Central Banks
SARB Monetary Policy Review, November 2006
The South African Reserve Bank published its Monetary Policy Review for November 2006 on Wednesday 8 November. South Africa's inflation outlook has deteriorated over the past few months, with continued high consumer demand and a weaker currency seen as…
Interview with Richmond Fed's Jeffrey Lacker
In an interview with the Financial Times, published Wednesday 8 November, Richmond Fed president Jeffrey Lacker said the Federal Reserve has failed to communicate its determination to bring down inflation in a forceful enough fashion.
BOJ's Mizuno says gradual rate hikes needed
Bank of Japan policy board member Atsushi Mizuno said on Wednesday 8 November the central bank should gradually increase interest rates as long as recent weakness in economic indicators proves to be temporary.
Peru may confirm central bank appointees Friday
Peru's Congress will probably confirm Friday three candidates for the central bank's board of directors, Bloomberg reported Thursday 9 November.
Bank of England moves rates higher as expected
The Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee voted Thursday 9 November to raise UK interest rates by 0.25 percentage points to 5.0%.
Asian bond markets: issues and prospects
The BIS published papers on Monday 7 November presented at a BIS/Korea University conference of central bankers, scholars and market participants held in Seoul on 21-23 March 2004.
Bergo on Norwegian economy & financial stability
In the speech 'The Norwegian economy and financial stability' given on 7 November Jarle Bergo of the Norges Bank said the Norwegian financial system appears sound, well managed and competitive, and shorter-term vulnerabilities appear low overall.
ECB report says EU banks need to exercise caution
The European Central Bank said in a report on Tuesday 7 November that EU banks need to exercise caution with their mortgage lending because of the risk of some households getting into financial difficulties.
BoJ likely to raise interest rates before year end
Speaking at a seminar in Tokyo on Tuesday 7 November, the governor of the Bank of Japan, Toshihiko Fukui, indicated that he would be in favour of raising interest rates in anticipation of higher inflation.
RBA raises rates to 6.25%
The Reserve Bank of Australia has increased the official cash rate by 25 basis points to 6.25% as widely expected, after its monthly monetary policy meeting on Wednesday 8 November.
SNB names new head of asset management
As of 1 December 2006, Sandro Streit will succeed Thomas Stucki as Head of Asset Management at the Swiss National Bank.
Hildebrand named new SNB vice-president
The Swiss government on Wednesday 8 November named Philipp Hildebrand as the new vice-president of the Swiss National Bank (SNB) as of May next year, replacing Niklaus Blattner, who will retire.
Econ Perspectives - Central counterparty clearing
The Chicago Fed's Economic Perspectives for the Fourth Quarter 2006 focuses on central counterparty clearing and includes a summary of the conference, titled "Issues related to central counterparty clearing."
Fed gets ambiguous data, no reasons for a change
Federal Reserve officials are likely to keep US interest rates unchanged at their next meeting, according to this article from Bloomberg published Tuesday 7 November.
Eurozone cbs well prepared for financial crisis
The European Central Bank said Monday 6 November a series of "stress testing" exercises have shown that eurozone central banks are well prepared to cope with a financial crisis.
IMF's Rato sees need for euro rate increase
Rodrigo Rato, head of the International Monetary Fund, on Tuesday 7 November warned that further European interest rate rises would be needed to keep inflation under control as the economic recovery continues.
Albania's Fullani on financial markets & stability
In the speech 'Regional financial markets and financial stability' given on 30 October Ardian Fullani of the Bank of Albania said qualitative developments have taken place in the Albanian banking system during 2006.
Transmission mechanisms of monetary policy-Armenia
The IMF Working Paper "Transmission mechanisms of monetary policy in Armenia: Evidence from VAR analysis" examines monetary policy transmission in Armenia in light of the authorities' intention to shift to an inflation-targeting regime over the medium…
Is Swift living in the past?
This recent article from The Banker asks whether Swift is destined to become a relic of a bygone age, or if it can move into the modern era after its launch three decades ago.
Canada's banknotes getting mangled in old machines
A document quoted by the Canadian Press on Monday 6 November says that the Bank of Canada's currency counting machines need replacing to stop tatty bills getting stuck in the machines.
Qatar rules out reserve policy shift
Qatar central bank governor HE Sheikh Abdullah bin Saud al-Thani said Sunday 5 November that the Qatar has no plans to change its policy on foreign exchange reserves.
State TV reports China's reserves top 1trn USD
China's foreign exchange reserves have topped the 1.0 trillion US dollar level, state television CCTV said on Monday 6 November.