Reserves
Bundesbank to decide on gold reserves next year
Germany's Bundesbank will decide next year whether to dispose of its gold reserves, the Financial Times Deutschland reported.
Argentina to pay off IMF debts at start of 2006
Argentine President Nestor Kirchner said on Wednesday 21 December that his country will clear its debt with the International Monetary Fund on 2 January next year, instead of the previously announced next Thursday.
Argentina sells bonds to Venezuela
Argentina sold $496 million in bonds to Venezuela to help boost its international reserves as it prepares to pay back the $9.8 billion it owes the International Monetary Fund.
Bank of Portugal offloads 10 tonnes of gold
The Bank of Portugal has said it has sold 10 tonnes of gold from its reserves over the past month.
Gold is more than a hedge
According to this article published on Monday 12 December, the latest idea to grip the markets is that gold is poised to become the world's fourth major currency.
Brazil announces intention to repay IMF debt
Brazil announced on Tuesday 13 December its intention to make an early repayment of its entire outstanding obligations to the International Monetary Fund amounting to SDR 10.79 billion (about US$15.46 billion).
Germany against gold sale to fill budget holes
Conservatives in German Chancellor Angela Merkel's ruling coalition remain opposed to using central bank gold reserves to fill budget holes, a senior lawmaker was quoted as saying on Wednesday 14 December.
Russia changes gold reserves publication rules
In January 2006 details of Russia's gold reserves will be published on the basis of gold evaluations according to quotes by the Central Bank of Russia, the bank's external and public relations department said.
Foreign exchange reserves in emerging Asia
The Bank of Canada Working Paper "An empirical analysis of foreign exchange reserves in emerging Asia" published December 2005 asks how far is the current level of US-dollar foreign exchange reserves held by Asian central banks from that predicted by the…
China 's FX reserves may reach $1 trln
China's foreign exchange reserves will exceed 1 trillion US dollars eventually, economist and People's Bank of China adviser Yu Yongding said.
Comment: Gold soars
Gold prices soared to new highs on Monday 12 December, bringing this month's gain for the precious metal to 9%. Only a month ago gold traded at $470. What does the future hold for bullion and what role will central bankers play in this?
India following 'passive policy' on gold
Reserve Bank of India governor, Yaga Venugopal Reddy, said on Tuesday 6 December that the federal government and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) have been following a "passive policy" on its gold holdings.
When will Asian central banks buy into gold?
This article published on Friday 2 December asks what would happen to the gold market if central banks in Asia decided to follow the recent trend and increase their gold reserves?
Interview with Brandon Davies on risk management
In an interview published on Thursday 1 December, Brandon Davies, managing director of the Global Association of Risk Professionals, speaks about the implementation of Bank Indonesia's five year training program to raise risk management standards.
Hedge funds bet Asia will boost gold reserves
According to this article published on Tuesday 29 November, hedge funds, after sending the gold price to an 18-year high, are looking to China and other Asian central banks as the next big drivers of the precious metal.
Banks' attitude 'key to gold's fortunes'
According to this article published on Friday 25 November, fresh impetus in the gold price and continued uncertainty about the outlook for the dollar could change central banks' attitude towards the gold reserves they have been inclined to sell off over…
Russian people keep $30bn
The Central Bank of Russia has evaluated the volume of hard currency accumulated by residents at $20 billion to $30b, central bank chairman Sergei Ignatyev told a session at the State Duma.
Brown's gold sale losses pile up as price surges
According to this article published on Monday 28 November, the recent increase in the price of gold should be something of an embarrassment for UK Chancellor Gordon Brown with the Bank of England offloading 300 tonnes of gold at close to a 20-year low…
Russia says gold policy will change slowly
Russian central bank chairman Sergei Ignatyev said Friday 25 November that any change in the weighting of gold in its reserves would come in years rather than months.
Russia's central bank should boost gold - Putin
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that Russia's central bank should pay more attention to gold in its international reserves.
Comment: Russia's reserve management
At a time when Russia's official foreign reserves have risen sharply due largely to increased revenues from oil exports, the Central Bank of Russia (CBR) has been remarkably transparent how it manages these reserves.
BIS's Icard on risk measurement and systemic risk
In the speech 'Risk measurement and systemic risk' given on 8 November Andre Icard of the BIS said structural change, though a good thing in general, also means uncertainty.
Record central bank gold sales forecast
London-based GFMS is forecasting record net gold sales by central banks in 2005 of about 700 tons, up from over 500 tons in 2004, GFMS Executive Chairperson Philip Klapwijk said on Tuesday 15 November.
Norway's Gjedrem on petroleum wealth
In the speech 'The management of petroleum wealth' given on 8 November Svein Gjedrem of Norges Bank said the Petroleum Fund is a very long-term savings plan.