Central Banks
Duisenberg should stop suffocating Europe
ARTICLE - In the autumn of 1998, amid the storm of the Asian crisis, Europe's central bankers referred to Europe as an "island of stability". They were roundly criticised by their US friends who felt that the world economy was enduring its worst…
Lack of mavericks 'poses threat' to MPC committee
UK - The Bank of England risks making mistakes in its interest rate decisions because of a lack of maverick thinkers and a growing tendency towards consensus on its monetary policy committee, according to Capital Economics, a consultancy.
Doubts over Japan recovery
UK - Data released Wednesday suggested Japan's fragile export-led recovery might have peaked.
ECB refuses to join Fed rate cut for now
GERMANY - The European Central Bank left interest rates unchanged on Thursday, opting not to join the U.S. Federal Reserve in monetary easing aimed at propping up the faltering global economy.
Padoa-Schioppa on the euro and the role of ERM II
SPEECH - In the speech 'Trajectories towards the euro and the role of ERM II' made on 4 November, Tommaso Padoa-Schioppa of the ECB said ERM II should be seen as a meaningful framework within which to achieve further real and nominal convergence. In…
RBA holds interest rates steady again
AUSTRALIA - The Reserve Bank of Australia, in a widely anticipated response to a worsening global economy and the growing impact of the drought, announced on Wednesday that it had decided to leave interest rates on hold for a fifth month.
Following the Fed
ARTICLE - The Federal Reserve has its foot over the gas pedal. An attempt today to speed up the US economy seems almost certain; rarely does the Fed send signals to the financial markets that it is about to cut interest rates, only to disappoint. Whether…
Dislodging the Fed Fantasy
ARTICLE - One of the absurd ideas that took hold in the late 1990s was that the Federal Reserve, presided over by the almost-infallible Alan Greenspan, had essentially conquered the business cycle.
Euro rises above $1 mark in trading
GERMANY - The euro rose above a dollar Tuesday and hit its highest level against the U.S. currency in more than three months amid fears that the U.S. economic recovery may be faltering.
Argentine markets edge up, but worried about IMF
ARGENTINA - Argentine stocks inched higher, while the peso firmed slightly on Tuesday as the Central Bank sold dollars into the market to offset investor nervousness about a stalemate in aid talks with the IMF.
Takenaka admits Japan's debt-deflation spiral
JAPAN - Japan's economic and financial services 'super-minister', Heizo Takenaka, formally acknowledged Tuesday that the nation's economy is caught in a 'vicious circle' of debt and deflation, and that it will be difficult to get the government's own…
IADB chief praises Argentine crisis strategy
ARGENTINA - Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) President Enrique Iglesias on Tuesday praised Argentina's strategy to try and end its worst ever economic crisis, even though it has caused a standoff between the government and the IMF.
Latvia nominate ex c banker as next prime minister
LATVIA - Einars Repse, a former head of the Central Bank who campaigned against corruption, was nominated Tuesday to be the next prime minister of the former Soviet republic.
The ECB and Euro-Area Enlargement
RESEARCH - IMF Working Paper by Helge Berger, October 2002. The likely enlargement of euro-area membership will radically change the environment under which monetary policy will be made in the euro area. This paper looks at the consequences of such an…
Danmarks Nationalbank Monetary Review, 3rd Quarter
REPORT - Denmark's central bank has published its Monetary Review 3rd Quarter 2002. The report contains articles including, Recent Economic and Monetary Trends, Status of the Basle Committee's New Capital-Adequacy Rules for Bank, Structure of the Banks'…
Norges Bank Press Release
PRESS RELEASE - The payment systems have become more efficient, 6 November.
Sveriges Riksbank Economic Review 3rd Quarter 2002
REPORT - The Economic Review contains articles titled, The yield curve and the Riksbanks signalling, Consolidation in the Swedish banking sector: a central bank perspective and An evaluation of forecasts for the Swedish economy.
South African Reserve Bank Press Release
PRESS RELEASE - Governor appointed Honorary Colonel, 31 October.
Gjedrem on monetary policy in Norway
SPEECH - In the speech 'Monetary policy in Norway' made on 17 October, Svein Gjedrem of Norges Bank said with the free flow of capital, deep capital markets and the phasing in of petroleum revenues into the Norwegian economy, inflation targeting is the…
ECB Press Release
PRESS RELEASE - Publication of the European Court of Auditors' report on the efficiency of the ECB's management for the financial year 2001 and the ECB's reply, 30 October 2002.
Minutes of Japan's Monetary Policy Meeting
MINUTES - Minutes of the Bank of Japan's Monetary Policy Meeting on 17 and 18 September 2002, released 5 November. The Policy Board noted Japan's economy has almost stabilised as a whole thanks to an export increase and the associated expansion of…
Kuwait market ready for more funds - central bank
KUWAIT - The Governor of Central Bank of Kuwait Sheikh Salem Abdulaziz Al-Sabah has said that the Kuwaiti market is developing considerably especially in the investment funds sector in the past two years.
BOJ must set inflation target to prompt growth
ARTICLE - As the government's effort to end the bad-debt quandary is apparently shifting into a higher gear, concerns are growing that accelerated bad-loan write-offs could worsen, at least in the short term, the deflation that is sapping Japan's…
Banking Bunkum
ARTICLE - The Asia Times takes a look at central banks and suggests they have similar characteristics to libraries, where books and money serve the same purpose. They also tell us that ex Federal Reserve chairman Paul Volcker once said "central bankers…