Central Banks
Solomon Islands bank head - economy at rock-bottom
SOLOMON ISLANDS - Governor of Central Bank Rick Hou says Solomon Islands has hit rock-bottom as far as the economy is concerned.
MPs urge name change at the Bank of England
UK - Did you hear the one about the Scotsman, the Welshman, the Ulsterman and the Bank of England? The Scotsman newspaper reports on Thursday that the Bank of England was infact founded by a Scotsman and that the word "England" is inappropriate in the…
Friedman predicts euro's end within 15 years
GERMANY - The euro system will disintegrate within 15 years because of economic and cultural differences between member states, the Nobel Prize-winning US economist Milton Friedman says today, reported the UK's Independent newspaper on Thursday.
Speech by Wim Duisenberg, ECB President, 5 July
SPEECH - In his opening remarks to the International Research Forum on Monetary Policy Duisenberg said we have issues to address at the Forum which are at the heart of monetary policy-making, and which are of great relevance to central bankers worldwide.
Speech by H Kohler, Managing Director, IMF, 5 July
SPEECH - In a speech to the Central Bank Governors' Symposium titled 'Reform of the International Financial Architecture: A Work in Progress' Kohler acknowledged how much we depend on central bankers in our member countries. "Every day, you have to take…
Speech by Otmar Issing of the ECB, 5 July
SPEECH - In a speech titled 'Some reflections on handling monetary policy in a global environment' Issing said that coordinated policy action by central banks of the type seen after the September 11 attacks would likely remain limited to exceptional…
Speech by Eva Srejber of Sveriges Riksbank, 9 July
SPEECH - In the speech titled 'Inflation targeting and bubbles' Srejber said "there are many indications that the real economy effects of the severe stock market fall will be limited". But cautioned that, "it is not possible to write off the risk of…
OECS undertakes economic restructuring programme
EASTERN CARIBBEAN - The governor of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB), Sir Dwight Venner, says several activities are underway in the Eastern Caribbean to help the sub-region address serious economic difficulties.
Yugoslavia to issue €4.1bn of bonds
YUGOSLAVIA - Yugoslavia is set to issue €4.1bn worth of bonds in early August as part of its domestic debt settlement, which could pave the way for the creation of a liquid debt market, a Yugoslav central bank official said.
Eurosystem currency reserves unchanged this week
GERMANY - The European Central Bank said eurosystem net foreign currency reserves were virtually unchanged at 232.6 mln euro in the week ending 5 July.
IMF and World Bank collaborate closely
LETTER - Letter published in the Financial Times on Wednesday from a former Deputy Managing Director of the IMF. P.R. Narvekar describes Joseph Stiglitz criticism of the IMF as "baseless and vicious".
MPs will quiz Brown on euro entry tests in autumn
UK - Gordon Brown is to face a Commons inquiry into the Treasury's five economic tests for euro entry after a hard-fought battle by opposition MPs to get the issue on the agenda.
ECB Press Release
PRESS RELEASE - Allotment amount of the longer-term refinancing operations in the second half of 2002, 10 July.
Speech by H Kohler, Managing Director, IMF, 4 July
SPEECH - In evidence before the UK Parliament's Treasury Select Committtee titled 'The IMF in the Process of Change' Kohler said "we have seen a near revolution in the transparency of the IMF, and in the release of economic and financial data by our…
Speech by Fed Reserve Governor Mark Olson, 8 July
SPEECH - In the speech 'Financial Markets Regulation in the United States' Olson said the risk to U.S. banks from the accounting scandals was "very isolated" but added the Fed would ask some banks for restatements due to asset risk.
IMF Working Paper No. 02/ 102
WORKING PAPER - Establishing Initial Conditions in Support of Inflation Targeting, Author/Editor: Alina Carare, Andrea Schaechter, Mark R Stone, Mark D Zelmer, Monetary and Exchange Affairs Department, June 2002.
Flying blind
ARTICLE - If you had asked a group of central bankers to draw up a wish-list a decade ago, near the top would have come low and stable expectations for inflation; a financial system that was more resistant to shocks; and emerging markets less prone to…
Top regulators disclose finances
US - The value of Federal Reserve Board Chairman Alan Greenspan's reported assets sagged last year, to between $3 million and $6.15 million from $4.2 million to $12.1 million, according to his 2001 financial disclosure report, released Monday, reports…
Labour adopts new line on NZ inflation
NEW ZEALAND - New Zealand's Labour party intends to rewrite a policy agreement with the Reserve Bank to make it adopt a more flexible approach to controlling inflation. Releasing details of his party's election manifesto yesterday, Michael Cullen,…
IMF mission to Argentina seeks account access bar
ARGENTINA - The IMF will hold up disbursement of 9.5 bln usd in aid unless the government denies bank depositors any access to their accounts, government officials said after a federal judge found the ban unconstitutional.
Bank Negara reserves reach 2-year high
MALAYSIA - Bank Negara Malaysia's international reserves reached their highest level in two years to RM127.7 billion when they jumped RM3.6 billion at the end of June.
Chicago Fed Executive Update
REPORT - The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago has published its Second Quarter 2002 Executive Update, released 9 July.
Indian banks woo credit card users
INDIA - India's largest commercial bank plans a credit card revolution that it hopes will increase its share of the retail banking market by 47%.
Speech by A Crockett, General Manager, BIS, 8 July
SPEECH - In a speech titled 'Activities of the Bank: the year in review' at the BIS Annual General Meeting Crockett said that as an intermediator of central bank funds, the guiding principles of the Bank in serving its customers have always been…