Central Banks
India's Chidambaram dismisses SWF plans
Palaniappan Chidambaram, India's finance minister, has said that Delhi has no plans to establish a sovereign wealth fund at the moment.
Impact of rate setting on banks assessed
A sharp increase in the steepness of the yield curve has the most negative impact on banks' interest income of any rate shock, research published by the Bundesbank finds.
Uncertainty makes rate path unclear: RBA
The overall impact of a number of opposing economic forces on demand and inflation in Australia is subject to considerable uncertainty, the country's Reserve Bank noted.
SARB must emphasise inflation target's importance
The South African Reserve Bank must communicate why it is so vital to get inflation back within the institution's target range, X.P. Guma, a deputy governor at the central bank, has said.
ECB and BoE leave rates unchanged
As was widely expected, both the European Central Bank (ECB) and the Bank of England left rates on hold on Thursday.
Price instability demands attention: IMF's Lipsky
Central bankers must monitor the recent wave of inflation, which threatens to undermine prospects for restoring the favourable economic climate of recent years, John Lipsky, the International Monetary Fund's first deputy managing director, warned.
Bernanke wants Fed to pay interest on reserves
Ben Bernanke, the chairman of the Federal Reserve, wants to pay interest on banks' reserves to stop interbank charges falling below the federal funds rate.
RBA's Broadbent wins third term
Jillian Broadbent, the only woman on the Reserve Bank of Australia's nine-strong rate-setting board, is to serve a third five-year term.
Charge for payment services, says Norway's Gjedrem
Offering payment services for free is not in bank customers' best interests, Svein Gjedrem, the governor of the Bank of Norway, warned.
Slovakia to join eurozone in 2009
Slovakia is set to become the 16th member of the eurozone despite concerns at the European Central Bank that inflation in the country could rise steeply.
Austria names new governor
Ewald Nowotny, a former chief executive of BAWAG, an Austrian Bank, is to replace Klaus Liebscher, at the helm of the country's central bank.
NZ eases rules to ward off turmoil
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand has relaxed its collateral rules as a precaution against further tumult in global financial markets.
Zimbabwe prints Z$250m note
The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe will circulate two notes worth Z$100m and Z$250m in an attempt to limit the impact of hyperinflation.
Fed has little control over rates
The Fed's ability to control short-term interest rates may be greatly exaggerated, research published by the St Louis Fed suggests.
Greece's Garganas to step down
Nicholas Garganas, the governor of the Bank of Greece, will retire when his first term ends in June.
Russia dismisses rouble speculation
The Central Bank of Russia moved to quash rumours of a revaluation of the rouble on Tuesday.
World Bank appoints SA anti-corruption head
Leonard McCarthy, the chief of South Africa's highly-regarded anti-corruption unit, will head the World Bank's institutional integrity department.
Romania hikes for fourth-straight month
The National Bank of Romania has hiked rates by a quarter-point to a fresh three-year high despite the central bank's governor claiming less than a fortnight ago that rates were high enough.
What the IMF can learn from central banks
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) should follow the example of central banks in reforming its governance framework, research published by the Bank of Canada argues.
Limiting foreclosures essential: Bernanke
Ben Bernanke, the chairman of the Federal Reserve, has called on both the public and private sector to do everything they can to limit preventable mortgage foreclosures.
Central banks announce third wave of joint action
In a clear message that the credit crisis is far from over, three leading central banks announced a further series of liquidity injections in a bid to restore money market spreads to normal levels.
Group set up to work on SWF code
Sovereign wealth funds and International Monetary Fund officials have set up a working group to design a voluntary code of conduct due out later this year.
SNB blames Q1 loss on FX markets
The appreciation of the Swiss franc has led the country's central bank to incur a Sfr3.97 billion ($3.76 billion) loss in the first quarter of 2008.
Fund directors lead exodus
The International Monetary Fund has conducted the first in a series of directorial reshuffles after six senior managers opted for voluntary redundancy.