Monetary Policy
Russian state eyes central bank profits
Russia's 2004 draft budget proposes to let the central bank keep 20 percent of its profits, down from the current level of 50 percent, according to The Moscow Times. However First Deputy Central Bank Chairman Oleg Vyugin said in an interview "We do not…
Federal Reserve keeps interest rate at 1 percent
Holding the federal funds rates at 1 percent Tuesday 12 August, the FOMC said the risk of inflation becoming undesirably low is likely to be the predominant concern for the foreseeable future. In these circumstances it said that policy accommodation can…
Bank of England Inflation Report, August 2003
The Bank of England published its quarterly Inflation Report for August 2003 on Wednesday 13 August. In the report the Bank said "The recovery in the world economy has been slow and uneven," and "Inflation is projected to run somewhat below target…
Pennant-Rea joins board of Financial News Group
Former deputy governor of the Bank of England Rupert Pennant-Rea is to become a non-executive director on the board of the Financial News Group, according to the Financial Times.
Lebanon's Riad Salameh accentuates the positive
Lebanon's balance of payments recorded a big surplus of $2.5 billion until the end of June, central bank governor Riad Salameh said on Monday 11 August, according to a report by The Daily Star. He said he expected the growth in bank savings to reach an…
Bank of England cuts inflation forecast
The Bank of England's inflation report published on Wednesday 13 August showed that the Bank expects inflation to dip below the 2.5 percent target for most of 2004, after reaching 3 percent in April, Bloomberg reports.
Quaden on the Financial Stability Committee
In a speech on the 'Installation of the Financial Stability Committee' given on 30 July Guy Quaden of the National Bank of Belgium said that this new Committee and the far more historic institutions from which it emanates are firmly resolved that they…
Nigeria's Sanusi on efforts towards monetary union
In a speech on 'Ongoing efforts towards a monetary union in the West African sub-region' given on 1 July Dr Joseph Sanusi of the Central Bank of Nigeria said he was pleased to be given the privilege to brief Governors about on-going efforts to move…
Norway's central bank reduces interest rates
Norges Bank reduced interest rates on Wednesday 13 August by 1 percent to 3 percent, according to a report by Afterposten. This was the sixth time this year that Norway's central bank lowered interest rates.
BOU gets tough on forex flow
Foreign exchange bureau operators in Uganda have been issued with new guidelines on how to tackle money laundering, according to All Africa News. This focus on forex operators is part of the Uganda Bankers Association's 'Know Your Customer' (KYC)…
Zimbabwe's retailers reject new travellers cheques
After the introduction of new travellers' cheques in Zimbabwe to ease the cash crisis, reports say some retailers are turning away customers who have the cheques, according to All Africa News.
UK Treasury reviews cash ratio deposit scheme
Conclusions and recommendations of a UK Government review of the cash ratio deposit scheme for financial institutions. The key conclusions of the review are: The cash ratio deposit scheme continues to be a suitable method of funding Bank of England…
Perspectives on deflation
In this issue we present a variety of views on the threat of deflation. Here we offer a summary and our own conclusion.
Interview: Martin Feldstein
In conversation, Professor Feldstein discusses his worries for the European Central Bank's future, who is to blame for the bubble, the US payments deficit and the international monetary system.
Why inflation is still the real danger
Policymakers should not be swayed by recent fears of deflationary spirals and policy impotence. History demonstrates that with fiat currencies, inflation will always be the real concern.
Mr Greenspan's record: where do we go from here?
The recent boom showed that policymakers should be wary of apparent economic "paradigm shifts". Now dealing with the inevitable asset price bust they should not ignore the inflation threat.
Towards a better SDDS
The IMF's SDDS is a good idea, but poorly executed argue Steve Hanke and Matt Sekerke. The authors suggest an alternative accounting standard for central banks.
Insiders and outsiders at the Bank of England
The voting behaviour of members of the Bank of England's monetary policy committee is popularly portrayed as just a "hawks versus doves" dichotomy. The reality is complex reveals Petra Gerlach-Kristen.
Bank of Japan Monthly Report, August 2003
The Bank of Japan published the English version of its Monthly Report of Recent Economic and Financial Developments, August 2003, on 12 August. The BOJ kept its assessment of the economy unchanged after slightly upgrading its view the previous month. …
External monetary policy adviser appointed at RBNZ
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand on Tuesday announced the appointment of Malcolm Bailey as one of the Bank's two part-time external monetary policy advisers.
'Time for clarity, Mr Greenspan'
As the Federal Reserve's FOMC meets Tuesday, this article says it's time for the Fed to be clearer about its growth and inflation targets and its plans to achieve them. Now that short-term rates can scarcely fall further, successful communication is a…
Argentina, IMF seen close to loan deal
Argentina and the International Monetary Fund have made progress in negotiations over the preliminary three-year debt rescheduling agreement, Economy Minister Roberto Lavagna told reporters on Monday Reuters said.
UK inflation rises unexpectedly in July
UK inflation rose to 2.9% in July the National Statistics office said Tuesday according to BizWorld. "The largest upward influence came from clothing and footwear, particularly women's outerwear. This year's summer sales for clothing were not as great as…