Central Banks
Banks shun online sales pitch
UK - Britain's banks and building societies are turning away from the web in their search for new customers.
Zimbabwe election fears hit rand
SOUTH AFRICA - Less than a day ahead of Zimbabwe's bitterly contested presidential election, South Africa's currency is feeling the pinch.
US finance chief backs steel moves
US - US Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill has rejected suggestions from Europe that America's push to protect the domestic steel industry is simply a matter of treating the symptoms of an overvalued dollar.
Central bankers forged together over steel tariffs
US - ECB president Wim Duisenberg and Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan both spoke yesterday of their disagreement with the US government's decision to impose tariffs on steel. US treasury secretary Paul O'Neill, however, came out in favour of the…
Swedish c bank chief says worried by inflation
SWEDEN - Sweden's central bank governor Urban Backstrom said on Thursday he shared the concern of many of his colleagues at the bank on inflation but said a rate rise should be postponed if an upturn was not certain.
Gramlich- fiscal stimulus should be reversible
US - A Federal Reserve official on Thursday said measures the government takes to ward off recession should meet several criteria, including being easily reversible.
Why Greenspan allowed irrational exuberance
FEATURE - Why Greenspan allowed irrational exuberance - The Federal Reserve's past reluctance to crack down on a runaway bull market raises questions about its remit.
New man taking over at head of Irish central bank
IRELAND - Irishman John Hurley becomes the newest member of the European Central Bank's governing council on Monday when he takes up the reins as governor of the Central Bank of Ireland.
China ctrl bk - Weak yen won't affect stable yuan
CHINA - The weakening Japanese yen won't force China's government to abandon its long-held policy of maintaining a stable yuan, a senior central bank economic researcher said Friday.
Why Central Banks Announce their Objectives
RESEARCH - Why Central Banks Announce their Objectives: Monetary Policy with Discretionary Signalling by Stefan Palmqvist of the University of California, Berkeley and Institute for International Economic Studies, Stockholm University.
Speech by Glenn Stevens of the RBA, 6 March
SPEECH - Stevens said in the speech titled 'Economic Performance and Issues in 2002' that "as best as we can judge, the economy is not only continuing to expand, but has reasonable prospects of continuing to do so in the near term".
Speech by Hauw Soo Hoon of the MAS, 5 March
SPEECH - The message from Hoon in her keynote address 'New Chapter, Same Mission' was that the writing is on the wall for insurance firms: Unethical behaviour from their sales force will be met by a tougher stance and could translate into penalties.
Minutes of Japan's Monetary Policy Meeting
MINUTES - Bank of Japan Monetary Policy Meeting Minutes from the 15 and 16 January, released 5 March.
Speech by Shin Nakahara, Bank of Japan, 20 Feb
SPEECH - In the speech titled 'State of Japan's Economy and Policy Measures' Nakahara said the Bank of Japan may have to resort to unconventional policy steps if falling prices and economic deterioration spiral out of control.
Bank of England News Release
NEWS RELEASE - Bank of England Maintains Interest Rates at 4.0%, 7 March.
European Central Bank Press Release
PRESS RELEASE - ECB Monetary Policy Decisions, 7 March.
ECB Press Release
PRESS RELEASE - European Central Bank buys Grossmarkt site, 5 March.
Greenspan upbeat on US recovery
US - Alan Greenspan, the chairman of the US central bank, has said that the US economic recovery is well under way.
Testimony of Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan, 7 Mar
TESTIMONY - Testimony of Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan before the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, U.S. Senate, 7 March.
Argentina seeks to clear way for IMF deal
ARGENTINA - Argentina's Senate yesterday debated the country's 2002 budget a day ahead of schedule as part of efforts to unlock a big support package from the International Monetary Fund.
Beige Book shows limited economic improvement
US - The US economy showed scattered "signs of improvement" through January and early February, but was not barrelling out of the gates, according to the latest anecdotal survey released on Wednesday by the Federal Reserve.
Pakistan c bank may hold some euro forex reserves
PAKISTAN - Pakistan may allocate part of its foreign exchange reserves in the euro when there is greater stability in the currency, the central bank said Thursday.
Speech by Roger Ferguson, Federal Reserve, 4 Mar
SPEECH - In the speech titled 'Back to the Future in Managing Banking Risk' Ferguson said "after nearly a decade of steady improvement, earnings from core bank operations and other measures of financial strength for the U.S. banking system have taken an…
Ethiopia slashes interest rates
ETHIOPIA - The Ethiopian central bank has halved interest rates to 3%, due to plunging deflation, weakening trade and investment and the global economic slowdown.