Monetary Policy
Arafat names Palestinian MA officials
PALESTINE - President Yasir Arafat has decreed the appointment of Dr Amin Muhammad Haddad as governor of the Palestinian Monetary Authority.
Speech by Shigemitsu Sugisaki of the IMF, 24 July
SPEECH - In a speech titled 'The U.S. and Japan in the Global Economic System' Sugisaki said "Japan's decade-long economic slump owes much to the delays in implementing structural reform, particularly bank and corporate debt restructuring". He added …
Federal Reserve Board Press Release
PRESS RELEASE - The Federal Open Market Committee decided today to keep its target for the federal funds rate unchanged at 1 3/4 percent, 13 August.
Bank of Canada Review, Summer 2002
REPORT - The Bank of Canada Review is a quarterly publication that contains four economic commentary and feature articles. The Bank issued its Summer 2002 Review on 13 August.
Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee Minutes
MINUTES - Minutes of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee Meeting, 31 July and 1 August 2002. The minutes showed members of the Bank of England unanimously voted to leave interest rates on hold at the 31 July-1 August meeting. The members…
Spanish cen bank launches early retirement scheme
SPAIN - Banco de Espana, Spain's central bank, is to offer an early retirement scheme to employees of 50 years of age or older who work at the 30 branches across Spain to be closed down.
Russian PM says central bank to continue float
RUSSIA - The central bank and the government of Russia will ensure the stability of the rouble rate in 2003, but the rouble rate should correspond with economic development, Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov said at a government session on Wednesday.
Reserve Bank of New Zealand News Release
NEWS RELEASE - Reserve Bank pauses, OCR held at 5.75 per cent, 14 August.
Profiles of Bank of Japan Policy Board members
ARTICLE - The Bank of Japan's Policy Board discussed side effects of its huge fund injection to the money market at its 26 June meeting but concluded that the struggling economy needed the easy monetary policy, minutes showed on Wednesday.
'Cloud' prompts N.Z. to leave rates on hold
NEW ZEALAND - New Zealand left its official cash rate unchanged at 5.75 percent Wednesday, citing the global economy's "increasingly clouded" prospects.
MPC voted unanimously to hold UK rates
UK - The Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee discussed the case for a cut in interest rates at its August meeting, according to the minutes of its meeting published on Wednesday.
Rates held steady by Fed but easing hints given
US - The Federal Reserve on Tuesday left its key short-term interest rate unchanged but signalled concern about turbulent financial markets and hinted at a possible future easing of monetary policy.
IMF Working Paper Series
RESEARCH - Internal Models-Based Capital Regulation and Bank Risk-Taking Incentives by Paul H Kupiec, Monetary and Exchange Affairs Department, IMF, July 2002.
Economic and Financial Policy Review, Vol 1, No 2
PUBLICATION - 'Banks Venture into New Territory' by Kenneth J. Robinson, Senior Economist and Policy Advisor, Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, Volume 1, Number 2, 2002.
Bank of Japan Monthly Report, August 2002
REPORT - The Bank of Japan published its Monthly Report of Recent Economic and Financial Developments, August 2002, on 13 August. In its report the Bank of Japan said the outlook for exports had become more uncertain due to unstable global stock markets…
MAS Press Release
PRESS RELEASE - MAS Seeks Public Comment on Guidelines for Retail Hedge Funds, 13 August.
The role of the Deutsche Bundesbank
RESEARCH - 'The role of the Deutsche Bundesbank in the European System of Central Banks' by Hermann Remsperger, Deutsche Bundesbank, Accepted 1 February 2002.
Stagnation warning from Poland's central bank
POLAND - GDP increases and the business climate will remain low in the third quarter of the year while economic growth will be buoyed by exports, the Polish National Bank said in a business climate research report released on Tuesday.
NZ business leaders happy with inflation policy
NEW ZEALAND - Most of the country's top business people see no need to alter the way the Reserve Bank administers monetary policy.
India's central bank may face terrorist threat
INDIA - Amid threats from Pakistan-based militant outfits, the toughest-ever security arrangements are being put in place to ensure a trouble-free Independence Day in India.
Liberalising our exchange controls
ARTICLE - At the recently-held public/private sector consultation on economic and related issues, Governor of the Central Bank of Barbados, Dr. Marion Williams presented a paper on Barbados' response to the liberalisation of trade in financial services.
Surprise rise for UK inflation seen
UK - UK inflation has risen higher than expected, casting doubt on the need for another interest rate cut.
Crunch time for US economy as Fed ponder rate move
US - An indicator of US economic health will come today, as the Federal Reserve is due to announce its latest monthly interest rate decision.
A shroud of secrecy
A new survey by Steve Hanke and Matt Sekerke suggests that while central banks pay lip service to transparency, many of them do not practice it.