Central Banks
Sveriges Riksbank launches new website
The website of the Sveriges Riksbank has been changed radically in terms of content, function and graphic design and is based on the results of a user survey. The website has been developed with usability and accessibility in mind, according to the…
Reserve Bank of Australia Bulletin, May 2004
The Reserve Bank of Australia published its May 2004 Bulletin on 20 May. The Bulletin includes articles titled 'Residential Property Investors in Australia' And 'Banking Fees in Australia'.
Markets right to expect rate rise: Fed's Stern
Minneapolis Fed President Gary Stern said in an interview on Wednesday 19 May that financial markets are right to expect the Federal Reserve to start raising interest rates.
Bank of Japan maintains optimistic assessment
The Bank of Japan maintained its cautiously optimistic assessment of the economy in its latest monthly report, despite robust GDP data announced earlier in the week.
Study suggests fx volatility may not hurt trade
Rapid changes in exchange rates do not appear to have a "robustly negative" impact on trade flows, a team of International Monetary Fund analysts said in a report released on Wednesday 19 May.
IMF urge relaxing of yuan peg to ease bad loans
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has advised China to relax the yuan's dollar peg to help rein in excessive credit growth that threatens to cause a build-up of bad loans in the banking system.
Richmond Fed's Broaddus on the economy and banking
In a speech on 'Comments on the Economy and Banking' given on 18 May J. Alfred Broaddus of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond said an upswing in core inflation had grabbed policymakers' attention. Broaddus indicated the Fed's stated goal of raising…
HKMA's Topping on financial risk
In a speech on 'Assessing, Managing & Supervising Financial Risk' given on 17 May, Simon Topping of the HKMA said Basel II is certainly relevant to emerging markets. It has global applicability, but it has to be applied pragmatically, he said, and fine…
Bank of England MPC Minutes 5/6 May 04
Minutes of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee Meeting were released on 19 May for the meeting of 5 and 6 May 2004. The minutes showed the MPC voted unanimously in favour of raising interest rates to 4.25% but also considered a half-point…
Santomero: Fed must be alert to inflation signs
Philadelphia Federal Reserve President Anthony Santomero said on Tuesday 18 May that the central bank must be mindful of further signs of inflation pressures, but can generally expect to raise rates at a "measured pace," as last stated by the FOMC.
Ethics adviser clears Bundesbank board
The Bundesbank's recently appointed ethics advisor said on Tuesday 18 May that there was no evidence that other board members had received unauthorised benefits.
World Bank chief denies corruption claims
World Bank president James Wolfensohn has dismissed United States allegations that billions of dollars of bank funding was misused as "frivolous".
UK's Brown signals rate rise support
UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown said on Wednesday 19 May that he is concerned that rising wages and higher oil prices may lift inflation, and he signalled support for the Bank of England's decision to raise interest rates.
Trichet on current challenges for the ECB
In a speech on 'Current challenges for the ECB: sustainable non-inflationary growth and financial stability' given on 13 May, Jean-Claude Trichet of the ECB said one of the major challenges that the ECB faces is the EU enlargement and the future entry of…
Caruana: Accounting, transparency & bank stability
In a speech at the Accounting, Transparency and Bank Stability Workshop given on 17 May, Jaime Caruana of the Bank of Spain said this conference will help to identify the policy options that supervisors have in order to address emerging issues in risk…
Sweden's Heikensten on economic activity
Riksbank Governor Lars Heikensten spoke about economic developments on Monday 17 May at a seminar in Tanum. He said recent developments in economic activity and price pressures have been considerably less dramatic than what the situation in the financial…
Bies on corporate governance and community banks
In a speech on 'Corporate governance and community banks' given on 17 May, Susan Schmidt Bies of the Fed said a Federal Reserve review of corporate governance practices at smaller banks found most of them in good shape.
IMF's Krueger says oil price not in 'danger area'
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) sees no immediate threat to the global economy from either the recent oil price surge or insecurity in Iraq, its acting Managing Director said on Tuesday 18 May.
Vice president attacks central bank of Peru
Peruvian Vice President David Waisman criticized a central bank decision to allow pension funds to invest more abroad, saying it hurts the country's economy, Gestion newspaper reported.
UK, France and Germany to co-ordinate econ policy
In an interview with French daily Le Figaro, French finance minister Nicolas Sarkozy has said that France, Germany and the UK are ready to include common measures in their national budgets to become more co-ordinated economically.
Inflation still low, no rate hike needed - PBoC
China's current level of inflation does not yet warrant an interest rate hike, a member of the monetary policy committee of People's Bank of China (PBoC) was quoted in the official Shanghai Securities News as saying.
Euro area inflation rises above target
The euro zone's annual inflation rate rose to 2 percent in April, edging above the European Central Bank's target for the first time this year, the European Union said on Tuesday 18 May.
Basel II rules 'take account of small businesses'
European Central Bank governing council member Guy Quaden on Monday 17 May played down fears that small and medium-sized firms would suffer from the new rules on bank capital known as Basel II.
The central bank's "no" to Annan
Robert Pringle reports on why the Central Bank of Cyprus came out against the UN plan for monetary union in Cyprus.