Central Banks
New Zealand sets up $15bn swap line with Fed
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand on Wednesday became the latest institution to arrange a swap line with the Federal Reserve to counter continuing tensions in dollar funding markets.
ECB communicates well
European Central Bank's (ECB) monetary policy communication is clear in about 95% of cases, finds a new paper from the International Monetary Fund.
G7 statements aid currency management
The G3 currencies move in the direction intended by the G7's communiques, research from the European Central Bank (ECB) indicates.
Four reasons for Iceland's headache
Iceland's financial problems are a result of a non-viable business model, finds a new paper by Willem Buiter and Anne Sibert from the Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR).
Iceland hikes rates by 600bp to access IMF funds
The Central Bank of Iceland has raised rates by a staggering 600 basis points to 18% to meet the conditions of the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) $2.1 billion loan.
IMF kitty may prove insufficient: British PM
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) may have insufficient resources to fight the global credit crisis, Gordon Brown, the British prime minister, warned on Tuesday, saying that a new funding arrangement drawing on countries with substantial reserves was…
Crisis triggered US review of SWF stance
American attitudes to sovereign investments have softened in the wake of the credit crunch and funds should not fear a regulatory backlash once normal conditions are restored, the chairman of the US Congressional Task Force on Sovereign Wealth Funds has…
Slovakia cuts rates in line with ECB
The National Bank of Slovakia shifted its policy rate for the first time in 17 months on Tuesday, cutting by half a point to 3.75% - on par with the European Central Bank's (ECB) benchmark borrowing cost.
Bank calls for systemic risk re-think
The Bank of England on Tuesday called for a strengthening of cross-border crisis management, criticising the decision by some authorities to offer blanket guarantees on deposits.
Trichet hints at rate cut
Jean-Claude Trichet, the president of the European Central Bank (ECB), on Monday signalled the Governing Council would cut interest rates at its next meeting on 6 November.
Serbia's Jelasic apprehensive on intervention
Government intervention has had little success so far in taming market sentiment, said Radovan Jelasic, the governor of the National Bank of Serbia.
G7 voice concern on yen's rise, action likely
The G7 economies on Monday indicated that they could act on the yen's appreciation after the Nikkei 225 index of leading shares in Tokyo slumped to a 26-year low on fears a strong currency would cripple the country's exporters.
IMF pledges $18.6bn to Ukraine, Iceland
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has agreed multi-billion dollar loans with Reykjavik and Kiev, and said it is close to agreeing terms for Hungarian assistance.
IMF chief apologises for affair
Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), has apologised for an affair with a former staff member, saying the relationship was "a serious error of judgment."
Korea cuts by 75bp on signs of slowdown
The Bank of Korea on Monday slashed its key rate by 75 basis points in a surprise move to counter an economic slowdown. The central bank also broadened its collateral rules to include some mortgage-backed securities on signs of a liquidity shortage.
Korea's Lee urges caution
Central banks need to be cautious in coping with price pressures as financial markets are very unstable and their future direction is unclear, said Seongtae Lee, the governor of the Bank of Korea.
Public sector should provide liquidity: RBA
The public sector should provide liquidity in times of stress, finds a new paper from the Reserve Bank of Australia
SEPA at a crossroads - ECB's Tumpel-Gugerell
SEPA, the Single Euro Payments Area initiative, is at a crossroads, said Gertrude Tumpel-Gugerell, a member of the executive board of the European Central Bank.
Stay vigilant, SARB warns markets
Financial system authorities and participants must stay vigilant, and enhance efforts to improve resilience and contingency measures, states the latest Financial Stability Review from the South African Reserve Bank.
Convergence will cut CNB's losses
The Czech National Bank should be able to repay its foreign-exchange-related losses by 2023 as the economy converges with developed economies, finds a new paper from the central bank.
Caruana, Ortiz, Ingves interviewed for BIS job?
Jaime Caruana, Guillermo Ortiz and Stefan Ingves are the candidates for the top job at the Bank for International Settlements (BIS), a leading German financial daily reported on Friday.
Yamaguchi named new Bank of Japan deputy
Hirohide Yamaguchi has been made deputy governor at the Bank of Japan, filling a position vacant since March.
Fed $2.7bn down on Bear, GSE sell-off continues
The value of the assets held on the Federal Reserve's books as collateral for its $29 billion loan to failed investment bank Bear Stearns fell by 9.2% over the third quarter, it emerged Thursday. Data also showed foreign central banks flight from Fannie…
Denmark bucks trend with rate hike
The National Bank of Denmark unexpectedly raised rates by half a point to 5.5% on Friday to support the krone.