Monetary Policy
Uzbekistan action plan on currency convertibility
The government of Uzbekistan has made a pledge to introduce the long-awaited convertibility of the national currency, setting late November as the deadline for this move. An action plan developed by the Uzbek government aims to remove all restrictions on…
Sweden's Riksbank cuts repo rate by 0.25 percent
The Sveriges Riksbank announced on 4 July that it decided to lower the repo rate from 3.0 per cent to 2.75 per cent. In a press release the Bank said inflation has recently been slightly lower than expected, while both domestic and imported prices have…
Padoa-Schioppa on co-operation in Asia and Europe
In the speech 'Regional co-operation: experiences in East Asia and Europe' Padoa-Schioppa of the European Central Bank said that given the degree of regional integration already achieved, I believe that Asian regionalism will prove to be a sustainable…
Tumpel-Gugerell at European Banker of the Year 02
In a speech in honour of the European Banker of the Year 2002 Gertrude Tumpel-Gugerell of the ECB said a good banker has to be able to evaluate risks to successfully distinguish between potentially good and bad investments. Economic progress is dependent…
BIS - Annual Report April 2002 - March 2003
The Bank for International Settlements has published its Annual Report for the year ended April 2002 - March 2003. For the first time the annual report contains details of the salary of the General Manager, Malcolm Knight at 617,050 Swiss francs (US$460…
Andrew Crockett: Central banking under test?
In the speech 'Central banking under test?' Andrew Crockett said central banks have been extremely successful in their long war against inflation. And yet, just as they have been emerging victorious from one battlefront, another, deflation, seems to have…
Knight reviews the activities of the BIS for 02-03
In the speech 'Activities of the BIS - The year 2002-03 in review' Malcolm Knight of the BIS said the effectiveness and accountability of increasingly independent monetary authorities depends importantly on having put in place sound governance and…
"Take a razor to the debate on deflation"
An article published in the Financial Times asks how deflationary panic can be averted and suggests that a little deflation would be far from catastrophic in any case.
BOK faces dilemma in managing FX reserves
Korea's foreign exchange reserves topped the $130 billion mark according to the Bank of Korea. Representing a rise of $10.2 billion from $121.41 billion at the end of 2002, Korea Times reported.
Israel's Klein praises finance minister on economy
David Klein, governor of the Bank of Israel, has praised the country's finance minister saying demonstrated leadership has changed the economic picture significantly, Reuters reported.
IMF criticises Bulgaria over central bank delay
With the name of the new governor of the Bulgarian national bank still to be decided, the IMF has stepped in calling the delay a problem and urged a speedy conclusion to the matter in a transparent way, Bulgaria News Network reported.
Candidates and crystal balls in Bulgaria
Candidates for the post of governor of the Bulgarian national bank were asked to compile reports as part of the selection process. Of particular interest were European Union accession and the date when Bulgaria is likely to introduce the euro.
Confirmed: EU to quiz Trichet on ECB job, 11 Sept
Jean-Claude Trichet will appear before the European Parliament's Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee (EMAC) on 11 September, it was confirmed Friday Reuters reported.
Argentina's GDP could grow 5.9%, Prat-Gay says
Argentina's central bank President Alfonso Prat-Gay told a Senate committee there is a recovery of internal demand and an incipient recovery in consumption and that the Argentine economy may expand as much as 5.9 percent this year, Bloomberg reported.
Fed Reserve Bank of St Louis Review, Jul/Aug 2003
The latest edition of the St Louis Fed's Review for July-August 2003 includes proceedings of the Twenty-Seventh Annual Economic Policy Conference of the Federal Reserve Bank of St Louis. The Review includes articles titled "The Real Effects of U.S…
Sveriges Riksbank Economic Review 2003:2
The Sveriges Riksbank's quarterly journal Economic Review contains articles on central bank-related subjects. The Swedish version of this year's second issue is published today and contains five articles. An English version will be available in two weeks…
Bergstrom: EMU debate contains some lame arguments
Deputy Governor of the Sveriges Riksbank Villy Bergstrom gave a speech on 26 June at the invitation of all parties in the Ljusdal local government on the possible consequences of participation in Stage Three of EMU.
Duisenberg presents the ECB's Annual Report 2002
Presenting the ECB's Annual Report 2002 to the European Parliament Wim Duisenberg of the ECB said emphasised the need for Member States to respect the Stability and Growth Pact and said the ECB believes that the tools chosen by the ECB to communicate and…
Tumpel-Gugerell on financial markets volatility
In a speech on 'The volatility of financial markets' Gertrude Tumpel-Gugerell of the ECB said the increasing importance of technology and quantitative methods in the financial markets present new challenges. There are probably no solutions which involve…
Duisenberg silences ECB rate cut talk
Wim Duisenberg put the onus on national governments to stimulate growth on Thursday 3 July, according to Reuters, telling the European parliament that governments can no longer hide behind the ECB to cover up their failure to enact urgently required…
Alan Greenspan opens Philadelphia Fed mini-museum
Alan Greenspan opened the Philadelphia Fed's new "Money in Motion" mini-museum on Wednesday 2 July, Dow Jones reports. The displays aim to make the complex history of American monetary policy visitor-friendly for tourists and local visitors.
IMF statement on new chief economist Rajan
IMF Managing Director Kohler Proposed Raghuram Rajan as Economic Counsellor and Director of the IMF's Research Department, 2 July.
French PM calls on ECB to lower rates further
French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin has urged the ECB to cut interest rates further, according to Associated Pres, saying recent interest-rate cuts by the ECB are an encouraging sign and he hoped they can be continued.
Bank of Ghana to replace 500 staff with equipment
The Bank of Ghana's plan to shed 1,000 staff which we reported last week includes the installation of a one million dollar Sorting Machine that would replace over 500 counter staff as part of the central banks' transformation exercise, according to Ghana…