Central Banks
Taiwan central bank says forex policy unchanged
Taiwan's central bank said on Wednesday it would maintain its policy of "dynamic stability" in the foreign exchange market after surprisingly allowing the local dollar to fall to a 19-month low.
Italy MTS to adopt RTGS system soon
MTS SpA, Italy's secondary bond market operator, will soon adopt real-time gross settlement (RTGS) for bond operations to replace current end-of-day settlement, MTS deputy director general Ezio Dosa said on Wednesday.
Slovak central bank two day policy meeting
The board of the National Bank of Slovakia will hold a two-day meeting on current and 2001 monetary policy on Thursday and Friday, central bank spokesman Jan Onda said on Wednesday.
A$ bounces back from record lows
The Australian dollar bounced back from this week's record lows against the US dollar on Wednesday, buoyed by talk of central bank support in the options market.
UK's MPC voted 9-0 for unchanged rates in November
The Bank of England's monetary policy committee (MPC) voted unanimously for a second month running in November to leave interest rates unchanged at 6%.
Russia central bank to develop smart card market
Sergei Mikhailov, deputy director of the information systems department of the central bank, has announced that the bank is interested in developing the smart card market.
Liquidity gridlock feared from Japan's RTGS launch
Japan's introduction of real time settlement for stock and bond transactions may expose banks and brokerages to a temporary liquidity gridlock that could force some to reduce yen-based operations, bankers said on Wednesday.
Credit Suisse says RBNZ won't change cash rate
New Zealand's Reserve Bank is expected to leave the official cash rate unchanged early next month because of uncertainty about the country's medium-term inflation outlook, Credit Suisse First Boston (NZ) Ltd. said Wednesday.
BOJ voted 8-1 to maintain policy on Oct 13-minutes
The Bank of Japan (BOJ) Policy Board voted 8-1 to maintain its policy of targeting the unsecured overnight call rate at 0.25 percent at a meeting on October 13, minutes from the meeting showed on Wednesday.
Fiji 2001 budget forecasts slow economic recovery
Fiji's post-coup government on Wednesday delivered its calendar 2001 budget, predicting a slow recovery in the South Pacific nation's economy which has been battered by a nationalist coup and failed military mutiny. The central bank has predicted that…
Mboweni says rand's fall due to external factors
The South African rand was pummelled Tuesday by external factors such as escalating tensions in the Middle East, dollar strength, the anticipated outcome of the US elections and a failure by the European Central Bank to intervene on behalf of the…
Brussels raises Eurozone inflation forecast
The European Commission revised upwards its inflation forecasts for the euro-zone and said European economic growth, though relatively strong, was unlikely to equal US growth until 2002.
Economists hit Malaysia's dollar peg
Malaysia should get rid of its currency peg to the dollar and fix the exchange rate to a trade-weighted basket of currencies instead, said several economists speaking at a conference in Kuala Lumpur.
BOJ commits to Jan 4 real-time settlement launch
Bank of Japan governor Masaru Hayami said on Tuesday the central bank would stick with the January 4 launch date for its real-time gross settlement (RTGS) system for government debt and money market transactions.
US and euro interest rates to rise, says OECD
Interest rates in the world's leading economies look set to rise, the OECD warned in its bi-annual World Economic Outlook and predicted global growth of 4.75% this year.
Taiwan BoP suffers from capital flight
After eight quarters in surplus, Taiwan's balance of international payments fell into deficit territory in the third quarter of this year as the result of a sharp fall in the capital account, the Central Bank of China revealed yesterday.
Russia and IMF disagree over forex reserves
The Russian government is hoping to resume its talks with the International Monetary Fund in the middle of December, a source close to the talks told the Russian news agency Interfax on Tuesday.
Investors await Eqypt's exchange rate policy
Domestic and foreign investors in Egypt are waiting for some sign from the monetary authorities on a new exchange rate policy nearly two months after the country abandoned a long-standing fixed peg against the dollar.
Venezuela preparing interest rate measures
Venezuela's central bank is considering measures to limit the spread between commercial banks' lending and deposit interest rates, as part of a new banking law being drafted for decree by President Hugo Chavez.
Australian dollar falls to 17 year low
The tide of global foreign exchange markets has turned against the Australian dollar again with the local currency falling to a record 17 year low.
Ghana to be HQ of West African Monetary Institute
Ghana has been selected as the location for the headquarters of the West African Monetary Institute that is to work towards the establishment of a West African Central Bank.
Brazil's cenbank intervenes in FX markets
Brazil's central bank intervened in the foreign exchange markets today, saying that it does not want the real to strengthen too much against the dollar as it could be detrimental to Brazil's trade balance.
BoE issues inflation warning on wages
The Bank of England has released a report, co-written by chief economist Charlie Bean and other bank staff, warning that an increase in the share of national income being taken by wages may lead to a rise in inflation.
Target throughput improves; issues remain
While throughput on TARGET payments is improving some banks are still ignoring rules which require them to make payments promptly.