Central Banks
Swedes become more hostile to the euro
Four polls since 15 April suggest opponents of the euro outnumber supporters in Sweden by an average of 8 per cent, according to report by Bloomberg. This compares with six months ago when pro-euro campaigners led by 3 percentage points.
Norway's plans to sell Royal Mint stir up storm
Norway's central bank has said that by 2007 it will not be economically feasible to print notes and mint coins in the country, according to Aftenposten, but the move has caused controversy with many saying that printing notes and coins has "symbolic…
Brazil's Copom resisted April rates cut
Minutes of Brazil's central bank Copom meeting released on Friday 2 May showed that the bank resisted cutting interest rates in April as although inflation slowed in March, it failed to ease at the pace predicted, according to AE Brazil.
BoJ chief ignores bank share pressure
Speaking on Friday 2 May, Bank of Japan chief Toshihiko Fukui said the central bank cannot take limitless risk, which is a job that only the government can do. His comments, reported by Associated Press, were a response to government pressure to step up…
Greenspan's testimony to Congress
In a follow-up to the semiannual monetary policy report to Congress Alan Greenspan of the Federal Reserve said the consensus of economic forecasters is that a material rebound in economic activity will develop in the second half of this year, and…
Senior appointment at the RBA
The Reserve Bank of Australia announced on Wednesday April 30 that its head of economic analysis, Guy Debelle, will take a year's leave at MIT and be replaced by Dr Philip Lowe.
Statement by David Dodge to the Senate Committee
In his opening statement to the Senate Banking, Trade and Commerce Committee David Dodge said the Canadian economy should strengthen towards the end of 2003, partly thanks to a pickup in U.S. economic activity with average annual growth in Canada is…
ECB opinion on appointment to the Executive Board
ECB Opinion on the appointment of a member of the Executive Board of the ECB, 30 April 2003.
EC transfers payments system observatory to ECB
The electronic Payment Systems Observatory has been successfully transferred from the European Commission to the European Central Bank, 30 April 2003.
Fed Reserve Bank of Atlanta - Annual Report 2002
The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta has published its Annual Report for the year ended 2002. In this year's annual report, Jack Guynn said, some of the bank's senior leaders talk about the transitions they've witnessed during their careers at the Fed,…
Japan vice finance minister praises BOJ move
The Bank of Japan's decision to further relax its ultra loose monetary policy gained support from the government on Thursday 1 May,when Vice Finance Minister Masakazu Hayashi said he hoped the move would have a positive effect on the economy, Reuters…
Iraq war effect on Mideast less severe - IMF
An IMF official told Reuters on Thursday 1 May that the Iraq war was unlikely to have as severe an effect as expected on the Middle East economy because the conflict was relatively short.
Monetary policies working well for Canada: Dodge
Canadian Press reported that Bank of Canada chief David Dodge said on Wednesday 30 April that the Canadian dollars independence from the US has allowed it to rise in recent months, on the back of a strong economy, while the US has suffered sluggish…
NY Fed hopes to name new chief in coming weeks
The head of the committee to find a successor for the New York Fed's retiring President William McDonough said the Bank hopes to make an announcement in the next few weeks, according to a Reuters report.
Central bank governor says Turkey doing well
The governor of Turkey's central bank said on Wednesday 30 April that political tensions should not be allowed to influence the economy, according to aMSNBC report.
Snow outlines US Iraq help with new central bank
US Treasury Secretary John Snow said on Wednesday 30 April that priorities in Iraq will include restoring the Finance Ministry and central bank and establishing a sound national currency, according to Associated Press.
Fed held conference calls on economy during war
An early draft of Alan Greenspan's testimony to the House of Representatives Financial Services Committee which was apparently released in error, revealed that the FOMC held regular conference calls during the Iraq war to monitor the US economy,…
Venezuela's Maza blasts delay in selling dollars
Central Bank of Venezuela director Domingo Maza said before a press conference that a lack of imports is hurting the country's economy with restrictions on the availability of dollars for overseas supplies, Bloomberg reports.
Interview with Bank of England's Sir Andrew Large
In an interview with the Financial Times, Bank of England deputy governor for Financial Stability Sir Andrew Large raised speculation that the Bank's MPC might reduce interest rates at its meeting next week after flagging up concerns about the weakness…
Bank of England to appoint five new Court members
The Court of the Bank of England is currently interviewing candidates for five non-executive places, notes the Guardian, which describes it as a "shadowy organisation".
Papademos presents the ECB's Annual Report
In his presentation of the ECB's Annual Report 2002 to the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs of the European Parliament Lucas Papademos said one of the main messages of 2002 has been that the euro area economy needs to become more flexible and…
Dodge statement to Canada's Finance Committee
In his opening statement to the House of Commons Finance Committee David Dodge of the Bank of Canada said we expect that economic growth in the second quarter will be somewhat weaker than we projected in the Monetary Policy Report because of the impact…
IMF's Rogoff to return to Harvard
Economic Counsellor Kenneth Rogoff notified IMF Management of his intention to return to Harvard University in the Autumn, 29 April.
European Central Bank - Annual Report 2002
The European Central Bank has published its Annual Report for the year ended 2002. The report suggested Greece, France and Italy are not expected to reduce their deficits sufficiently by the end of this year, providing a warning to those countries to…