic's Constitutional Court if parliament annuls the election of central bank governor Kori Udovicki.
BOJ's Iwata says strong GDP won't change stance
The Bank of Japan's deputy governor Kazumasa Iwata said on Wednesday 18 February that the BOJ's monetary easing policy will stay unchanged despite strong GDP figures, and added that deflation remains a stubborn problem.
Meirelles says Brazil can cope without IMF aid
Brazil's central bank chief, Henrique Meirelles, said in an interview that the country's dependence on the IMF could be reduced and a reduction in Brazil's "foreign vulnerability" could be achieved.
A case for removing the ringgit peg in Malaysia
This article looks at Malaysia's ringgit peg, saying that the US dollar's fall has posed questions over its viability. It argues for an immediate restoration of the free float regime, which applied before the local currency was fixed to the US dollar in…
St Louis Fed's Central Banker, Winter 2003
The Winter 2003 edition of the St. Louis Fed's Central Banker magazine has been published. The latest issue carries a report on Check 21 which, it says, will speed up and simplify check processing. The Winter edition also reveals why the Bank is…
RBA's Stevens on recent issues for monetary policy
In a speech on 'Recent issues for the conduct of monetary policy' given on 17 February, Glenn Stevens of the Reserve Bank of Australia said the bank raised interest rates late last year because of inflationary risks and demand for credit.
SNB's Roth says euro has stabilised Swiss franc
Speaking on Monday 16 February, Swiss National Bank chairman Jean-Pierre Roth said that the introduction of the euro has stabilized the Swiss franc but has also left the economy vulnerable to sharp currency swings.
Central bankers say stability pact not dead
The EU's much maligned stability and growth pact is not dead despite a decision by finance ministers in November to suspend its rules, ECB and Bundesbank members said Monday 16 February.
Russia and Belarus agree on currency policy
The National Bank of Belarus and the Central Bank of Russia have approved a draft agreement between the governments and central banks of the two countries on common principles of currency regulation and control.
Canada's Dodge on policies for changing times
In a speech on 'Policies for Changing Times' given on 17 February, David Dodge of the Bank of Canada said the right set of macroeconomic policies helps countries to adjust to changing economic circumstances.
Hungary to delay Euro adoption to 2010
Hungary's new Finance Minister Tibor Draskovics was quoted as saying that the country will probably postpone the adoption of the Euro to 2010 from 2008 because of high inflation and budget deficits.
Finland versus the ECB (continued)
Despite a climb down by the Finnish finance ministry on a move to seize almost €750m of Suomen Pankki's capital, the ECB is still far from happy with the ministry's final proposal for a new Bank of Finland act. It argues that the proposal still…
Padoa-Schioppa: Lower rates would not boost growth
ECB executive board member Tommaso Padoa-Schioppa was quoted in an interview as saying that the central bank's current monetary policy can't be blamed for slow growth in the eurozone and lower interest rates are not the answer.
NBS to oppose review of Udovicki's election
The National Bank of Serbia (NBS) said in a statement on Saturday 14 February that it opposes a planned parliamentary review of NBS governor Kori Udovicki's election.
Prizewinning designs for the ECB's new premises
An international jury chaired by the ECB's Vice-President Lucas Papademos on 13 February chose the three winning designs in the architectural design competition for the new ECB premises in Frankfurt.
EU considers changes to ECB board rules
European Union finance ministers are pondering establishing rules for the selection of ECB board members to avoid lobbying between countries, an EU diplomat said on Sunday 15 February.
Trichet's testimony before the European Parliament
In testimony before the European Parliament given on 16 February Jean-Claude Trichet of the ECB said recent data have strengthened the ECB's expectation of an economic recovery in the eurozone and made us "more confident" that the recovery began in the…
Forex volatility in EU accession countries
This IMF Working Paper analyses foreign exchange market volatility in four Central European EU accession countries in 2001-2003. It shows that periods of high volatility seem to be cross-correlated for Hungary, Poland and Czech, Slovak Republics. It…
Bundesbank says eurozone not hurt by weak dollar
The Bundesbank said on Monday 16 February that economic recovery in the eurozone has not been harmed by the weak dollar, with increasing global demand more than compensating for it.