Central Banks
Fed's Bernanke on globalization & monetary policy
In the speech 'Globalization and monetary policy' given on 2 March Ben Bernanke of the Federal Reserve said global factors may on balance have boosted U.S. inflation, but globalization has not affected the ability of the Federal Reserve to influence U.S…
Iran plans banknote with atomic symbol - reports
Iran, which is currently embroiled in a row with the West over its nuclear ambitions, will issue a new banknote this month carrying an atomic symbol, newspapers reported on Sunday 4 March.
Brazil's central bank econ director resigns
Brazilian central bank economic policy director Afonso Bevilaqua resigned Thursday 1 March citing "personal reasons" and an interest in "pursuing new projects," the central bank said in a statement.
New IMF chief economist nominated
International Monetary Fund chief Rodrigo de Rato said Wednesday 28 February he would recommend Simon Johnson, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, as the IMF's new chief economist.
BIS Papers on evolving banking systems
BIS Papers from the 'Evolving banking systems in Latin America and the Caribbean: challenges and implications for monetary policy and financial stability', meeting of central banks of open economies in Latin America and the Caribbean, Jamaica, 26-27…
BoE's Lomax on the MPC coming of age
In the speech 'The MPC comes of age' given on 28 February Rachel Lomax of the Bank of England highlighted that the central bank will fulfil its duty of meeting the inflation target rate over the medium term.
Report says watchdog to probe ECB settlement plan
The European Central Bank's plans to establish an integrated securities settlement system in the euro zone will be examined by the region's competition watchdog, according to a report by the FT Thursday 1 February.
Kenya names new head of central bank
Economics professor and think-tank director Njuguna Ndung'u was named as the new head of the Central Bank of Kenya on Thursday 1 March to replace the former governor who was suspended.
SNB's Jordan hints at further rate hikes ahead
Thomas S Jordan, alternate member of the Swiss National Bank's governing board, suggested Tuesday 27 February in a speech that the SNB will again raise interest rates at its meeting this spring.
Do we need the IMF to resolve a crisis?
The Bank of Canada Working Paper "Do we need the IMF to resolve a crisis? Lessons from past episodes of debt restructuring" investigates how debt restructurings have evolved over the decades.
BoE Payment Systems Oversight Report
The Bank of England published its third Payment Systems Oversight Report on Tuesday 27 February. The report says its overall message is encouraging, summarising the developments in the key UK payment systems over the past year and explaining the focus of…
BoE announces retirement of Alastair Clark
Alastair Clark, adviser to the governor of the Bank of England on financial sector issues, is to retire from the Bank of England at Easter after nearly 36 years' service, the bank said Monday 26 February.
BOK running out of reserves
According to this article published by The Korea Times on Monday 26 February, the Bank of Korea is finding it increasingly difficult to boost its reserves as its losses grow.
Argentina's Redrado on financial stability
In the speech 'Financial stability and the importance of AML/CFT supervision and regulation' given on 13 February Martin Redrado of the Central Bank of Argentina said there is no unique solution or pre-established methodology for governments or…
BoJ says forward-looking policy, data can coexist
Minutes from the Bank of Japan's policy board meeting of Jan 17-18 released Monday 26 February showed members agreed that the central bank does not change interest rates based on a schedule set in advance and that it can maintain its forward-looking…
Riksbank's views on evaluation of monetary policy
Both the Executive Board and the General Council are presenting their views on the report "An Evaluation of Swedish Monetary Policy between 1995 and 2005". In a press release on Monday 26 February the Riksbank said the Executive Board agrees with several…
New China investment chief to be named
China is set to name a new head of the investment arm of the central bank, as it prepares to open a new agency to help manage the country's foreign currency reserves of more than $1 trillion, Reuters reported from Shanghai on Monday 26 February.
Rising risks spur reserve diversification
Central banks are engaging in more active diversification strategies in response to rising risks, a survey of reserve managers published Monday 26 February showed.
Riksbank's Ingves on monetary policy
In the speech 'Introduction on monetary policy' given on 22 February Stefan Ingves of the Sveriges Riksbank said emphasised that the Riksbank's decision to publish our own forecast for the interest rate should be regarded as a further step towards…
Japan's Ota warns BoJ about tightening
Japanese economic and fiscal policy minister Hiroko Ota on Friday 23 February warned the Bank of Japan against further credit tightening.
BoJ's Fukui expects gradual rate hikes
Bank of Japan governor Toshihiko Fukui told lawmakers Friday 23 February that he is "open" to options of further rate hikes.
Iceland's Fridriksson on monetary policy
In the speech 'Monetary policy and its implementation' given on 20 February Ingimundur Fridriksson of the Central Bank of Iceland said the central bank has already stated its view that adopting the euro would be imprudent except by joining the EU.
FOMC members upbeat on economic outlook
Federal Reserve officials at their January meeting shrugged off past concerns and said the outlook for growth and inflation was looking positive, according to minutes of the meeting released Wednesday 21 February.