Central Banks
BofE Payment Systems Oversight Report
The Bank of England published its first annual Payment Systems Oversight Report on Monday 31 January. The Report sets out the Bank's role and objectives in relation to oversight of UK payment systems.
ECB's Gonzalez-Paramo on financial integration
In a speech on 'Financial integration and economic growth. Lessons from the European experience' given on 28 January, Jose Manuel Gonzalez-Paramo of the ECB said in effectively promoting financial integration, Europe has shown that public policies can…
ECB's Weber says dollar risk to global outlook
European Central Bank Governing Council member Axel Weber said on Saturday 29 January that the US current account gap is unlikely to narrow this year, putting stress on the US dollar which is risky for the global economy.
Greenspan lost credibility says Soros
Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, George Soros the billionaire investor said Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan has lost credibility for driving US interest rates to a four-decade low and promoting tax cuts.
China official says not ready to revalue currency
China is not ready to revalue its currency and needs time to find a new foreign exchange regime, state media reported Monday, citing comments by government officials.
Turkey to introduce inflation targeting early 06
Turkey's central bank will shift to a formal policy of inflation targeting from early 2006, its governor Sureyya Serdengecti told a conference.
Bulgaria's central bank sees forex reserves rise
Bulgaria's central bank (BNB) currency reserves as of last Friday increased to the equivalent of leva (BGN) 13.704 billion from BGN12. 759 a week earlier, the bank said.
BIS Red Book on payment systems in Sri Lanka
The Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) announced on Tuesday that the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) has published the Red Book, 'Payment Systems in Sri Lanka' prepared jointly by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka and the Committee on Payment and…
RBNZ leaves interest rates unchanged
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand left interest rates unchanged at 6.50 per cent on Thursday. RBNZ governor Alan Bollard said the tightening in monetary policy over the past year currently looks sufficient to keep medium term inflation pressures in check.
BoE paper on low inflation since 1999
In a paper published on Thursday 27 January, 'Why has inflation been so low since 1999?', Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee member Stephen Nickell said looking to the future, there seems no reason why UK domestic goods price inflation will fall…
Chicago Fed National Activity Index, Dec 2004
The Chicago Fed National Activity Index (CFNAI) for December 2004 was +0.39, up markedly from +0.05 in November. Three of the four broad categories of indicators that comprise the index made positive contributions in December, while the employment…
Report says Fed to consider inflation target
Federal Reserve policy-makers will next week discuss whether to set a numerical objective for inflation and, if so, what it should be, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday 27 January.
PBOC's Zhou says China open to yuan discussion
People's Bank of China governor Zhou Xiaochuan was reported as saying that China is open to discussing the yuan exchange rate at the upcoming G7 finance ministers meeting but will not be pressured on any appreciation.
Latvia ready to link to euro, official says
A Finance Ministry official was quoted as saying that Latvia is ready to link its currency to the euro in a two-year test period prior to adopting the single currency.
Brazil's COPOM ready to raise rates if necessary
Brazil's central bank is ready to raise interest rates and will accelerate increases if necessary to control inflation, according to the minutes of its COPOM meeting held last week released on Thursday 27 January.
ECB's Issing says recovery still on track
Economic recovery in the euro zone remains on track, with the pace of growth set to accelerate later this year, European Central Bank chief economist Otmar Issing said in a speech on Wednesday 26 January.
When monetary tools start to lose their edge
This article asks what central bankers do when their monetary tools begin to lose their edge. This may be a question that the Federal Reserve is having to address at the moment, it says. The Federal Reserve's challenge seems to be that the linkage…
Philadelphia Fed Business Outlook Survey, Jan 2005
According to the firms surveyed for the Philadelphia Fed's Business Outlook Survey, January 2005, manufacturing activity in the region continues to expand, but at a slower pace than reported at the end of 2004. Many of the indicators, including general…
Sri Lanka's Mendis on post-disaster rebuilding
In the speech 'Creating a challenging and stimulating work environment' given on 1 January, Sunil Mendis of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka said that with the magnitude of the disaster, there is no question that our nation needs to be rebuilt. Hence, as…
Bank of England MPC Minutes, 12 &13 January
The minutes from the 12 & 13 January meeting of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee published on Wednesday 26 January showed the nine members voted unanimously to hold rates at 4.75 per cent.
Wellink says Asia can't maintain dollar buying
Asian central banks cannot continue buying up US dollars forever and the US will have to take action to cut its budget deficit, European Central Bank governing council member Nout Wellink said on Wednesday 26 January.
Fed's Hoenig says economic outlook bright for US
Kansas City Federal Reserve President Thomas Hoenig said on Tuesday 25 January that the outlook for the US economy is pretty bright and inflation should not be a major issue this year.
EU's Almunia says strong euro not posing problems
EU economic and monetary affairs commissioner Joaquin Almunia told a breakfast briefing held by the European Policy Centre think tank that the strength of the euro is not posing problems for Eurozone countries.
Eurosystem reserves up 0.9 bln eur to 155.8 bln
The European Central Bank said on Tuesday 25 January that net foreign currency reserves in the euro system rose 0.9 bln eur to 155.8 bln in the week ending 21 January.