Central Banks
Blanchflower is 'no shrinking violet'
The Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee's latest member, David Blanchflower, told the Treasury Select Committee on Wednesday 24 May that his commitment to the rate setting MPC will form his "primary responsibility."
Stark appointed to ECB, Zeitler joins Buba
Jurgen Stark, vice-president of the Bundesbank, has been formally appointed to the European Central Bank's executive board, European Union officials announced Tuesday 23 May, according to the FT.
Bank of Canada raises rates
The Bank of Canada announced Wednesday 24 May that it is raising its target for the overnight rate by one-quarter of one percentage point to 4 1/4 per cent. The move had been widely expected.
BOJ member sees reserve cut problem
According to minutes of the Bank of Japan's April 10-11 board meeting, published Wednesday 24 May, a policy maker said a rapid reduction in reserves by the central bank may spur speculation of an interest-rate increase from near zero.
African central bank sells gold
A private Saudi jeweller has bought 36 tonnes of raw gold from an African central bank for 1.8 billion riyals, a company spokesman was quoted by Reuters as saying on Monday 22 May, confirming a newspaper report.
Mersch says ECB will have to lift rates further
European Central Bank Governing Council member Yves Mersch said in an interview that eurozone interest rates will need to keep rising because of increased risks to price stability but that there was no fixed schedule.
BOJ's Fukui sees rates rising slowly - report
The Bank of Japan will raise interest rates gradually to keep inflation under control while also giving the economy time to recover, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun quoted BOJ governor Toshihiko Fukui as saying in an interview published Tuesday 23 May.
New MPC member set for grilling
The newest member of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee is likely to face some tough questions when he faces MPs for his "confirmation" hearing on Wednesday 24 May, the FT reported.
RBNZ Financial Stability Report, May 2006
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand published its May 2006 Financial Stability Report on 19 May. RBNZ governor Alan Bollard said that New Zealand's financial system is well placed to weather the slowdown in the economy.
Roach urges new monetary policy approach
In comments published on Monday 22 May, Stephen Roach of Morgan Stanley said he is worried that central banking's recent record will not be judged kindly by history.
Rato says more Fed hikes may be needed
International Monetary Fund chief Rodrigo Rato said on Monday 22 May that the Federal Reserve may need to continue raising interest rates depending upon how US economic conditions evolve.
Qatar appoints Lord Woolf to regulatory tribunal
Lord Woolf, formerly Lord Chief Justice, is to be appointed as the senior judge for Qatar's new financial centre. He will become the first President of the Qatar Financial Centre (QFC) Tribunal, which he will help establish, and he will preside over…
BoE's Tucker on uncertainty, monetary policy, risk
In the speech 'Uncertainty, the implementation of monetary policy and the management of risk' given on 19 May Paul Tucker of the Bank of England said consumption growth in the UK today has become far more stable than in previous years, thanks to…
Treasuries' safe-haven status faces growing threat
According to this article published Wednesday 17 May, long-term threats to the status of Treasury bonds as a safe haven are gathering even as global investors pour money into U.S. government debt.
ECB's Target Annual Report 2005
The European Central Bank (ECB) published the TARGET Annual Report 2005 on Friday 19 May. This publication, which is the sixth of its kind, gives an overview of TARGET operations in 2005.
Work on converging accounting standards must go on
According to this article by Tommaso Padoa-Schioppa, published Friday 19 May, convergence between IASB and US standards is just one step on the road towards high quality, understandable and enforce-able global accounting standards.
Rato appoints committee to study IMF costs
IMF Managing Director Rodrigo de Rato on Thursday 18 May announced the appointment of a committee of eminent persons to provide the Fund with an independent view of the available options for ensuring that it has a sustainable and durable income base with…
IMF's Rato proposes new first deputy MD
Rodrigo de Rato, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), on Thursday 18 May proposed the appointment of John Lipsky to the position of First Deputy Managing Director.
Kyrgyzstan approves new central bank chief
Kyrgyzstan's parliament on Thursday 18 May approved by majority vote the appointment of Marat Alapayev as chairman of the National Bank of Kyrgyz Republic, RIA Novosti reported.
Kohn going to be next Fed vice-chairman
US president George W. Bush on Thursday 18 May announced plans to nominate Fed governor Donald Kohn to be vice chairman of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors.
Fed's Kohn on the evolving financial system
In the speech 'The evolving nature of the financial system: Financial crises and the role of the central bank' given on 18 May Donald Kohn of the Federal Reserve said U.S. bank regulators are focused on encouraging market discipline, sound risk…
Nout Wellink to chair Basel Committee
The Group of Ten (G10) central bank governors and heads of banking supervision said Friday 19 May that they have appointed Nout Wellink, President of the Netherlands Bank, as the new Chairman of the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision.
Liikanen: EU must improve cross-border payments
ECB governing council member Erkki Liikanen said in comments published on Thursday 18 May that the EU must strengthen its payments system.