Central Banks
ECB on Court of Justice decision on Pact
The European Central Bank (ECB) said in a statement released Tuesday 13 July that it takes note of the judgement by the Court of Justice on the Council's actions of 25 November 2003.
SARB's Mboweni at the University of Pretoria
In a speech given on 8 July Tito Mboweni of the South African Reserve Bank emphasised that the bank has a vision of responsible and effective monetary policy formulation and continually strives to be an institution of excellence and innovation.
IMF's Rato at the conference on Central America
In a speech given on 9 July Rodrigo Rato of the IMF said that "our research has clearly shown that small open economies benefit enormously from globalization, as long as they are well prepared for it. In particular, we have found that poverty declines in…
With Euro as a model, group pushes global currency
The first meeting of the Single Global Currency Association met last Friday 9 July, with a modest attendance of seven. The group signed a resolution calling for the nations of the world to develop "a comprehensive plan for the implementation of a single…
Bank of Canada, Business Outlook Survey, Summer 04
The Bank of Canada published its Summer 2004 Business Outlook Survey on 12 July. Businesses are somewhat more optimistic about the outlook than they were in the spring, the Survey reported, reflecting increased confidence about the robustness of the…
Moroccan law gives central bank more independence
Morocco's Lower house has adopted by a majority vote a bill regarding amendments to the status of Bank Al Maghrib, the central bank, which will grant it more autonomy, MAP news agency reported.
Snow says terror threat hangs over US economy
The potential for more terror attacks is a risk to the U.S. economy that requires vigilance against any bid to weaken measures for investigating suspicious money transactions, U.S. Treasury Secretary John Snow said on Tuesday 13 July.
Noyer says ECB rate can't stay low forever
Bank of France governor Christian Noyer said in an interview that the ECB's interest rates are appropriate, but that financial markets should not expect them to remain low forever.
Iran's Sheybani stresses use of modern technology
Ebrahim Sheybani, the governor of the central bank of Iran, told a seminar on Saturday 10 July that implementing policies to use modern technology with the aim of expanding non-oil exports sector would act as an impetus for higher economic growth and…
European Parliament on Pact decision
Christa Randzio-Plath, outgoing chair of the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs of the European Parliament, expressed her views on the Stability and Growth Pact issue in this press release, 13 July.
Bundesbank urges Brussels to 'reactivate' pact
The Bundesbank urged the European Commission in Brussels Tuesday to "reactivate" the European Stability and Growth Pact in its current form, following a landmark ruling on the EU's strict budget rules by the European Court of Justice.
Bundesbank warns of small coin shortage
in a press release of 8 June the Bundesbank said on there is a shortage of small-denomination coins in many euro-area countries. A particularly relevant factor seems to be that people are setting aside the small coins given them in change rather than…
Park: Korea's fast changing economic environment
In a speech on 'Swiftly changing economic environment in Korea' given on 3 June, Dr Seung Park of the Bank of Korea said the hollowing-out of manufacturing may well appear threatening to the Korean economy in certain respects and in the short term…
Brazil cb COPOM Minutes15/16 June
The Banco Central Do Brasil has published the minutes of the 97th meeting of the Monetary Policy Committee (COPOM), 15 and 16 June. Recent economic activity indicators confirm the continuity of the economic rebound process initiated in the second quarter…
Sveriges Riksbank Economic Review 2nd Quarter 2004
The Sveriges Riksbank published its Economic Review for the 2nd Quarter 2004 on 12 July. The Review contains articles on subjects related to central banking. The English version of the second issue contains three articles: Can we be best again?, How does…
Hoenig sees US inflation staying below 2%
Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank President Thomas Hoenig said in a speech to a business group that he doesn't think inflation will exceed a 2.0 percent rate in the US.
No need for ECB to hike rates: Buba's Weber
Bundesbank president and European Central Bank governing council member Axel Weber said in an interview published at the weekend that available information indicates the ECB will not need to change its interest rates in the foreseeable future.
UK's Brown urges gold revaluation for debt relief
Gordon Brown, the UK Chancellor of the Exchequer, on Friday 9 July called on the International Monetary Fund to revalue its gold reserves as a method of releasing more money for debt relief for the world's poorest countries.
WHY AM I HERE?
This week's CentralBankNet Special looks at the differing ways in which central banks define their purposes. One doesn't think of central bankers as being preoccupied with existential questions. But some are. Under Mervyn King's stewardship, for instance…
India introduces mobile ATM
The State Bank of India on Saturday 11 July rolled out its first mobile ATM to improve accessibility to customers in remote areas and tourist locations in the country.
SARB's Marcus makes abrupt departure
Gill Marcus, deputy governor of the South African Reserve Bank, left her post on 30 June at the end of her five year contract, in a move local press reports described as unexpected.
Staff audit begins at Central Bank of Nigeria
The central bank of Nigeria (CBN) is embarking on a staff audit exercise aimed at fishing out ghost workers on its payroll, Vanguard reported this week. The exercise will cover serving members of staff and pensioners.