News
Regulators relax rules for some foreign banks
US - Federal regulators are easing the rules for some foreign banks operating in the US, freeing up about $1.6bn (Euros 1.8bn, £1.1bn) in assets and reducing some administrative costs.
Reserve Bank of Australia Media Release
MEDIA RELEASE - Statement by the Governor, Ian MacFarlane. Australian Office of Financial Management cross currency interest rate swaps.
ECB Press Release
PRESS RELEASE - Derogation for Greece from the long-term calendar for TARGET closing days, 28 February.
ECB Press Release
PRESS RELEASE - The euro becomes the sole legal tender in all euro area countries, 28 February.
Bank of Japan Monetary Policy Meeting Decisions
PRESS RELEASE - At the Monetary Policy Meeting held on 28 February, the Bank of Japan decided, by majority vote, to set the following guideline for money market operations for the intermeeting period.
Nobel Laureate Nash is mathematician not economist
LETTER - Letter published in the London Financial Times from Dennis Hesseling, Brussels, Belgium, 4 March. In reply to an article published recently by the newspaper.
Sjahril verdict expected Wednesday
INDONESIA - The Central Jakarta District Court is expected to deliver a verdict in the case of Central Bank Governor Sjahril Sabirin on Wednesday.
Koizumi urged to raise spending and change cabinet
JAPAN - Senior members of Junichiro Koizumi's Liberal Democratic party, emboldened by signs of further erosion in his public popularity, Sunday urged the Japanese prime minister to ditch fiscal restraint and to change cabinet personnel.
Fraga sees room for more interest rate cuts
BRAZIL - Brazilian central bank governor Arminio Fraga said there's room for more cuts in interest rates following the 20 February decision to slash the key Selic lending rate target to 18.75% from 19%.
Niedermayer to stay in CNB post for six-year term
CZECH REPUBLIC - The current vice-governor of the Czech National Bank (CNB) Ludek Niedermayer will be renamed to his post for another six year term.
People's bank to open office in Frankfurt
CHINA - The People's Bank of China (PBOC), the central bank, plans to open a representative office in Frankfurt home of the European Central Bank (ECB) is headquartered, PBOC's press office announced.
Reynders says would not rule out top ECB job
BELGIUM - Belgian Finance Minister Didier Reynders said he had never ruled out an interest in taking the job of president of the European Central Bank, Le Soir newspaper reported on Thursday.
No Mersch comment on ECB VP position
GERMANY - Luxembourg's central bank governor, Yves Mersch, is declining comment for the time being on his interest in a potential nomination for the vice-presidency of the European Central Bank.
Czech Nat Bank vice-governor reappointed
CZECH REPUBLIC - As expected, President Vaclav Havel has reappointed Ludek Niedermayer, a vice-governor of the Czech National Bank (the central bank), to a second six-year term on the bank's rate-setting board.
Federal Reserve Board Currency and Coin
REPORT - Payment Systems, 2001 data for currency and coin, 28 February.
Greenspan urges US to save
UK - Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan has called savings an important component of the economy and urged a national consensus on balancing savings and risk-taking while preserving productivity.
Sweden inflation above expectation - Persson
SWEDEN - Swedish inflation is higher than the central bank had expected because it may have over-estimated the economy's production capacity, deputy central bank governor Kristina Persson said on Thursday.
Kidnapped central bank president is released
GUATEMALA - Lizardo Sosa, head of the Guatemalan Central Bank, was released Thursday after family members paid a "minimal" ransom to the kidnappers who grabbed him three days ago, according to the latest official account.
German minister sees early UK use of euro
GERMANY - Hans Eichel, Germany's finance minister, yesterday predicted that Britain would join the euro "in the not too distant future", in comments likely to renew debate on the single currency.
Argentine deal set to speed budget approval
ARGENTINA - Argentina's Congress was finally due to start discussing this year's budget yesterday, after the government reached a funding agreement with provincial governors on Wednesday night. That deal should mean rapid approval of the budget and could…
Koizumi criticised for slow pace of reform
JAPAN - A key adviser to Japan's Junichiro Koizumi yesterday criticised the prime minister for lacking concrete plans for structural reform and failing to implement the pledges he made on coming to office in April.
Central Bank of Guatemala Governor Kidnapped
GUATEMALA - It has been confirmed that the President of the central bank of Guatemala Lizardo Sosa was kidnapped while out for his regular morning jog close to his home.
Fed's Ferguson sees signs of U.S. recovery
US - Federal Reserve Vice Chairman Roger Ferguson said on Wednesday that signs of a U.S. economic recovery were increasing, but that a revival in business investment held the key to the contours of the rebound.
Final day for euro changeover
EUROPE - Two months after it was introduced as a cash currency on 1 January 2002, the euro will finally become the sole legal tender in the 12 countries in the eurozone.