Central Banks
ECB opposes BoI reform bill
Attempts to reform governance structures at the Bank of Italy (BoI) yesterday received another blow when Lorenzo Bini Smaghi, a member of the ECB's executive board, said the government should amend some of the initiatives proposed in a parliamentary bill.
No rates change, recovery "gradual" - BoK's Park
The Bank of Korea (BoK) on Thursday 10 November left its benchmark short-term interest rate unchanged at 3.5 percent. The decision was widely expected by market participants, following a 25 basis point increase last month.
Japan's Fukui on New Path of Growth
On 11 November Toshihiko Fukui, governor of the Bank of Japan, gave a speech entitled "Toward a New Path of Growth for the Japanese Economy" based on the Bank's October Outlook Report at the Kisaragi-kai meeting in Tokyo.
Inflation concerns for Czech NB
The Czech National Bank (CNB) is worried about the inflation criterion the country must meet before joining the euro, vice-governor Miroslav Singer told delegates at a forum of the Czech Exporters' Association on 10 November.
New central banking appointments
A number of new appointments in key central banking positions were announced last week.
Comment: Unresolved collateral issues remain
The news that the ECB will only accept sovereign debt with an A- rating or higher as collateral for repurchase agreements and other collateral financing trades with commercial banks will help to instil fiscal discipline on member countries in the long…
BoE: no rates change
The Bank of England left its main interest rate yesterday, 9 November, unchanged at 4.5% for the third month in succession. The decision was widely expected after recent comments by Mervyn King, governor of the Bank, indicating he was against rate cuts.
ECB's Target 2 delayed
The ECB has announced that the launch of Target 2 has been further delayed. The first group of countries will move to the EU's new large-value payment system on 19 November 2007, 11 months later than originally planned.
Comment: Activism the ECB way
Yesterday, 9 November, Jean-Claude Trichet explained how the ECB's decision to leave interest rates unchanged for more than two years should not be equated to non-activist monetary policy.
Turkish interest rate cut
The Central Bank of Turkey (CBRT) yesterday, 8 November, cut short-term interest rates by 25 basis points, bringing the overnight borrowing rate and the lending rate to 13.75 percent.
ECB's Weber sees inflation risks
Bundesbank president and ECB governing council member, Axel Weber, told reporters at a news conference on 8 November that risks to price stability have increased in the eurozone in recent weeks, primarily due to a rebound in economic growth, soaring oil…
Comment: The ECB clarifies collateral policy
President Jean-Claude Trichet's clarification yesterday that the ECB would only accept sovereign debt with a rating of A- or higher as collateral for loans to commercial banks, is likely to have policymakers in Italy and Greece and a number of eurozone…
ARB sees "modest" inflation threat
The Australian Reserve Bank said in its monetary policy statement released on Monday 7 November that it expects "a modest" increase in inflation rate and hinted that interest rates would remain on hold this year.
BoK feels the pinch
Bank of Korea (BoK) officials are up in arms about alleged plans by the government to scrap some of the central bank's 16 regional headquarters and cut its payroll.
Brazilian CB reduces number of meetings
The Central Bank of Brazil will lengthen the period between its interest rate policy meetings to 44 days from the current 30 days.
Colombian CB continues to sell reserves
The Colombian central bank sold $114 million in foreign exchange reserves to the government last week.
Euro ministers warn against rate hikes
Finance ministers meeting in Brussels renewed their calls for the European Central Bank to refrain from interest rates hikes.
Jordan's interest rates on the move
The Central Bank of Jordan (CBJ) governor, Umayya Touqan, announced on Sunday 6 November that interest rates on repurchase agreements for a week would be raised by 25 basis points.
SARB publishes Monetary Policy Review
The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) released its bi-annual Monetary Policy Review yesterday. It expects the main inflation rate to stay inside its 3-6 percent target range over the next two years, although the outlook has deteriorated because of high…
New York Fed's Foreign Exchange Operations Report
According to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York's Treasury and Federal Reserve Foreign Exchange Operations quarterly report for July-September 2005, the U.S. monetary authorities did not intervene in the foreign exchange markets during the quarter.
Interview with PBOC's Tang Xu
In an interview published on Wednesday 2 November, Tang Xu, director-general of the research bureau of the People's Bank of China, said China's economy has already achieved its long-awaited landing even with growth rates around 9 percent.
Swaziland appoints new board member
Finance Minister Majozi Sithole has appointed Swaziland Finance and Development Corporation CEO Vincent Mhlanga to the Central Bank of Swaziland's Board of Directors.
Ireland's Hurley ranked tops for pay
Central Bank of Ireland governor John Hurley was listed as the third-highest paid governor in the twelve-nation eurozone this week, even though he leads the smallest central bank.