Central Banks
Dublin nationalises third-largest lender
The Irish authorities on Thursday took control of Anglo Irish, the country's third-largest lender, on fears that negative market sentiment could spark a run on the bank.
BoA rescued as Congress grants $350bn for Tarp
Washington has granted Bank of America, the United States's third-largest lender, up to $138 billion in federal aid on signs that a batch of assets taken onto the lender's balance sheet following its buyout of failed investment bank Merrill Lynch could…
Turkey slashes to record low as growth slumps
The Central Bank of Turkey on Thursday chopped two percentage points off its benchmark rates, taking the measures to their lowest-ever levels.
BoE's Gieve: market signals mixed
The fortunes of the financial markets in the New Year have been mixed, said Sir John Gieve, the deputy governor of the Bank of England.
Hard-to-value assets halt investment - Fed's Kohn
The large quantity of hard-to-value assets remaining on financial institutions' balance sheets is acting as a barrier to private investment, said Donald Kohn, the vice-chairman of the Federal Reserve.
Government should not give in to fear
The government should not capitulate when the public shows an excessive fear towards risk, says a new paper from Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government.
ECB cuts, Trichet signals more could come
The European Central Bank (ECB) has chopped a half point off its key rate and indicated rates could reach a fresh low in the months to come. The news followed confirmation that eurozone inflation sank below the central bank's target in December.
We should have warned Europe more: IMF's Belka
The head of the International Monetary Fund's European department has acknowledged the Fund failed to adequately warn European states of the risks from the fallout of the financial crisis.
Philippines' Tetangco: 2009 will be critical
Philippines ended 2008 fairly unharmed from the global financial turmoil but 2009 is critical, said Amando Tetangco, the governor of the Central Bank of the Philippines.
Innovation impacts money demand
Technological developments affect average money holding and interest elasticity of money demand, research from the Bank of Italy notes.
Rouble at fresh low as devaluation continues apace
The rouble slumped to a record low against the greenback on Thursday as the country's central bank stepped up its devaluation of the currency.
Denmark slashes on back of ECB move
The National Bank of Denmark lopped three-quarters of a percentage point of its key rate on Thursday in response to the European Central Bank's (ECB) move.
Anti-Fed senator behind Geithner nomination block
Jim Bunning, a Republican politician who last year labelled the Federal Reserve "a leading cause of the mess we're in", is one of two senators attempting to block Tim Geithner becoming Treasury Secretary on Friday.
Thailand slashes rates, cites demand and exports
The Bank of Thailand surprised markets on Wednesday by slashing rates for the second month in a row on further signs of a slowdown.
Philadelphia Fed promotes five vice presidents
The Philadelphia Federal Reserve has promoted one of its staff to the role of executive vice president, two to the role of senior vice president, and two to vice presidential positions.
Banking system stability measures - a new model
A paper from the International Monetary Fund, co-authored by Charles Goodhart, a former member of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee, presents a new method for estimating the impact of stability measures on the banking system.
Israel's Fischer: banking system still strong
In contrast to the health of the global banking system, Israel's lenders remain strong, Stanley Fischer, the governor of the Bank of Israel, said.
Bernanke revisits idea of toxic asset purchases
Ben Bernanke, the chairman of the Federal Reserve, on Tuesday mooted several ways in which American authorities could remove toxic assets from banks' balance sheets. He also said that more capital injections and guarantees may be required to ensure…
Ex-MPC members offer solutions to crunch
A financial stability committee, a derivatives exchange and a pan-EU regulator were among the ideas suggested to stave off future credit crises by an influential group of British-based economists on Tuesday.
Mexico's Ortiz to replace Roth as BIS chair
Guillermo Ortiz, the governor of the Bank of Mexico, is to succeed Jean-Pierre Roth, the head of the Swiss National Bank, as the chairman of the Bank for International Settlements (BIS). He becomes the first governor from an emerging-market economy to…
Fed's Kroszner to step down later this month
Randall Kroszner, a governor at the Federal Reserve, will leave the institution on 21 January to return to academia.
Paper charts changes in US retail payments
The Kansas City Federal Reserve has published research covering changes to the American retail payments system, which is now is in the midst of a transformation.
Number of forged euro notes hits record high
The number of counterfeit euro banknotes seized soared by 13% in the second half of 2008, the European Central Bank (ECB) said on Monday.
Congo hikes rates to 55% as currency plunges
The Central Bank of Congo attempted to halt the depreciation of the CFA franc on Monday with a 15 percentage-point hike in its key rate to 55%.