Central Banks
Central bankers begin Bulgarian conference
The National Bank of Bulgaria is hosting the Third annual conference of the central banks of the Balkan states on 16 and 17 May.
Snow repeats call for action on China peg
U.S. Treasury Secretary John Snow on Friday 13 May renewed pressure on China to let its currency trade freely, saying the United States has made clear it wants Beijing to move to a flexible exchange rate soon.
Venezuela's Chavez considers vote on reserves use
Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez said on Saturday 14 May he may decide to call a referendum on whether the country should be able to use part of its international exchange reserves for projects to help the poor.
Iceland re-appoints central bank chief
The Prime Minister of Iceland has re-appointed Eirikur Gunason as Governor of the central bank for a term of seven years which began on 1 May.
PBOC's Zhou Xiaochuan on exchange rate reform
In a recently published interview Zhou Xiaochuan, Governor of the People's Bank of China, said we will make active and steady efforts to push ahead with the reform of the RMB exchange rate regime on a well-planned and step-by-step basis.
NY Fed's Geithner appointed CPSS Chairman
The Governors of the central banks of the G10 countries have appointed Timothy F Geithner as Chairman of the Committee on Payment and Settlement Systems (CPSS) with effect from June 2005.
Parliamentary speaker nominated Estonia bank chief
The supervisory council of the Bank of Estonia on Tuesday 10 May nominated deputy parliamentary speaker Andres Lipstok as the new president of the Baltic country's central bank.
Bank Indonesia gets new deputy governor
Indonesia's Lower House of Parliament has unanimously appointed Siti Chalimah Fadjrijah as the central bank's new deputy governor in charge of bank supervision, replacing Aulia Pohan.
Uncertainty over new deputy governor in Kenya
The tenure of the deputy governor of the Central Bank of Kenya was uncertain this week after Dr Edward Sambili's contract ended on April 30, but no one had been appointed to take his place.
Fed's Ferguson on globalization
In a speech on 'Globalization: Evidence and policy implications' given on 12 May, Roger Ferguson of the Federal Reserve said central banks will not be coordinating monetary policy any time soon nor is it desirable.
Bergo on the Norwegian economy
In a speech on 'The Norwegian economy: possibilities and challenges' given on 12 May, Jarle Bergo of the Norges Bank said developments since the March Inflation Report was presented do not provide grounds for changing the perception of the state of the…
IMF opens new headquarters building
The International Monetary Fund will open its second headquarters building in downtown Washington, D.C. on 16 May. The new building, which is adjacent to the IMF's existing headquarters building at 700 19th Street, N.W. will house about 1,500 staff.
Bank of Canada Review, Spring 2005
The Bank of Canada published its Review for Spring 2005 on 12 May. The Review contains four articles including "Understanding China's long-run growth process and its implications for Canada". In addition to examining the determinants of China's past and…
ECB's Gonzalez-Paramo promotes lower taxes
In a speech on Friday 13 May European Central Bank board member Jose Manuel Gonzalez-Paramo said lower income taxes can reduce the need for interest rate rises in the long run.
IMF says Iraq too dangerous to open office
The International Monetary Fund said on Thursday 12 May that it is too dangerous for the Fund to open an office in Iraq at the present time but it hopes to begin talks soon on a special loan to the Iraqi government.
IMF say conditions favourable on China rate reform
International Monetary Fund spokesman Thomas Dawson said that China is now ready and able to reform its exchange rate system, and it is in its best economic interest for it to do so.
PBOC chief rejects rate change rumour
The head of the People's Bank of China, Zhou Xiaochuan, denied rumours on Friday that the renminbi will be allowed to appreciate on 18 May.
Wolfowitz reassures World Bank staff
Paul Wolfowitz is trying to reassure World Bank staff that he has turned put his past involvement with the Iraq war behind him and has his eyes trained on global development.
Is the IMF an endangered species in Asia?
This article says last week's meeting of the Asian Development Bank marked the resurrection of the idea of an "Asian Monetary Fund". This step, along with the Asian Bond Fund, will not only move Asia further down the path of integration, but also reduce…