Central Banks
Hosokawa calls for flexible BOJ policy
Koichi Hosokawa, who on Friday 2 July took over as the top career official at the Ministry of Finance in Japan, said he wants the Bank of Japan to implement "flexible" monetary policy amid a rise in long-term bond yields.
QC ends BCCI address after record 79 days
The longest opening address in English legal history ended on Thursday 1 July with Gordon Pollock, QC, winding up the evidence that liquidators of the collapsed Bank of Credit and Commerce International are citing in the £850m damages suit versus the…
Chicago Fed National Activity Index, May 2004
The Chicago Fed National Activity Index May 2004 moved sharply higher, to +0.91, from a downward revised +0.52 the previous month. As was the case in April, production- and employment-related data added the most to May's CFNAI, although each of the four…
Fukui at BOJ representative office centenary event
In a speech given on 29 June at the reception for the centenary of the Bank of Japan Representative Office in London, Toshihiko Fukui of the Bank of Japan said the imminent objective for the Bank of Japan to open an office in London 100 years ago was to…
Safer, smarter, more secure US $50 note
The newly redesigned Series 2004 US $50 notes, featuring subtle background colours of blue and red, images of a waving American flag and a small metallic silver-blue star, will be issued beginning on September 28, the U.S. government announced on 30 June…
Federal Reserve increases rates by 0.25%
The Federal Open Market Committee decided Wednesday 30 June to raise its target for the federal funds rate by 25 basis points to 1-1/4 percent. In a press release the FOMC repeated "policy accommodation can be removed at a pace that is likely to be…
Central Bank of Aruba - Annual Report 2003
The Central Bank of Aruba has published its Annual Report for the year ended 2003. Stimulated by a more favourable external environment, the economy of Aruba started to recover from the 2001-2002 recession. In 2003, the production volume rebounded by 1.4…
BOJ's Taya says recovery gaining momentum
Japan's economic recovery is "clearly" gaining momentum, according to Teizo Taya, a Bank of Japan policy board member. But he said it was still "not appropriate" for the BOJ to change its current policy at the moment.
World should expect further rate rises says King
The world economy is set on a new trend of gradually higher interest rates, the governor of the Bank of England, Mervyn King, said in an interview published Thursday. He also said UK house prices had been "very important" in recent months in MPC meeting…
Russian PM proposes central bank restructuring
Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov has suggested the Russian central bank consider its restructuring at a government meeting on Thursday.
Trichet says ECB not influenced by Fed, BoE
European Central Bank president Jean-Claude Trichet said Thursday, at the ECB's post meeting press conference after it left eurozone interest rates unchanged, that the ECB is not being influenced by decisions of the Federal Reserve, Bank of England and…
Trichet on European financial sector integration
In a speech on 'Integration of the European Financial Sector' given on 29 June, Jean-Claude Trichet of the ECB said the financial system plays an essential role in the transmission of monetary policy and integrated European financial markets facilitate…
Sweden's Srejber: asset prices in monetary policy
In a speech on 'What role do asset prices and credit play in monetary policy' given on 30 June, Eva Srejber of the Sveriges Riksbank said the economic costs in the shape of sharp fluctuations in demand are likely on average to be higher if the central…
BIS Conference on Inflation, 18-19 June
The programme from the BIS Conference on "Understanding Low Inflation and Deflation" Brunnen, Switzerland, 18-19 June 2004, includes speeches "Changes in the inflation process" by Stephen Cecchetti and "Deflation in historical perspective" with…
BoJ's Monetary Policy Meeting Minutes, 19/20 May
The Bank of Japan released the minutes from its 19 and 20 May Monetary Policy Meeting on 30 June. Many members said that the Bank was conducting monetary policy in accordance with the commitment based on the CPI. Some members said that it was becoming…
Caruana on Bank of Spain's 2003 Annual Report
In a speech presenting the Bank of Spain's 2003 Annual Report, given on 18 June, Jaime Caruana said the recovery in the international economy progressively gathered momentum during 2003 and early 2004, as well as extending to other regions. Adding to the…
Will ECB independence threaten ECB independence?
The Federal Reserve is about to join the club of central banks that has embarked on a course of normalizing short-term interest rates, this article says ahead of the Fed's much awaited FOMC decision. And with the ECB meeting on Thursday it describes the…
BOJ: Japan may be moving to US model
Japan's economy may be moving toward a U.S.-style pattern of consumer-led growth, said Hideo Hayakawa, director-general at the Bank of Japan's research and statistics department.
Snow says higher rates won't dampen US growth
US Treasury Secretary John Snow on Tuesday 29 June expressed optimism that rising market-based interest rates will not act as a drag on the US economic recovery. The Federal Reserve was expected to raise US interest rates at the conclusion of its FOMC…
UK's King says MPC doesn't target house prices
The Bank of England's governor Mervyn King insisted on Tuesday 29 June that the interest rate-setting Monetary Policy Committee does not target house prices when it sets interest rates.
Koizumi supports Japan's zero rates
Japanese five-year notes rose for a second day on Wednesday 30 June after Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said conditions are not yet right for the Bank of Japan to end its policy of keeping interest rates close to zero.
St Louis Fed's Central Banker, Summer 2004
The Summer 2004 edition of the St. Louis Fed's Central Banker magazine has been published. The latest issue carries an article "The FACT Act Helps Bankers Mitigate Risks" which says approximately half of all identity-theft claims in the Eighth District…
Canada's Dodge on the changing world economy
In a speech on 'The Changing World Economy: What It Means for Canada' given on 16 June, David Dodge of the Bank of Canada said the Canadian economy is well placed to adjust to the major changes underway in the world economy. While Canada has adopted the…
Czech National Bank - Annual Report 2003
The Czech National Bank has published its Annual Report for the year ended 2003. Analyses revealed that the extraordinarily low inflation rate was due not to the CNB's monetary policy, but mainly to a combination of several unusual and difficult-to…