Reserves
Qatar to keep riyal pegged to dollar
Abdullah al-Thani, the governor of the Qatar Central Bank, said that the riyal would remain pegged to the US dollar on Tuesday.
China to pursue private equity, despite losses
Jesse Wang, vice chairman of the People's Bank of China's investment arm Central Huijin, defended the central bank's investment in Blackstone and said he would continue to recommend investment in private equity funds.
Australia's move to a floating currency
A new paper from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) praises Australia's handling of its move to a floating currency in 1983.
Dollar sell-off claims prompt Chinese reaction
A spokesperson for the People's Bank of China has countered reports in the British media that the central bank plans to use its vast dollar reserves as a political weapon against the United States.
Malaysian governor discusses Islamic finance
Zeti Akhtar Aziz, the governor of Bank Negara Malaysia, noted five major trends set to impact the global sukuk market.
China set to inject $60 billion in state banks
The People's Bank of China will inject $60 billion of its vast foreign exchange reserves into two state banks through its Central Huijin Investment arm.
News analysis: India’s foreign exchange debate
A proposal for the Reserve Bank to part with some of its reserves risks setting a dangerous precedent, writes Narayan Lakshman
Italian government eyes reserves for debt payment
The Italian government is proposing to use part of the central bank's gold and currency reserves to pay down national debt, which is currently at 107% of the country's gross national product. The country's parliament has approved a resolution calls for…
Thailand mulls external reserves managers
Tarisa Watanagase, the governor of the Bank of Thailand, says the central bank may outsource the management of part of its $73 billion reserve holdings to maximise investment returns.
Paper on reserve accumulation
This paper suggests that while the hoarding of foreign exchange reserves by emerging-market economies could initially be explained primarily in terms of "self insurance" against global shocks, this explanation increasingly falls short.
Turkey's reserves hit record high
The Turkish central bank announced on Thursday that its foreign currency reserves had reached a new record level of $118bn on July 6.
Mexico ends dollar sales for three months
Mexico's central bank, Banco de Mexico, announced today that it will not sell dollars in the third quarter of 2007.
New foreign exchange strategy in New Zealand
Allan Bollard, the governor of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand, announced on 13 July that the central bank will move away from its current practice of matching its foreign assets to its foreign liabilities.
Million-dollar-a-minute growth in Chinese reserves
The People's Bank of China accumulated foreign exchange reserves at an average rate of just over $1 million per minute in the first six months of 2007. The central bank said on 11 July that reserves had grown by $266.3bn to $1.33 trillion between January…
South African reserves approach $26 billion
The South African Reserve Bank has announced that net gold and foreign exchange reserves rose last month to $25.94bn from $28.28bn at the end of May. The central bank said gross reserves were up at $28.28bn from $27.85bn the previous month, and net…
Minister hints at Japanese wealth fund
Japan's Financial Services Minister said on 29 June that the country should debate whether to set up a fund to manage its foreign currency reserves.
Bank of Israel - reserves report
The annual report of the Foreign Currency Department describes and analyses changes in the level of Israel's foreign exchange reserves, developments in their management, liquidity, rate of return and the risks to which the reserves portfolio is exposed.
US treasury points to dangers of sovereign wealth
Clay Lowery, acting under-secretary for international affairs at the US treasury, has asked the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank to compile best-practice guidelines for sovereign wealth funds.
South Africa's reserves surge in one month
New data from the South African Reserve Bank has revealed that net gold and foreign exchange reserves rose to $25.48bn in May from $24.59bn the previous month. Gross reserves were also up to $27.85bn from $27,02bn.
Brazil continues intervention policy
The Central Bank of Brazil will continue its policy of buying American dollars on the spot market to bolster its foreign exchange reserves.
No more gold sales for ECB
The European Central Bank announced on 1 July that it has no intention to sell more gold this year.
What next from Chinese reserve managers?
These two articles analyse this week's announcement that the new agency managing part of China's $1.2 trillion in foreign reserves will buy a $3 billion stake in the American private equity firm, Blackstone Group LP.
Zhou says room to raise reserve requirement
China still has room to raise the commercial banks' reserve requirement ratio, the Shanghai-based Oriental Morning Post reported Thursday 17 May, citing People's Bank of China governor Zhou Xiaochuan.
Why all the fuss about reserve management?
This article published Tuesday 15 May by Business Day asks why the Central Bank of Nigeria is so concerned about local banks shoring up on reserve management skills.