Reserves
Singapore risk management
ARTICLE - G10 central bank study says that consolidation has heightened possibility of systemic risk. Central banks of G10 countries recently released a joint study on the impact of consolidation on financial risk, payment systems and monetary policy,…
Non-bank Chinese institutions need funding
CHINA - China's central bank wants to draw private capital into investing in hundreds of cash-starved non-bank financial institutions to boost their financial strength, according to China Securities.
Korea needs to monitor emerging markets
SOUTH KOREA - BOK Gov. Korea should pay close attention to developments in Latin American markets to prevent shockwaves reaching the peninsula, Bank of Korea (BOK) Gov. Chon Chol-hwan said on 18 July.
Russian major bank ratings improve
RUSSIA - Fitch, the international rating agency, has changed the Outlook to Positive from Stable assigned to the Long-term ratings of 'B' of the Savings Bank of the Russian Federation (Sberbank) and Vneshekonombank (VEB). The banks' Short-term,…
Philippine bank expands dollar hedging facility
PHILIPPINES - The Philippine Central Bank said today, 19 July, its policy- making Monetary Board has approved the expansion of coverage under the currency risk protection program, a hedging facility managed by the monetary authority.
South African currency hit by risk aversion
South Africa - A general increase in risk aversion by international investors constituted a factor which had recently cast a shadow over the South African currency rand, Reserve Bank governor Tito Mboweni said on 13 July.
Decentralized Portfolio Management
RESEARCH - Paulo Coutinho and Benjamin Miranda Tabak at the Central Bank of Brazil have produced an article titled Decentralized Portfolio Management. It is part of the Bank's Working Paper series, June 2001.
China - Gold exchange may be coming
CHINA - China plans to establish a National Gold Exchange (NGE) this year, another step towards reforming its gold trading market.
Lithuanian c-bank to switch some reserves to euro
LITHUANIA - Lithuania's central bank said on 28 June it would "soon" start exchanging some of its reserves into euro to prepare for the change of the national currency's anchor to the euro from the dollar in February.
Banks and Systemic Risk - Theory and Evidence
SPEECH - David Clementi, Deputy Governor of the Bank of England and a member of the Bank's Monetary Policy Committee spoke on 23 May at a conference of the Bank of England in London.
People's Bank plans customer protection scheme
CHINA - China plans to set up a deposit insurance system to protect bank customers and reduce increasing risks in the banking sector. Announcing the plan, People's Bank of China (PBOC) Vice-Governor Wu Xialiang, said establishing such a system was an…
Speech by Clifford Smout of the Bank of England
SPEECH - Speech by Clifford Smout, Head of Foreign Exchange Division at the Bank of England at the 'Euromoney' Forex Forum on 16 May 2001. Foreign Exchange as a Business in the 21st Century.
Central banks not to blame for weak gold price
According to a study into the gold derivatives market by Professor Anthony Neuberger of the London Business School, the five-fold increase in gold lending since 1990 cannot account for the slump in the gold price over the period.
Central banks could own big chunk of US Tsys-UBSW
RESEARCH - Global central banks could own the entire supply of marketable U.S. debt by the end of 2006 as growing foreign exchange reserves force them to buy more ultra-safe U.S. government debt, according to a survey of central banks conducted by UBS…
US, Europe need not follow same policies-Issing
EUROPE - European Central Bank board member Otmar Issing said on Apr 23 globalization did not mean the United States and Europe needed to follow the same policies.
CSFB's Crisp sees more central bank gold sales
GOLD - Governments could step up gold sales in the coming decade, with even current non-sellers mobilizing bullion, but would do so with more transparency to a market dogged by uncertainty about central bank disposals, Credit Suisse First Boston's top…
Costs of forex intervention - evidence from Sweden
ARTICLE - Boo Sjoo and Richard Sweeney have published an article "The foreign-exchange costs of central bank intervention: evidence from Sweden" in the latest issue of Journal of International Money and Finance. The study supports the view that the…
Gulf to make dollar peg to monetary union-report
BAHRAIN - Members of the Gulf Cooperation Council have agreed to adopt the U.S. dollar as the sole peg for a proposed single currency for the group, senior GCC official said in remarks published by Bahraini newspapers on Apr 22.
Malaysia concedes IMF role in Asia forex swap deal
MALAYSIA - Malaysia will bow to a majority decision on whether the IMF plays any role in an Asia-wide currency swap safety net aimed at protecting countries facing balance of payments problems, Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said.
Tsang fights for Exchange Fund independence
HONG KONG - Financial Secretary Donald Tsang has rejected the Democratic Party's request to freeze a Hong Kong Monetary Authority plan to spend HK$4 billion from the Exchange Fund on new offices.
Pakistan c.bank allows all banks to deal in forex
PAKISTAN - Pakistan's central bank on Apr 18 allowed all bank branches to buy and sell foreign currency from the general public.
Russian cbank forex controls loosened by Duma
RUSSIA - Russia's lower house of parliament approved on Apr 18 package of measures aimed at easing central bank control over foreign currency operations.
Qatar comes to defence of Lebanese pound with $60m
LEBANON - Qatar joined a Gulf Arab consortium in defending the Lebanese pound by pledging to deposit $60 million with Banque du Liban, local newspapers said on Apr 18.
Best practice in debt management-IMF guidelines
ARTICLE - The IMF and World Bank have published a final version of their report "Guidelines for Public Debt Management". The IMF drew up the guidelines to assist governments "build capacity for managing their debt" which would consequently "reduce their…