Central Banks
Brazil announces intention to repay IMF debt
Brazil announced on Tuesday 13 December its intention to make an early repayment of its entire outstanding obligations to the International Monetary Fund amounting to SDR 10.79 billion (about US$15.46 billion).
Fed raises rates, tweaks statement
The Federal Open Market Committee decided on Tuesday 13 December to raise its target for the federal funds rate by 25 basis points to 4-1/4 percent. In its statement the FOMC removed the term 'policy accommondation' but suggested rates could rise further…
Germany against gold sale to fill budget holes
Conservatives in German Chancellor Angela Merkel's ruling coalition remain opposed to using central bank gold reserves to fill budget holes, a senior lawmaker was quoted as saying on Wednesday 14 December.
Comment: Fed signals end to rate cycle
The Fed this week increased interest rates by 25 basis points for the 13th consecutive time. While the move itself was a foregone conclusion, the removal of the word "accommodative" from the accompanying monetary policy statement, indicates that the…
Word junkies get ready for a fix from the Fed
According to this article published on Monday 12 December, while there is little doubt the Fed will raise the funds rate by another 25 basis points to 4.25 percent on Tuesday, the main issue is the language of the statement.
BIS's Knight on developing corporate bond markets
In the speech 'Sharing experiences in developing corporate bond markets' given on 17 November Malcolm Knight of the BIS argues that a robust financial system requires a diversity of financing channels, in which banks and fixed income markets compete in…
Russia changes gold reserves publication rules
In January 2006 details of Russia's gold reserves will be published on the basis of gold evaluations according to quotes by the Central Bank of Russia, the bank's external and public relations department said.
Fed may remove 'accommodation' phrase
The Federal Reserve may say monetary policy is no longer stimulating the economy after it is expected to raise interest rates Tuesday 13 December for the 13th time, according to over half of Wall Street's largest bond trading firms surveyed by Bloomberg.
Foreign exchange reserves in emerging Asia
The Bank of Canada Working Paper "An empirical analysis of foreign exchange reserves in emerging Asia" published December 2005 asks how far is the current level of US-dollar foreign exchange reserves held by Asian central banks from that predicted by the…
China 's FX reserves may reach $1 trln
China's foreign exchange reserves will exceed 1 trillion US dollars eventually, economist and People's Bank of China adviser Yu Yongding said.
Comment: Gold soars
Gold prices soared to new highs on Monday 12 December, bringing this month's gain for the precious metal to 9%. Only a month ago gold traded at $470. What does the future hold for bullion and what role will central bankers play in this?
RBA's gain
According to this article published on Wednesday 7 December, Robert Gerard's resignation from the Reserve Bank of Australia's board leaves three important questions to be dealt with. Firstly, has the controversy damaged the RBA and its policy credibility?
ACCI sees no reason to change RBA appointments
The Reserve Bank of Australia is the most successful central bank in the world and the appointment process to its board should not be changed, Australia's business organisation ACCI said this week.
Interview with IMF's Agustin Carstens
Agustin Carstens, Deputy Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, recently talked about the challenges facing the Eastern Caribbean region.
State Bank of Pakistan appoints governor
The President of Pakistan appointed Dr Shamshad Akhtar as governor of the State Bank of Pakistan on Saturday 3 December for a period of three years.
BCEAO governor named as Cote D'Ivoire PM
The governor of the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO), Charles Konan Banny, has been named the new Prime Minister of the Cote D'Ivoire, formerly known as Ivory Coast.
Stark tipped as Issing's replacement at ECB
Germany wants to hold its seat on the European Central Bank's executive board and could nominate Bundesbank Vice President Juergen Stark to replace Otmar Issing next year, Deputy Finance Minister Thomas Mirow said in an interview this week.
ECB's Financial Stability Review, December 2005
The European Central Bank published its December 2005 Financial Stability Review on 8 December. In the report the ECB said the strength and resilience of the euro area financial system has further improved over the past six months, contributing to a…
Greenspan saves the world again
Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan attended his final G7 meeting in his official capacity last weekend. He receives various tributes, honours and gifts, including a cartoon depicting him as a goal keeper.
Fitch raises Mexico debt rating
Mexico's debt rating was raised one level by Fitch Ratings as the country reduces foreign debt and inflation decelerates, Fitch said in a statement.
HKMA: Four pointers to financial stability
In a commentary published by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, HKMA Chief Executive Joseph Yam says open, medium-sized and sophisticated international financial centres are attractive to international fund flows, which are often volatile. The task of…
RBNZ Monetary Policy Statement, December 2005
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand published its December 2005 Monetary Policy Statement on 8 December. It also announced that the OCR will increase by 25 basis points to 7.25 per cent. The report said the RBNZ remains concerned about the tightness of…
Payment Innovation Conference, Amsterdam 4-5 April
The key theme is 'Payment Innovation Beyond SEPA'. SEPA is the acronym for 'Single European Payment Area', a political effort to harmonize all payment systems within Europe.
India following 'passive policy' on gold
Reserve Bank of India governor, Yaga Venugopal Reddy, said on Tuesday 6 December that the federal government and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) have been following a "passive policy" on its gold holdings.