Central Banks
Interview: Li Ruogu
In this exclusive interview, the deputy governor of the People’s Bank of China provides the background to the recent reform of its exchange rate system, the current monetary policy, China’s role in the international monetary system and its reserve…
Last through the door?
Bulgaria, Croatia and Romania may be the last countries to join the EU, and they are taking very different paths to the euro. Nick Carver reports.
Weber stands his ground
Tussles with government have tested his mettle, but Axel Weber has impressed in his first year at the Bundesbank, writes Marietta Kurm-Engels.
Dear Jean-Claude...
Changing the way the ECB works would improve its image and make your job easier, writes Charles Goodhart in an open letter to the ECB’s president.
Review of Monetary policy Transmission in the Euro Area
The ECB is piecing together how monetary policy affects the eurozone economy. A review by Paul Brione of Central Banking.
One size fits none
As the German economy stalls, should the ECB shift its policy focus from the eurozone as a whole? By Henrik Enderlein.
RBNZ's Bollard on the New Zealand payment system
In the speech 'New Zealand payment system' given on 11 August Alan Bollard of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand said the RBNZ is making protection of New Zealand's $41 billion-a-day payments system its leading priority.
Kansas Fed Paper on inflation targeters
The Kansas Fed Working Paper "Do we really know how inflation targeters set interest rates?" published July 2005 says under inflation targeting regimes other objectives that possibly conflict with the inflation goal are present.
Calvin Mitchell to take over New York Fed role
Calvin A. Mitchell III was named senior vice president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York in charge of the bank's public information area on Monday 8 August.
Interview with ECB's Issing
In an interview published on Tuesday 9 August, ECB Chief Economist Otmar Issing said that recently the eurozone economy has seen a series of positive signals. However risks to the outlook remained on the downside, he said, particularly with the continued…
Bank of Korea chief pledges wealth to education
The governor of the Bank of Korea, Park Seung, said this week that he is willing to donate his personal wealth to help the nation's education when he dies.
A punch bowl made in China
China is supplying a punch bowl to keep the party going despite the Federal Reserve's best efforts, according to an article published on Wednesday 10 August. So consumers can thank Beijing and other Asian central banks for all the cheap credit, it says.
Bank of Mexico holds interest rates steady
Mexico's central bank held monetary policy steady on Friday 12 August saying after its twice-monthly policy meeting it was keeping its money market "short" steady at 79 million pesos a day.
Foreign central banks buying more US debt
Foreign central banks were big buyers of US debt in the latest week, swallowing up similar amounts of both Treasury and agency debt in what was the heaviest week of buying in 2-1/2 months, Federal Reserve data showed on Thursday 11 August.
New spokesman for the New York Fed
Peter Bakstansky has been the spokesman for the New York Fed for so long - 30 years, to be precise - that his impending retirement will be hard to get accustomed to, at least for any journalist.
German finance minister calls for ECB rate cut
German Finance Minister Wolfgang Clement called on the European Central Bank to cut interest rates, saying it was "remarkably" more reserved than other central banks.
Norway keeps interest rates unchanged at 2%
Norway's central bank held its key deposit rate steady at 2.0 percent on Thursday 11 August as was widely expected.
Fed raises rates, maintains measured stance
The Federal Open Market Committee decided on Tuesday 9 August to raise its target for the federal funds rate by 25 basis points to 3-1/2 percent. The FOMC maintained its measured stance on monetary policy accommodation.
IMF letter on prospects for ECB rate cut
In a letter published by the Financial Times on Tuesday 9 August, Michael Deppler of the IMF said international developments suggest that the worst may be over on growth in the eurozone but point to further upward pressure on headline inflation because…
Belgium's central bank offloads 30 tonnes of gold
Belgium's central bank said on Wednesday 10 August it had sold 30 tonnes of gold in July and August, leading to an increase in the yield on its assets.
COMMENT BY CENTRALBANKNET
The fear that demand in many leading economies has been sustained only by a housing and real estate "bubble" is often seen as one of the biggest risks facing monetary policymakers.
Is Japan ready for 50-year debt?
The Japanese government bond market is the world's biggest, but also among the least international, according to this article published on Monday 8 August. Perhaps the U.S. Treasury's move to issue new 30-year debt early next year will encourage Japan to…
Malaysia reports reserve increase
The international reserves of Bank Negara surged to RM298.7 billion (US$78.7 billion) as at 29 July. This was a RM12.89 billion increase from the 15 July figure, the BNM said.
Study says euro could be top reserve by 2022
A paper published this week says the euro could replace the dollar as the world's dominant reserve currency within 20 years if Britain and other EU countries adopted the unit and the US currency continues to slide.