Central Banks
Bank Negara's reserves reach new high
Bank Negara Malaysia's foreign reserves reached a new high of RM264.66 billion (US$69.64 million) in the second half of January, due partly to larger inflow of portfolio funds.
Issing: Asset price rises can harm price stability
The chief economist at the European Central Bank, Otmar Issing, warned in a column on Thursday that a bubble in asset prices could pose risks to overall price stability.
Bank of Spain to implement business process system
TIBCO Software Inc. announced Thursday that the Central Bank of Spain, Banco de Espana, has chosen TIBCO to serve as its core provider for the automation of its business processes.
Zambia withdraws fading plastic bank notes
Zambia's central bank told commercial banks and financial institutions on Wednesday to withdraw from circulation plastic bank notes printed in 2003 because they are fading.
San Francisco Fed's Bretton Woods conference
The Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco held a conference "Revived Bretton Woods System: A new paradigm for Asian development" on 4 February. Papers presented included Barry Eichengreen's "Global imbalances and the lessons of Bretton Woods".
Fed's increase is case of perfect transparency
The FOMC's recent action to raise interest rates had been fully anticipated with not a single point move on the yield curve, from two years to 10 years. This article describes the move as a case of perfect transparency.
Inflation differentials among euro area countries
In a paper presented at the joint American Economic Association session 'The Theory of Optimum Currency Areas Revisited' Hermann Remsperger of the Deutsche Bundesbank reviews the development, potential causes and macroeconomic implications of inflation…
Paper on optimal central bank independence
This Working Paper from Vanderbilt University formulates the problem of monetary policy delegation as a two-stage non-cooperative game between the government and the central bank.
IMF's Carstens on transparency and accountability
In the speech 'The role of transparency and accountability for economic development in resource-rich countries' given on 27 January Agustin Carstens of the IMF said transparency and accountability in resource-rich countries are critical for ensuring that…
Spain's Caruana on Basel II: back to the future
In the speech 'Basel II: back to the future' given on 4 February Jaime Caruana of the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision and Bank of Spain highlights the anticipatory and forward-looking elements of Basel II. The real value of Basel II, he says, will…
Atlanta Fed's Guynn says FOMC language may change
Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta President Jack Guynn said in an interview with the Wall Street Journal that the bank may soon need to remove the word "measured" from its policy statement regarding interest-rate increases.
IMF analysing options on gold
The International Monetary Fund is currently preparing a report on the possibility of selling or revaluing a portion of its gold reserves and the IMF staff analysis of the options will be eagerly awaited.
ECB's Liebscher says rates need not increase
European Central Bank council member Klaus Liebscher said in an interview he sees no reason to increase interest rates as a "weak" labour market helps bring down inflation.
EU's Juncker supports US comments on deficit
Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker said in a television interview Wednesday that U.S. pledges to reduce its budget deficit are a step in the right direction.
Flexibility in liquidity target says BOJ's Suda
Speaking on Wednesday Bank of Japan Policy Board member Miyako Suda said the central bank may need to be more flexible regarding its liquidity target when cash demand is low in the market.
Roubini and Setser predict end of Bretton Woods 2
Nouriel Roubini and Brad Setser have released a new paper prophesising the end of the so-called "Bretton Woods 2" system within the next two years.
Is the IMF's mandate still relevant?
In an article published on 1 February IMF Managing Director Rodrigo de Rato said that although the world has changed dramatically since the Bretton Woods Agreement of 1944, the IMF's role remains as vital as ever.
BoF's Noyer says French GDP forecast plausible
In an interview on Monday 7 February, Bank of France governor Christian Noyer said the government's 2.5 per cent forecast for GDP growth in 2005 is plausible, although economists have suggested the figure is too optimistic.
Fed's Bies: Behind the scenes at the FOMC
In a speech 'Behind the scenes at the FOMC: How the Federal Reserve determines monetary policy' given on 7 February, Susan Schmidt Bies of the Federal Reserve said interest rate policy may need to be more accommodative than expected to ensure the economy…
Deutsche Bundesbank Monthly Report, December 2004
The Deutsche Bundesbank's December 2004 Monthly Report said growth in the German economy faltered in the third quarter of 2004.
ECB's TARGET2 Progress Report
The ECB published a progress report on TARGET2 on 8 February. The report considers three main issues - service, pricing and migration to TARGET2. These issues were decided upon by the Governing Council on 16 December 2004.
Russia's euro reserves increase
The euro now accounts for one third of Russia's foreign currency reserves, a top official from Russia's central bank said on Tuesday 8 February.
Iraq to earn income on reserves via NY Fed account
The central bank of Iraq is to be allowed to open a deposit with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York which will earn it millions of dollars in vital interest income, US Treasury Under Secretary John Taylor said on Tuesday 8 February.
ADB chief urges flexible exchange rates for China
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday 7 February, the head of the Asian Development Bank urged China to adopt a more flexible currency exchange system, saying that removing the yuan's peg to the US dollar would be good for both Beijing and its neighbours.