Central Banks
BSP chief calls for improved government finances
Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Rafael Buenaventura said on Wednesday 7 July that the government should work harder to improve its fiscal performance to prevent a credit rating downgrade that would increase foreign borrowing costs.
Russian central bank tries to reassure country
The Central Bank of Russia sought to reassure Russians on Wednesday 7 July that their financial sector was sound, saying talks had begun to rescue the first major banking casualty from the brink of collapse.
New Hong Kong banknotes
The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) and the three note-issuing banks (Bank of China (Hong Kong) Limited, Standard Chartered Bank (Hong Kong) Limited and The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited) announced on 5 July the issue and unveiled…
ECB's Issing on sustained economic growth
In a speech on 'Sustained economic growth and central banking' given on 6 July, Otmar Issing of the ECB said central banking activities can impact on longer run growth through a number of potential channels. These include the role of central banks in…
Fukui on the state of Japan's economy
In a speech given on 5 July, Toshihiko Fukui, governor of of the Bank of Japan said that Japan's ongoing economic recovery is becoming broad-based as a result of structural adjustments.
Inside the Bank of England
This article asks whether the Bank of England will succeed in trying to contain a housing bubble. An "admirable steadiness" has won Mervyn King a top reputation in the rarefied world of central banking with the BOE being considered by many a model of…
Semiannual Report on Currency and Monetary Control
The Bank of Japan has published a summary of its semiannual report on currency and monetary control for the second half of fiscal 2003. Japan's economic activity started to recover gradually in the second half of fiscal 2003 (Oct 03-Mar 04) led by an…
Research says China's economy growing
China's economy is expected to grow 11.3 per cent in the year through the second quarter, up from the 9.8 per cent of the first quarter, a think-tank under the country's economic planner says.
PBOC sells 20 bn yuan in bank bills
The People's Bank of China, the country's central bank, said it had successfully sold 20 bn in discounted short-term bills, made up of 15 bn yuan in three-month bills and 5 bn yuan in one-year bills, in the interbank market on Tuesday 6 July.
Philippine cb against declaring fiscal crisis
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) on Monday 5 July oposed the proposal to formally declare a fiscal crisis, warning that the ensuing confusion might precipitate an actual fiscal crisis that the government is trying to avoid.
Costello meets RBA board, says inflation in check
Australian Treasurer Peter Costello said he met with the board of the Reserve Bank of Australia after their monthly meeting on the morning of Tuesday 6 July, but refused to speculate on what the central bank would do.
Rato: No strong inflation pressure in Europe, US
International Monetary Fund director general Rodrigo Rato said that inflation remains relatively moderate in Europe and the US, and expressed his support for the policies of the US Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank.
Sharp rise in euro note circulation
While the euro-area's economy may be sluggish, demand for the euro - as hard cash - has started to take off. This weeks CentralBankNet Monday special suggests the euro's bid to challenge the dollar as the world's hoarded currency has truly begun.
Can debt crises be self-fulfilling?
Several papers argue that debt crises can be the result of self-fulfilling expectations that no one will lend to a country. This IMF Working Paper says this type of coordination failure can be eliminated by a combination of state-contingent securities…
Reddy on financial stability: Indian experience
In a speech on 'Financial stability: Indian experience' given on 27 June, Dr YV Reddy of the Reserve Bank of India said in the context of ongoing reforms in the financial sector in India, the regulatory regime has also undergone certain fundamental…
Fed Reserve Bank of St Louis Review, Jul/Aug 2004
The latest edition of the St Louis Fed's Review for July-August 2004 contains proceedings of the Twenty-Eighth Annual Economic Policy Conference of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis and includes articles "Is inflation targeting best-practice monetary…
Norges Bank Inflation Report, July 2004
Norway's central bank, Norges Bank, has published its latest Inflation Report for July 2004. The report says inflation is low and since the March Inflation Report, it has moved in line with projections. Inflation is being restrained by the appreciation…
Deutsche Bundesbank Monthly Report, May 2004
The Deutsche Bundesbank has published the English version of its May 2004 monthly report. In the first few months of 2004 the global economic upturn grew both stronger and more widely based. The terrorist attacks in Madrid and the escalation of the…
Italy escapes EU budget warning
Italy has escaped an EU warning over its worsening finances at a meeting of euro zone finance ministers in Brussels.
SNB's Roth sees GDP growth of 'almost' 2 pct
Swiss National Bank (SMB) chairman Jean-Pierre Roth said he expects the Swiss economy to grow by "almost" 2 pct this year, repeating previous comments by the central bank.
IMF expect 'progress' in Argentina discussions
The International Monetary Fund expects a significant advance in discussions to complete the third review of the program with Argentina, said IMF Managing Director Rodrigo Rato during a forum in Paris.
Economy adjusting, says BOJ's Fukui
Bank of Japan governor Toshihiko Fukui said on Monday 5 July that the country's economy is nearing recovery from the prolonged slump that followed the bursting of Japan's speculative bubble in the early 1990s.
Sunil Mendis appointed governor in Sri Lanka
Sunil Mendis has been appointed Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka for a six-year term. He replaces A.S.Jayawardena whose term of office finished on Wednesday 30 June.