Central Banks
Thailand leaves rates on hold
The Bank of Thailand has kept rates at 3.25% for the sixth straight vote.
Housing bequests hamper monetary policy in Cyprus
Social customs in the Cypriot housing market interfere with monetary transmission mechanisms, a paper by the Central Bank of Cyprus finds.
Politicians ask Fed to clarify Bear deal
A high-ranking American politician has issued a strongly worded request for more details about the arrangement the Federal Reserve struck with BlackRock, an asset management firm, to manage a $29 billion portfolio of assets from Bear Stearns following…
ADIA hires ex-banker as communications chief
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) has hired former Morgan Stanley corporate communications executive Euart Glendinning as its first global head of corporate affairs.
Indonesia's Boediono gets the nod
Boediono, Indonesia's economics minister, will become governor of the country's central bank in May after a parliamentary committee approved his appointment.
Tokyo nominates Shirakawa for governor
The leadership crisis at the Bank of Japan looks resolved after the government nominated Masaaki Shirakawa, the current acting governor, for the role on Monday night.
Bond spreads determined by turmoil
At the times of crisis global financial market conditions are the fundamental drivers of changes in bond spreads, research published by the International Monetary Fund finds.
IMF chief calls for public intervention in credit
Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), said on 6 April that he thinks the need for "public intervention" in the credit crisis is becoming more evident.
UK chancellor wants action on market crisis
Alistair Darling, the UK chancellor, has called on his G7 counterparts to formulate a "clear and detailed plan of action" to combat the turmoil in world markets.
Greenspan hits back
Alan Greenspan, a former chairman of the Federal Reserve, has said that the blame for the subprime crisis lies with the investment community rather than himself, as has often been argued.
Crisis not over yet, says Netherlands' Wellink
Nout Wellink, the president of the Netherlands Central Bank, said the financial crisis is far from over, the US looks almost certain to go into recession and the rest of the world will suffer the consequences.
ECB's Stark calls for structural reforms
Flexibility in wages and prices plays a pivotal role in helping the EU adjust to adverse shocks, said Jurgen Stark, a member of the executive board of the European Central Bank.
Communication reinforces commitment: Fed's Mishkin
Communication which increases transparency and accountability can play a key role in helping central banks demonstrate commitment to a nominal anchor, said Frederic Mishkin, a governor of the Federal Reserve.
Turkey's Yilmaz on managing inflation expectations
New communication tools have played an essential role in managing inflation expectations in Turkey, said Durmus Yilmaz, the governor of the central bank.
Czech Board's March minutes
The minutes of the March meeting of the Czech National Bank's board show that six of the seven members voted to keep the two-week repo rate unchanged at 3.75%.
Monetary tools limited - SNB's Jordan
There is no magic bullet with which central banks can restore lost confidence among market participants, said Thomas Jordan, a member of the governing board of the Swiss National Bank.
Joint Forum: CRT markets' future developments
Firms should not establish material positions in credit risk transfer (CRT) instruments without first having validated models for pricing and risk-managing such exposures, advises a new report from the Joint Forum.
Sovereign wealth funds being "unfairly treated"
Jesse Wang, vice president and chief risk officer of China Investment Corporation (CIC), has said that sovereign wealth funds are not receiving fair treatment in international markets.
Sri Lanka's sovereign rating lowered
Sri Lanka's sovereign rating was lowered by Fitch Ratings one notch to B-plus on 3 April, because of rising inflation, a worsening trade balance and a rising fiscal deficit.
India's inflation surge may mean rate rise
India's key inflation rate rose to a three-year high, said the government on 4 April, raising the possibility of a rate rise being imposed by the Reserve Bank of India.
New UK coinage meets lukewarm reception
New coin and banknote designs are almost inevitably greeted with criticism and the first new coin designs for 40 years from the UK's Royal Mint, unveiled on 3 April, were no exception. Historians, designers and MPs have already criticised them.
Payment system risk the priority
The need to mitigate the risk involved in using outmoded payments infrastructure has to be given priority, said Ranee Jayamaha, a deputy governor at the Central Bank of Sri Lanka.
Tucker: BoE to only partly offset the credit blow
The Bank of England should cut rates gradually to avoid inflation, said Paul Tucker, the Bank's executive director responsible for markets and member of the Monetary Policy Committee.