Central Banks
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.
Iceland's banks are strong: Fridriksson
Icelandic banks are expected to have performed relatively well in the first quarter of the year, said Ingimundur Fridriksson, the governor of the Central Bank of Iceland.
Capital controls can serve as liquidity buffers
Reserve requirements can be used to prevent the occurrence of a bank run by maintaining adequate levels of liquidity, according to a new International Monetary Fund paper.
Turkey to review inflation target
The Central Bank of Turkey will consider revising its inflation target towards the end of this year, the minutes of its April rate-setting meeting show.
BoE: the worst is over
Financial conditions are set to improve in the coming months as investors recognise that prices in credit markets now overestimate risk, the Bank of England said on Thursday.
Give Canadian CB more say on collateral: Carney
Mark Carney, the governor of the Bank of Canada, urged lawmakers to allow the central bank to broaden its list of eligible collateral to alleviate money-market tensions.
OECD inflation hits 3.5%
CPI inflation in the 30 member economies of the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) rose to 3.5% in the year to March, up from 3.4% the previous month.
Stop storing coins, says Solomon Islands CB
The Central Bank of the Solomon Islands has called on citizens to swap their coins for notes rather than hoarding them - a practice which has led to a shortage.
UK's Blanchflower calls for bigger cuts
Aggressive easing is required to prevent the UK falling into recession, said David Blanchflower, a member of the Bank of England's rate-setting committee.
FOMC could do with a revamp: ex-Fed deputy
The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) should introduce staff, instead of committee, forecasts, recommended Alan Blinder, a former vice-chairman of the Fed.
Relaxing collateral standards presents risks
By accepting poorer collateral central banks can reduce banks' incentives to hold sufficient amounts of higher-quality assets, said Stefan Ingves, the governor of the Sveriges Riksbank.
Securitisation linked with lending standards fall
Lending standards in the subprime mortgage market declined more in areas with higher mortgage securitisation rates, reports a new International Monetary Fund paper.
Japan lowers growth forecast
The Bank of Japan has chopped more than half a point off its growth estimate for 2008 and warned that in a highly uncertain climate, downside risks to the economy could further limit expansion.
IMF redundancy offer oversubscribed
The International Monetary Fund's bid to cut its workforce by 13% by offering voluntary redundancy packages has led to over 20% of employees asking to leave.
Sri Lanka reacts as inflation hits record high
The Central Bank of Sri Lanka has lowered its reserve money targets in a bid to curb rampant inflation which soared to an all-time high in the year to April.
Saudi to set up $5.3 billion wealth fund
Saudi Arabia is in the final stages of launching its first sovereign wealth fund.