Central Banks
Fed minutes indicate a "close call"
Minutes of the Federal Open Market Committee showed a 9-1 vote on 8 August in favour of keeping interest rates on hold.
Tunisia holds rates
Tunisian interest rates were unmoved after the monthly meeting of the central bank's executive board on Tuesday.
Iran unafraid of sanctions
Iran will be prepared for the economic consequences of UN sanctions, the governor of the country's central bank, Ebrahim Sheibani, said on Friday.
Hungary raises interest rates
The Hungarian central bank surprised markets with a half-point rate hike on Monday.
Interest rates round-up
A brief round-up of recent interest rate decisions in central banks in emerging markets.
BIS paper on business continuity
A new paper from the Bank of International Settlements sets outs business continuity principles for financial market participants and authorities.
NBER paper on optimal monetary policy
An NBER research paper on optimal monetary policy concludes that, in the presence of price stickiness, policymakers should focus their efforts actions towards low inflation volatility.
Thai central bank wins appeal against ex-governor
A recent decision by Thailand's Supreme Administrative Court clears the way for the central bank to press for damages against former governor, Rerngchai Marakanond.
Czech central bank holds rates
Thursday's meeting of the Czech National Bank's governing board ended with rates being held at 2.25%, a spokeswoman said.
Swedish deputy on currency unions
In a speech in to celebrate the Bank of Uganda's 40th anniversary, the first deputy governor of Sveriges Riksbank talks about how countries should prepare themselves for joining a monetary union.
Korea changes inflation target measure
Korea will target a new measure of inflation for 2007-2009, the central bank has said.
South African Reserve Bank releases annual report
According to the Reserve Bank's 2006 Annual Economic Report released on Wednesday 23 August, South Africa's current account deficit widened to a seasonally adjusted and annualised R98.9-billion in the first half of 2006 from R58.7-billion in the first…
Monetary policy "still very accommodative" - Weber
Interest rates will rise as the Eurozone's economy continues to grow, said Axel Weber, the president of the Bundesbank.
Norges Bank raises interest rates
In a widely expected move, Norway's central bank raised interest rates by 25 basis points on 17 August. The rise was the third this year and follows the central bank's stated recent pattern of "small and not too frequent steps".
Rajan to leave IMF after three years
Raghuram Rajan, the International Monetary Fund's economic counsellor and director of its research department, has decided to return to the University of Chicago by early 2007.
How to face natural disasters
A report on the effects of Hurricane Katrina considers the lessons learned from managing a catastrophic event, including dealing with a sudden fall in the availability of cash and when electronic systems fail.
Thai governor calm over strong baht
Pridiyathorn Devakula, the governor of the Bank of Thailand governor, reassured domestic exporters and investors on Tuesday that the baht is being closely monitored and said that its current value is neither too high or low.
Chicago Fed reviews explicit inflation targeting
The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago president and CEO, Michael Moskow, considers whether the Fed should now adopt explicit numerical guidelines or targets for inflation.
Indonesia deputy governor passes away
Budi Rochadi, the Indonesian central bank’s deputy governor in charge of the banking payment system, passes away in New York
Innovation and Independence: the reserve Bank of New Zealand
1973-2002. John Singleton and Arthur Grimes, Gary Hawke and Frank Holmes. Auckland University Press, 2006; 340 pages.
How safe are your reserves?
A case before the English courts has highlighted concerns over whether sovereign immunity applies to central bank reserves, writes Charles Proctor.
How the People's Bank is shaping China's financial sector
Hui Feng explains how China's Central bank has become the leading force in the country's banking reform and financial restructuring
What to expect from Singapore
What will be the key talking points at the IMF's annual meeting in September? Marc Uzan, director of the Reinventing Bretton Woods Committee, explains