Monetary Policy
Senate panel sets hearing on Fed nominees
US - The Senate Banking Committee will hold a hearing on Tuesday on the nominations of Ben Bernanke and Donald Kohn to serve on the Federal Reserve Board, the panel said on Friday.
Top central bankers agree to hold regular talks
SOUTH KOREA - The central bank governors of South Korea, China and Japan have agreed to have regular talks at all future international gatherings, said Bank of Korea (BOK) Governor Park Seung on Monday.
Luck not Greenspan calmed business cycles - study
US - Many have praised the brilliance of Alan Greenspan and his predecessor at the Federal Reserve helm for blunting the most savage swings of the U.S. business cycle. But there's a good chance most of what tamed the booms and tempered the busts was…
BIS Press Release
PRESS RELEASE - BIS consolidated banking statistics for the first quarter of 2002, 26 July.
BIS consolidated international banking statistics
REPORT - The BIS consolidated international banking statistics - first quarter 2002, released 26 July. The statistics highlight a sharp decline in Japanese banks international positions during the first quarter of this year. Over the same period in…
Many hurdles before one African currency - Mboweni
SOUTH AFRICA - Many hurdles would have to be overcome before the newly-formed African Union (AU) could form a single currency for the continent, South African Reserve Bank Governor Tito Mboweni said on Thursday.
Dutch auction won't depreciate Naira, says CBN
NIGERIA - The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has said that contrary to speculation, the newly introduced Dutch Auction System (DAS) in the nation's foreign exchange market would not lead to the depreciation of the naira.
Euro-zone current account moves to surplus in May
GERMANY - The current account for the 12-nation euro zone showed a surplus of 100 million euros (dollars) in May compared with a deficit of 2.2 billion euros in May 2001, the European Central Bank reported Friday.
Cullen calls for RBNZ to copy Australia's c bank
NEW ZEALAND - Finance Minister Michael Cullen has called for New Zealand's central bank to model itself on the Reserve Bank of Australia, which pursues a 2-3% inflation target.
Structural problems must be confronted says Rubin
SINGAPORE - Two of the world's major economies, Japan and the European Union (EU), need vital structural reforms if they are to achieve sustainable growth, former US treasury secretary Robert Rubin said on Thursday.
ECB expansion raises questions of independence
ARTICLE - Will new entrants to the monetary union significantly alter Euroland monetary policy? They could, unless voting rules at the ECB's Governing Council are carefully examined to avoid the possibility of regional bias. Article from the Taipei Times…
IMF-experts: Argentina crisis bottoming out
ARGENTINA - The four monetary experts chosen by the IMF believe Argentina may have touched bottom after four years of recession and see potential for an export-led recovery, an official briefed on the talks said on Thursday.
Japan-style financial crisis looms for Taiwan
ARTICLE - A researcher with the Asian Development Bank Institute said Thursday that indications are Taiwan may be due for a crisis like the one that hit Japan in 1997.
Czech interest rates cut to stem rise of currency
CZECH REPUBLIC - The Czech central bank yesterday cut interest rates to lower than in the eurozone, in an attempt to halt the headlong appreciation of the country's currency.
Russian court overturns acquittal of ex-c banker
RUSSIA - A Moscow court has overruled the acquittal of a Central Bank official charged with abuse of office for giving a loan to a troubled bank and ordered a retrial, news reports said.
Bank of Canada Press Release
PRESS RELEASE - Bank of Canada Releases Monetary Policy Report Update, 24 July.
Bank of Canada, Monetary Policy Report Update
REPORT - Bank of Canada, Monetary Policy Report Update, July 2002. The report projects economic growth for Canada in the range of 3 to 4 per cent to the end of 2003. The report also says the Bank is committed to achieving the 2 per cent target for…
Speech by David Dodge of Bank of Canada, 24 July
SPEECH - In his opening statement on the release of the Monetary Policy Report Update Dodge said that keeping inflation low and stable is the best contribution that monetary policy can make to sustained economic growth in Canada.
Monetary developments in the euro area
REPORT - Monetary developments in the euro area: June 2002, released 25 July. The annual rate of growth of M3 decreased to 7.1% in June 2002, from 7.7% in May (revised downwards from 7.8%). The three-month average of the annual growth rates of M3 over…
Australian Treasury Press Release
PRESS RELEASE - Re-appointment of Mr Hugh Morgan to the Board of the Reserve Bank of Australia, 24 July.
Minutes from the Sveriges Riksbank Board meeting
MINUTES - Minutes of the Sveriges Riksbank Executive Board meeting on 4 July 2002, released 25 July. The Board noted that the June Inflation Report's main scenario, with a gradual recovery, still holds but there are now signs that activity may not…
IMF News Brief
NEWS BRIEF - IMF Managing Director Horst Kohler Congratulates Yusuke Horiguchi on Appointment as First Deputy Managing Director of the Institute of International Finance, 23 July.
Europe's instability pact
ARTICLE - Thursday's Financial Times in London published an article by Paul De Grauwe who recently stood unsuccessfully as a candidate for the post of Vice President of the European Central Bank.
Orderly correction fortuitous
LETTER - Letter published in Thursday's edition of the London Financial Times, 25 July, from C. Fred Bergsten, Director, Institute for International Economics, Washington DC, US.