Central Banks
Sorry mess for Howard over Aussie rate comments
John Howard, the prime minister of Australia, scrambled to clarify what appeared to be an apology for the central bank's decision to hike rates to 6.75%, the first-ever rise during an election campaign.
We can escape capital flight loop: Kenya's Ndung'u
Sub-Saharan African countries can escape the "infinite loop" of external indebtedness, corruption and capital flight, according to Njuguna Ndung'u, the governor of the Central Bank of Kenya.
Australia opts for rate rise
The Reserve Bank of Australia's rate-setting board voted on Wednesday to hike rates by 25 basis points to 6.75%, an 11-year high.
Dollar hits new low on back of Chinese comments
Sterling and the euro reached record highs against the dollar on Wednesday after a senior Chinese official said the government should diversify its foreign exchange reserves by swapping dollars for stronger currencies.
Strengthen dollar or face "economic war": Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy, France's president, has told American politicians that the dollar must appreciate in order to avoid an "economic war" between the United States and the eurozone.
Time will prove Fed right, says Lacker
History will judge the Federal Reserve's decision to cut its discount rate by 50 basis points favourably, according to Jeffrey Lacker, the president of the Richmond Fed.
New Zealand economy stable despite turmoil
New Zealand's financial system remains sound in spite of the recent global banking crisis, the Reserve Bank of New Zealand said on Wednesday.
Global interdependence requires caution: Mboweni
The interdependence of the global financial system could mean that financial instability affects countries that are not directly involved in the actions that have led to the volatility, according to Tito Mboweni, the governor of the South African Reserve…
UK will come out of this stronger: King
Britain will have the best regulatory regime in the world by mid-2008 as a result of the Northern Rock crisis, according to Mervyn King, the governor of the Bank of England.
Bankers did not influence Fed on cuts: Mishkin
The Federal Reserve's recent rate cuts were to help Main Street and not to bail out Wall Street, according to Frederic Mishkin, a governor at the Federal Reserve.
Inflation ahead, warns Greenspan
Central banks must hike rates in order to curb global inflation, Alan Greenspan, the former chairman of the Federal Reserve, warned on Tuesday.
Indonesia holds rates at 8.25%
Bank Indonesia's rate-setting board decided on Monday to hold its benchmark BI rate at 8.25%.
Improvement needed before hiking rates: Fukui
Borrowing costs in Japan will only be raised after data show a pickup in growth and prices, according to Toshihiko Fukui, the governor of the Bank of Japan.
Avoid absorbing default losses, central banks told
Central banks should beware of injecting funds aimed at absorbing losses associated with defaults to provide risk sharing, according to research published by the Bank of Canada.
Palestine Monetary Authority governor resigns
George Abed, the governor of the Palestine Monetary Authority (PMA), resigned on Sunday after a controversial term during which the country's economy came under heavy pressure.
No new currency this year: Zimbabwe's Gideon Gono
Gideon Gono, the governor of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, told a local Sunday newspaper that the country will not issue a new currency this year.
Australia to raise rates during election campaign?
Economists are convinced that Glenn Stevens will become the first governor of the Australian central bank to raise interest rates in the midst of an election campaign.
Qatar may not track Fed moves
In comments that throw the future of a currency union in the Gulf in further doubt, the governor of the Qatari central bank has suggested the central bank could deviate from its usual practice of shadowing the Fed's monetary policy decisions.
New payments model needed, says RBI
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has suggested that a change in its regulatory regime, allowing migration to a new payments model featuring the use of mobile phones and pre-paid cards, could soon be under way.
Paper on inflation targeting
This research paper shows how the inflation-targeting regimes of Australia, Canada and New Zealand, has developed over time.
Paper on the price level stability
This research paper from the Bank of Portugal provides an overview of the arguments for assessing the case for price level path stability (PLPS).
Zeti on financial stability challenges
In this speech, Dr Zeti Akhtar Aziz, the governor of Bank Negara Malaysia, says that as the international and domestic financial landscape continues to transform, the quest to secure financial stability has become increasingly challenging.
Hints of rate rise from the Bank of Japan
The strong performance of Japan's economy will continue despite global economic uncertainties reflecting fears such as the US subprime mortgage crisis, according to Toshihiko Fukui, the governor of the Bank of Japan.
Canadian dollar begins to slide
The Canadian dollar fell on Thursday from an all-time high as worries grew over the effect of the US subprime mortgage crisis on corporate profits and stocks slumped. Analysts said that the market was "definitely overextended".