Central Banks
Japan holds, warns recovery to "take some time"
The Bank of Japan left rates on hold at 0.3% on Friday and warned that the country's ailing economy was unlikely to recover soon.
SNB's Heller to head Basel payments committee
Daniel Heller, the head of the Swiss National Bank's financial stability and oversight section, will take over from Denis Beau, a deputy director general of Banque de France's economics and international relations department, as head of the secretariat…
Denmark's Thomsen on the rise in debt issuance
Higher debt issuance from sovereign issuers is to be expected, Jens Thomsen, a member of the board of governors of the National Bank of Denmark, has said.
BoE's Gieve: further reductions required
Further reductions in bank rate may be necessary, said Sir John Gieve, the deputy governor responsible for financial stability at the Bank of England.
Swiss shock with 100 basis-point cut
The Swiss National Bank (SNB) surprised markets on Thursday by slashing its rate-target band by a full percentage point on signs of a sharp slowdown.
Latvia looks to IMF and EU for support
Riga on Thursday said that it would seek aid from the European Union (EU) and International Monetary Fund (IMF) in a bid to stave off a financial meltdown.
Turkey changes tack and cuts rates
The Central Bank of Turkey has shifted its monetary policy stance and cut rates on signs of slowing growth and below-target inflation in the years to come.
Croatia counters liquidity tensions
The Croatian National Bank on Thursday cut its reserve requirement by three basis points in a bid to ease liquidity strains.
Incentives needed for e-payment transition
Consumers and merchants need incentives to move from paper-based to electronic payment instruments, said Jan Qvigstad, the deputy governor of Norges Bank.
EU regulators must work together: Swedish deputy
Barbro Wickman-Parak, a deputy director at the Riksbank, has said that the European Union (EU) organisations for supervision and crisis management need to be better coordinated.
Bank's Besley: inflation below target in 2009
Inflation is likely to fall below target next year despite the upward pressure on inflation from the weakening pound, said Timothy Besley, a member of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee.
RBNZ - November Financial Stability Report
Global market conditions continue to affect the cost and accessibility of offshore funding on which the New Zealand banking system relies, says the latest Reserve Bank of New Zealand's Financial Stability Report.
Euro a solution for currency risk: Hungary's Simor
Euro adoption could help eliminate potentially dangerous currency mismatches, said Andras Simor, the governor of the National Bank of Hungary.
INTERVIEW: Raghuram Rajan
Raghuram Rajan, a professor at the University of Chicago and a former chief economist at the International Monetary Fund (IMF), talks to CentralBankNews.com about the future role of the Fund.
Bank could have cut by 200bp
Members of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee, who shocked markets earlier this month when they slashed rates by 150 basis points, had considered an even bigger cut.
Trichet defends decision to keep minutes secret
Jean-Claude Trichet, the president of the European Central Bank (ECB), has defended the institution's decision to keep details of its monetary policy meetings under wraps, saying the publication of minutes could damage credibility.
Fed's Kohn unconvinced rates should burst bubbles
The Federal Reserve's vice-chair believes it is still wrong for monetary policy to aim at bursting asset price bubbles despite events since last summer.
Kuwait enhances operations to restore liquidity
The Central Bank of Kuwait on Wednesday has launched new open-market operations in a fresh bid to shore up liquidity.
Paulson blames lack of time for Tarp u-turn
The US Treasury reneged on its earlier promise to buy banks' distressed assets because it ran out of time, Hank Paulson, the US treasury secretary told Congress on Tuesday.
Public to blame for inflation: Zimbabwe's Gono
Gideon Gono, the governor of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, has said the public are to blame for the country's bout of hyperinflation.
British inflation dips by record amount
British annual inflation fell to 4.5% in October, down from 5.2% the previous month, on the back of the slump in oil prices. The 0.7 percentage point slide is the biggest since January 1997, when official records began, and since April 1992 based on…
IMF's Lipsky: fiscal stimulus required
Global fiscal stimulus of 2% of GDP is required in the current situation, said John Lipsky, the first deputy managing director of the International Monetary Fund.
Fed's Hoenig wants rules for Wall Street failures
A clear set of rules for handling investment bank bankruptcies is needed, said Thomas Hoenig, the president of the Kansas City Federal Reserve.
RBA justifies November cut
An attempt to reduce the risk of a sharp weakening of demand was behind the Reserve Bank of Australia's cut in the cash rate by 75 basis points to 5.25%, according to minutes of the November meeting.