News
Court backs probe that hurts ECB hopeful Trichet
FRANCE - A French court refused on Thursday to scrap a banking scandal inquiry that is hurting Paris's hopes of making Bank of France Governor Jean-Claude Trichet president of the European Central Bank, a lawcourts official said.
Russian Ctrl Bk reserves $36.2B 25 January
RUSSIA - The Russian central bank said Thursday that its level of foreign-exchange and gold reserves dropped $300 million to $36.2 billion, in the week to 25 January.
Top civil servant to be new governor in Ireland
IRELAND - Mr John Hurley, the senior civil servant in the Department of Finance, will be the new governor of the Central Bank. The incumbent, Mr Maurice O'Connell, has indicated to the Minister for Finance, Mr Charlie McCreevy that he will be stepping…
Brazil to handle exchange interventions online
BRAZIL - Brazil's central bank will transfer intervention operations in the currency exchange market to an online system, Central Bank Monetary Policy Directory Luiz Fernando Figueiredo said late Wednesday.
ECB and BoE - distinguishing features
UK - Analysts often laud the speed of the Fed's response times, like the BoE's, to changes in the business climate, while they decry the supposed "slowness" and unpredictable nature of the ECB.
IMF's Koehler urges coherent plan from Argentina
US - The head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Monday urged Argentine authorities to develop a comprehensive and coherent economic strategy that the lender can back with loans.
Press Release from the Bank of Canada
PRESS RELEASE - Bank of Canada Governor reviews key developments of last year, 28 January.
US economy shows unexpected strength
US - The US economy grew 0.2% in the last three months of 2001, official data has shown.
Bank of England - News Release
NEWS RELEASE - Financial Sanctions: Afghanistan (Taliban and Usama Bin Laden), 28 January 2002.
ECB on collision course over plan to regulate EU
EUROPE - The European Central Bank has put itself on a collision course with European financial regulators, including Britain's Financial Services Authority, over the ECB's ambitions to play a role in banking supervision.
Regulator warns about health of insurance industry
UK - The Financial Services Authority has warned that it is important for the long-term health of the insurance industry and clients that its capital base is strengthened.
China vows to safeguard stability of stock market
CHINA - China has promised investors to safeguard the "stability" of the stock market after a week of sharp price movements triggered by continuing confusion over the sale of the controlling stake held in most listed companies by government entities.
MPs send amendment to law on CNB to final reading
CZECH REPUBLIC - The Chamber of Deputies today sent to a final reading the government-sponsored amendment to the law on the Czech National Bank (CNB), which corrects the drawbacks of the previous amendment criticised by the European Union.
IMF supports Indonesian plan for independent team
INDONESIA - Finance Minister Boediono said that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has lent its support to plans to create an independent team to determine the burden-sharing for the controversial Bank Indonesia emergency loan (BLBI).
Peru's central bank moves to inflation targeting
PERU - Peru's central bank has made inflation targeting its main tool for signalling the direction of monetary policy, Central Reserve Bank of Peru President Richard Webb said Tuesday.
Reserve Bank of Australia - Media Release
MEDIA RELEASE - Senior Management Changes, 29 January.
Hayami says weak yen no solution to Japan's woes
JAPAN - Bank of Japan Governor Masaru Hayami said on Tuesday it was neither possible nor desirable for Japan to try manipulating foreign exchange rates, maintaining that a weaker yen was no solution to its economic woes.
Fischer suggests managed floating currency system
INDIA - The Indian monetary policy of not trying to peg a particular value for the rupee was good economics, Stanley Fischer said here today. The former first deputy managing director of the International Monetary Fund was speaking at a seminar organised…
IMF News Brief, 28 January
NEWS BRIEF - IMF, World Bank and IDB Working Closely to Help Argentina.
Argentina seeks US backing
ARGENTINA - Argentina's government has begun crucial financial talks in Washington, as forecasts show the economy is set to contract sharply this year despite the devaluation of the peso.
Japan jobless rate hits new high
JAPAN - Japan's unemployment has reached a new record high of 5.6%.
IMF team says dollar best currency for Afghanistan
AFGHANISTAN - A team of International Monetary Fund and World Bank experts visiting Afghanistan said on Tuesday it would make sense for the country to switch to the U.S. dollar in the short term.
ECB's Issing points to signs of recovery
SPAIN - Otmar Issing, the chief economist of the European Central Bank, said in an interview "the first signs of recovery are now appearing, but we still have to see what will be its scale. And we cannot rule out that it will end up being stronger than…
Australia's Res Bank appoint head of domestic mkts
AUSTRALIA - The Reserve Bank of Australia said Tuesday it has appointed Philip Lowe as head of its domestic markets department.