News
Koehler : IMF to seek new accord with Argentina
IMF chief Horst Koehler has said the Fund will start negotiations over a new aid accord with Argentina. Speaking to reporters in Buenos Aires he said the agreement would seek to restore Argentina's financial institutions, according to a Bloomberg report.
Reddy, Kelkar in race for RBI top job
The Economic Times reports that a two-horse race is developing for the top job at the Reserve Bank of India if current governor Bimal Jalan moves into politics.
Hungary's band shift was mistake says Gabor Oblath
Gabor Oblath, a nominee for membership on the Monetary Council of the central bank of Hungary, told a parliamentary hearing that the recent devaluation of the midpoint of the forint's trading band was a "grave mistake", according to Interfax.
Bank of Ghana to commence downsizing soon
The Bank of Ghana is aiming for "a lean, more focused and responsive central bank" and said that the planned disengagement of staff would be done in "a humane manner", Ghana Web reports. "The Bank is offering a generous and attractive early retirement…
Polish c bank head calls for EU to speed reform
The head of Poland's national bank on Wednesday 25 june urged the EU to pressurize Poland and other states to speed up economic reform, according to the Financial Times. He urged Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic to cut their high fiscal deficits.
BoC wants reformed securities regulation
In a report published Wednesday the Bank of Canada called for reform of its securities regulator warning on the inefficiencies of a system broken up among about a dozen regional regulators.
Bank chief warns on Croatia's growing foreign debt
The governor of the Croatian national bank warned that the country's growing foreign debt was weakening the financial system, according to the HINA news agency. Speaking before parliament on Thursday 26 June, he said the external debt had reached 17.4bn…
Fed cuts funds rate to lowest level since 1958
The Federal Reserve's 13th rate cut on Wednesday 25 Junecould be the last in a cycle that began in January 2001, analysts said, according to Associated Press. However, the Fed signalled its intention to avoid the threat of deflation, suggesting rates…
Frank Lowy re-appointed to RBA Board
Australian Treasurer Peter Costello announced Wednesday the re-appointment of Mr Frank Lowy AC to the Board of the Reserve Bank of Australia. His term will end in December 2005.
RBNZ's New Zealand CPI Inflation Calculator
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand has created a way by which you can easily work out what something which, for example, your grandparents bought for 2 pounds back in 1935 would cost today. It's "The New Zealand CPI Inflation Calculator". A quick check…
Bank of Japan Monetary Policy Meeting
At its monetary policy meeting held on 25 June the Bank of Japan unanimously decided to maintain current guidelines.
BofE's George shrugs off fears of deflation
In an appearance before the Treasury select committee on Tuesday outgoing governor of the Bank of England Edward George said there was an "extremely" low risk of deflation in the UK and the US, acording to the Independent newspaper. He described the risk…
Namibian study says customs union hurts economy
A study carried out by the central bank of Namibia shows that the country's loss was approximately 549m Namibian dollars over a period of 12 years as a result of the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) Common Revenue Pool, according to a report by the…
2nd round of talks due Friday over Bulgaria c bank
A second session of talks has been scheduled for Friday to discuss candidates for governor of the central bank of Bulgaria, Novinite reports. The option of naming a third nominee will be considered at Friday's consultation.
Kuwait c bank 'panel' to monitor money-laundering
The Central Bank of Kuwait (CBK) is to establish a unit to monitor money-laundering operations, the Arab Times reports. The unit will be headed by the governor of the CBK Sheikh Salem Al-Sabah and will work in unison with the office of the Public…
Constitution could mean veto loss over ECB changes
The new draft European constitution could mean European member states would no longer have a veto over adjustments to the workings of the ECB, according to the Financial Times. The UK Treasury and the Foreign Office both said they would campaign for…
Norges Bank reduces interest rates by 1 per cent
Norges Bank, the central bank of Norway, cut its main interest rate by 1 per cent to 4 per cent on 25 June.
Regional central bank unviable - Tito Mboweni
Tito Mboweni, governor of the South African Reserve Bank, said on Tuesday 24 June "We have agreed we will do some research on what the feasibility is of a common central bank for South Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland and Namibia", according to Reuters…
Norway's c bank makes largest rate cut in 10 years
Norway's central bank cut its main interest rate on Wednesday 25 June by a percentage point, the biggest reduction since 1992, to revive a faltering economy in the world's third largest oil exporter. acording to Bloomberg.
Brazil adjusts inflation target upwards to 5.5%
Brazil revised its inflation target up on Tuesday 24 June to 5.5 per cent, reports Merco Press. The 2005 target was fixed at 4.5 per cent. Making the announcement, Brazilian Finance Minister Antonio Palocci emphasized that the government will keep…
RBNZ appoint Head of Operations
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand on Tuesday 24 June announced the appointment of Murray Bain as the Bank's Assistant Governor and Head of Operations. He will have particular responsibility for the Bank's financial, corporate, commercial and other internal…
BoJ Monetary Policy minutes, 30 April
Minutes of the Bank of Japan's Monetary Policy Meeting on 30 April 2003, released 16 June. The minutes showed at least two of the BoJ's nine policy board members favour the introduction of a "reference rate of inflation" to halt deflation.
BOK governor may get more say over board members
A draft bill may give the Bank of Korea more influence over the appointment of members to its monetary policy board, Dow Jones reports. The proposed bill would increase the number of members the governor, Park Seung, can recommend to the board.
Belgian central bank shares drop on court ruling
A commercial court in Belgium has dismissed as unfounded a law suit calling for an extraordinary meeting of shareholders of the Belgian central bank, according to Reuters. The meeting was to ask for the dissolution of the Bank because a transfer of the…