News
IMF statement on Argentina
STATEMENT - Statement by the IMF Mission to Argentina, 17 April.
Bush considers Kohn for Fed board US official says
US - U.S. President George W. Bush is seriously considering Donald Kohn, a top staffer at the U.S. Federal Reserve, for a seat on the U.S. central bank's board, a senior Bush administration official said on Thursday.
McDonough says Fed has time before rate hike
US - Federal Reserve Bank of New York President William McDonough said on Thursday the Fed is unsure about how strong the U.S. economy may be in the latter half of this year and can be patient before raising interest rates.
Korea to name c bank board member in next 2 weeks
SOUTH KOREA - South Korean President Kim Dae-jung will likely name a new member to the Bank of Korea's monetary policy board either next week or in the following week, a central bank official said Thursday.
Abachas reported to return $1bn to Nigeria
UK - The family of Sani Abacha, Nigeria's former dictator, has agreed to return $1bn ( £600m) in funds looted from the country's central bank in return for the dropping of theft and money laundering charges against Abacha's son and one of Abacha's…
ECB reform to cap votes not council size - Report
GERMANY - The European Central Bank wants to limit, through rotation, the number of governing council members that can vote on monetary policy after euro zone enlargement, a German newspaper reported on Thursday.
Convicted BI chief to miss IMF meeting
INDONESIA - Bank Indonesia Governor Sjahril Sabirin will skip the annual meeting of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Washington this weekend, following the conviction in the Bank Bali scandal last month that bans him from leaving the country.
No note solution to fake coins in Hong Kong
HONG KONG - The Hong Kong Monetary Authority appears reluctant to re-introduce the printing of HK$10 notes, despite a surge in counterfeit HK$10 coins last year.
Vietnam ctrl bk to expand open mkt ops by June
VIETNAM - Vietnam's central bank is planning to hold two sessions of open market operations a week, instead of one currently, to expand dong liquidity, a bank official said Thursday.
Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee Minutes
MINUTES - Minutes from the Bank of England's MPC meeting 3 and 4 April, released 17 April.
Reserve Bank of New Zealand News Release
NEWS RELEASE - Official Cash Rate increased to 5.25 per cent, 17 April.
European Parliament Press Release
PRESS RELEASE - ECB Vice-Presidency - Nomination hearing for Lucas Papademos, European Parliament, Brussels, 22 April.
Greenspan dampens rate hike fears
US - The US Federal Reserve is expected to leave interest rates unchanged until an economic recovery in the US has gained a strong foothold, analysts said after having listened to a key speech by the Fed chairman Alan Greenspan.
EU Parliament committee to question Papademos
BELGIUM - European Central Bank Vice President nominee Lucas Papademos will testify before the European Parliament's Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee (EMAC) on 22 April, the Parliament said on Wednesday.
Polish premier calls for interest rate cut
POLAND - Prime Minister Leszek Miller said on Wednesday he hoped that the Monetary Policy Council (RPP) would support the government in implementing its economic programme by cutting interest rates.
Key Duma committees back three for CBR board
RUSSIA - The Duma Banking and Budget Committees supported Wednesday the candidacies of Oleg Vyugin, Andrei Kozlov and Nadezha Ivanova for the Central Bank of Russia (CBR) Board of Directors.
Kazakh gold/forex reserves up to $2.65 bln
KAZAKHSTAN - Kazakhstan's net gold and foreign currency reserves grew to $2.650 billion on April 15 from $2.625 billion on 31 March, the central bank said on Wednesday.
High resource use a worry for Sweden's c bank
SWEDEN - The Swedish economy may be running close to or even above full resource utilisation, the governor of Sweden's central bank, the Riksbank, said on Wednesday, adding this posed risks for inflation in the future.
Croatia moves to restore confidence in banks
CROATIA - The Croatian National Bank is seeking to restore confidence in the country's banks after politicians suggested a trading scandal might have affected more than one bank.
India considers establishing gold exchange
INDIA - Pressure is building on the Indian federal government to give clearance for setting up a gold exchange for spot, forward and futures trading in the precious metal.
Argentine economy minister to meet US' O'Neill
ARGENTINA - Argentine Economy Minister Jorge Remes Lenicov, seeking IMF aid to help stabilize a brutal recession, will meet with U.S. Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill during an upcoming trip to Washington, Argentine officials said late on Tuesday.
Minutes of Japan's Monetary Policy Meeting
MINUTES - Bank of Japan Monetary Policy Meeting Minutes from the meeting of 28 February, released 16 April.
Bank of Canada Press Release
PRESS RELEASE - Bank of Canada raises overnight rate target by 1/4 percentage point to 2 1/4 per cent, 16 April.
Canada raises interest rates on "robust" economy
CANADA - Citing evidence of a robust economic recovery, the Bank of Canada on Tuesday increased the overnight interest rate to 2.25 percent, up from a 40-year low of 2 percent.