Central Banks
De Rato U-turns on dollar valuation
Rodrigo de Rato, the managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), said on Monday that the dollar was overvalued despite recently saying that he believed the opposite to be the case.
Poland set to join ERM II in 2009, says Skrzypek
Slawomir Skrzypek, the governor of the National Bank of Poland, said the country looked likely to join the pre-euro exchange rate mechanism, ERM II, in 2009.
September's cut has helped markets, says Bernanke
Ben Bernanke, the chairman of the Federal Reserve, said that September's 50-basis point cut has alleviated the credit crunch.
Wellink calls for speedy ABN break-up
Nout Wellink, the governor of the Netherlands Bank, has urged the three banks who have taken over ABN AMRO to quickly implement their plans to break it up.
SWF mentioned in Virgin bid for Northern Rock
A Middle-Eastern sovereign wealth fund could make up part of Virgin's consortium bid for Northern Rock.
China hikes reserve requirements to curb lending
The People's Bank of China said on Saturday that it is raising its reserve requirement ratio in order to limit loan growth and inflation.
Gold rises to 27-year high
Gold reached a 27-year high on Monday as oil hit $85 per barrel and the dollar weakened further.
Bernanke and Kohn commend monetary policy pioneer
Ben Bernanke, the chairman of the Federal Reserve, and Donald Kohn, the Fed's vice chairman, praised John Taylor, a professor at Stanford University, for his contribution to monetary policy.
Impact of deepening is complex: Italy's Visco
Financial deepening has affected the speed and strength of the monetary policy transmission mechanism, according to Ignazio Visco, a deputy director at the Bank of Italy.
The rise of SWFs is unstoppable
Western governments must accept the rise of sovereign wealth funds as a further sign of a shift in the world economy, according to Gerard Lyons, the chief economist at Standard Chartered, a bank.
China likely to replace Zhou
Zhou Xiaochuan, the governor of the People's Bank of China, is set to lose his job as part of a wide-ranging reshuffle, the details of which will be announced at next week's party congress.
Former financial stability adviser returns to Bank
Alastair Clark, a former executive director at the Bank of England, is to rejoin the Bank to advise Mervyn King, the governor, on financial stability.
Chile holds rates at 5.75%
The Central Bank of Chile's policy board voted to keep its benchmark rate at 5.75% despite mounting concern over rising inflation.
Canada's Macklem to move to finance ministry
Tiff Macklem, a deputy governor of the Bank of Canada, is to move to the Department of Finance on 1 November.
Korea holds rates at highest level for six years
The Bank of Korea's rate-setting board decided to leave its benchmark rate at a six-year high of 5% on Thursday.
Japan holds rates at 0.5%
The Bank of Japan's rate-setting committee voted eight to one in favour of maintaining their benchmark rate at about 0.5% on Thursday.
South Africa hikes rates by 50 basis points
The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) surprised markets on Thursday, pushing its benchmark rate up by half a percentage point to 10.5%.
Singapore continues currency appreciation
The Monetary Authority of Singapore said on Thursday that it would continue to strengthen the value of the Singapore dollar relative to its US counterpart.
Turmoil not likely to hamper growth, says Mboweni
South Africa's economy will continue to prosper in spite of the recent global banking crisis because of its favourable macroeconomic position, said Tito Mboweni, the governor of the South African Reserve Bank.
Fed unanimously supported 50 basis point cut
All ten members of rate-setting Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) were in favour of 50 basis point cut, the minutes of the 18 September meeting reveal.
Latin America set to escape worst of turmoil
Rodrigo de Rato, the managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), expects Latin America to avoid most of the effects of the recent financial turmoil, though its economy may be hampered by the aftermath.
King names lessons learned from crisis
Mervyn King, the governor of the Bank of England, said on Tuesday he had identified three lessons, so far, from the banking crisis.
Sales remain within Gold Agreement Limit
Gold sales by the 16 signatories to the Central Bank Gold Agreement between 27 September 2006 and 26 September 2007 amounted to 475.75 tonnes, 24.25 tonnes shy of the 500 limit, the Bank for International Settlements said on Wednesday.