News
O'Neill signals hands-off stance on world economy
Paul O'Neill, the U.S. Treasury secretary, on Feb 14, 2001 indicated the new Bush administration would take a strongly skeptical view of official intervention in global markets to help stabilize the world economy, the Financial Times reported in its Feb…
China markets watchdog chief warns manipulators
China's chief stock market regulator Zhou Xiaochuan issued a stern warning against price manipulation on Feb 15, 2001, saying stock prices should be based on the quality of listed firms and not "backroom deals". Zhou also pledged to crack down on firms…
MP Sichinga blames BoZ for Union Bank's collapse
East independent member of parliament Robert Sichinga on Feb 14, 2001 blamed Bank of Zambia' (BOZ) for the closure of Union Bank Zambia Limited, the Post of Zambia reported on Feb 15. Sichinga complained that the central bank had failed provide effective…
Chad's economy minister dies in plane crash
Chad's minister for economic development died in a plane crash as he returned from a board meeting of the regional central bank in Congo Republic, government sources said on Feb 15, 2001. In addition to the minister, Ahmat Lamine Ali, a senior government…
IMF's Koehler sees Europe 2001 growth exceeding US
International Monetary Fund Managing Director Horst Koehler said on Feb 15 he saw European GDP growth in 2001 of some three percent against two percent expected for the United States. In a wide-ranging conversation with Italian business daily Il Sole 24…
Swedish cbank board member mulled rate cut-minutes
Sweden's central bank, or Riksbank, said on Feb 15, 2001 its board, which sets monetary policy, had agreed unanimously at its last meeting on Feb 1, 2001 to keep the key repo rate unchanged at 4.00 percent. During the monetary policy discussion, however,…
Fed's Broaddus-Odds high US economic recovery near
The odds that the U.S. economy will recover soon are "reasonably high," Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond President Alfred Broaddus said on Feb 15, 2001. Broaddus told reporters after addressing a forum sponsored by Bennett College and the Greensboro…
Turk cenbank chief sees slower inflation in Q2
Turkish inflation will drop to one percent monthly or less from summer 2001 as a $4 billion IMF-backed plan to cut chronic high inflation progresses, Central Bank head Gazi Ercel said on Feb 15. In an interview, Ercel said a slowdown in the economy and…
Romanian CPI trend downward despite Jan spike-BNR
Inflation in Romania continued at a faster-than-desired pace over the past year but its underlying trend remains downward despite a January 2001 consumer price inflation spike, the central bank (BNR) said on Feb 15, 2001. "Data showed a slower-than…
Gjedrem - Norwegian econ near capacity limits
Norwegian Central Bank Governor Svein Gjedrem, citing high inflation growth, a burgeoning surplus, and increased government spending, indicated late on Feb 15 that Norway is unlikely to follow the lead of other central banks in cutting key lending rates…
Prodi says Britain will lose influence outside eur
European Commission President Romano Prodi warned Britain on Feb 15, 2001 it would lose control over its economy if it remained outside the euro. Challenging the widespread fear in Britain that signing up to the euro would entail a major surrender of…
Fed Poole- forecasts subject to significant error
The consensus view of private sector economists that U.S. gross domestic product will grow 2.1% in 2001 is "reasonable," but also subject to significant error, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis President William Poole said on Feb 15, 2000. Thus it's…
Belgium eyes central bank gold profit for pensions
Belgium's government plans to use profits from the past transfer of gold from its central bank to the European Central Bank to start a state pension fund it had hoped to fill with proceeds from the sale of mobile telephone licences, Belgian media…
Mexico says 2000 GDP grew at robust 6.9 pct
Mexico's gross domestic product expanded by 6.9 percent during 2000, the fastest growth rate seen by Latin America's second-largest economy in nearly 20 years even with a year-end slowdown, the Finance Ministry said on Feb 15, 2001. The country's…
Argentine banks fear scandal's impact on economy
Argentina's panic-stricken banking sector called for swift government action on Feb 15, 2001 to resolve a money-laundering scandal that has enveloped the country's top central banker, saying it was threatening to derail the long-stagnant economy's…
Japan LDP members call for BOJ's Hayami to resign
Some members of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's (LDP) financial panel called for Bank of Japan Governor Masaru Hayami to resign at a meeting on Feb 14, 2001 a senior panel member said.They criticised Hayami for ending the policy of guiding key…
Argentina's Cavallo not interested in CenBank post
A spokesman for Argentina's Domingo Cavallo said Feb 14, 2001 the former economy minister was not interested in replacing the Central Bank chief, whose job has been threatened by a money-laundering scandal. Cavallo, a Wall Street favourite and the…
Belarus c.bank cuts key rate to 75 pct from Feb 21
Belarus' central bank said on Feb 14, 2001 it will cut the refinancing rate to 75 percent annually from 80 percent, effective February 21. The central bank said the current rate, effective since December 1, 2000 was being cut due to slower inflation,…
Bank of England expects growth to slow in Q2 2001
The United Kingdom's annual growth rate will drop to around 2% in the second half of 2001, the Bank of England projected, even as unemployment data showed the number of jobless Britons fell far more than expected in January 2001. In its first quarterly…
Bank of France raises growth forecast for Q1 2001
The Bank of France raised its forecast for first-quarter economic growth in 2001 after its latest survey of business sentiment pointed to a rosier outlook than the bank had anticipated previously. The central bank raised its forecast for first-quarter…
BoE's forecast confirms loosening stance
The Bank of England's February 2001 inflation report confirmed marketexpectations that UK interest rates were likely to head down over thecourse of 2001. Mervyn King, deputy governor for monetary stability, who presented thereport despite a bout of flu,…
Dollar mood jittery ahead of Greenspan remarks
The dollar's near-term fate hung in the balance on Feb 13, 2000 ahead of potentially market-movingcomments by Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan in Congress. Dealers generally expect Greenspan to adopt a cautiously optimistic tone on the U.S…
Japan admits economic going is getting tougher
Japan acknowledged on Feb 13, 2001 it is flirting with recession, but ministers and some economists expressed confidence the steps by the Bank of Japan (BOJ) to calm the money markets would help to put a floor under the economy. Economics Minister Taro…
Vietnam - New regulations on banks' rep offices
Commercial banks can open rep offices and branches at home and abroad, as well as set up, disband and merge branches, provided they meet certain conditions, the central bank has ruled.Decision 90/2001/QD-NHNN regarding this signed last week by deputy…