News
Leave rates at record high, IMF tells NZ
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has called on the Reserve Bank of New Zealand to avoid cutting rates until clearer signs of a slump emerge.
People's Bank helps regions hit by quake
The People's Bank of China has announced a raft of measures aimed at aiding the regions worst hit by last week's earthquake.
MIT's Blanchard to become IMF chief economist?
Olivier Blanchard, an economics professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), will be the next chief economist at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) a leading German weekly has reported.
EBRD appoints Mirow as chief
Thomas Mirow, the state secretary of the German Finance Ministry, will replace Jean Lemierre as head of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the development bank for most of Central and Eastern Europe.
Senator questions plans for greater Fed role
The top Republican on the US Senate Banking Committee has challenged plans to extend the Fed's regulatory power.
We must avoid the errors of the 70s: Trichet
Jean-Claude Trichet, the president of the European Central Bank (ECB), has warned that the world's central bankers risk a return to the dark days of the 1970s if they cut rates in the current climate.
Lomax decides to quit the Bank
Rachel Lomax, a deputy governor at the Bank of England, will leave when her term ends at the end of June.
Ghana raises rates by 175bp
The Bank of Ghana has hiked its benchmark interest rate to 16% on the back of soaring inflation.
Bernanke letter confirms interest payment plans
Ben Bernanke, the chairman of the Federal Reserve, has called on Congress to allow the institution to pay interest on banks' reserves - a move reported earlier this month. The change will stop interbank charges falling below the federal funds rate.
Bundesbank expects euro inflation to accelerate
The Bundesbank on Monday said it expects inflation to increase further in the coming months and that the measure could stay above the European Central Bank's (ECB) target in the long term.
Regulation should aim to burst bubbles
Frederic Mishkin, a governor at the Federal Reserve, has acknowledged that the Fed should consider responding to asset price bubbles - a move that would contravene a tenet of the Greenspan-era institution.
Iceland sets up swaps with Nordic CBs
In a move that is expected to do much to support the weak krona, the Central Bank of Iceland on Friday said that it had come to an agreement with Sweden, Norway and Denmark to swap its currency for euros.
Turkey shifts stance on rates
Turkey has leapfrogged Iceland as the European state with the highest interest rate after the country's central bank backed a 50 basis-point hike on Thursday.
RBA appoints new assistant governor
The Reserve Bank of Australia has promoted Keith Hall to the position of assistant governor responsible for banking and payments.
Denmark raises rates
The Nationall Bank of Denmark lifted its key rate by 10 basis points on Friday in a bid to support the krone.
Extend Fed's regulatory power: Volcker
The Federal Reserve's role as a financial regulator must be expanded given its recent assistance to Bear Stearns and other investment banks, Paul Volcker, a former chairman of the Fed, said.
Fed should have spoken out on housing bubble
The Federal Reserve should have done more to alert American consumers to the bubble in the real estate market, Robert Shiller, an economics professor at Yale, said in an exclusive interview with Central Banking, published on Thursday.
Libya announces improvements for banking sector
In a bid to reform the Libyan banking sector, the country's central bank has modernised its open market operations and payments systems.
Iranian governor opposes president on rates
Tahmasb Mazaheri, the governor of the Central Bank of Iran, has clashed with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad over the president's decision to set bank rates between ten and 12%, local media reports say.
Zimbabwe prints Z$500m note
The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe said on Thursday it will circulate a note worth Z$500m ($2,44).
King readies pen as BoE predicts prices to soar
Mervyn King acknowledged on Wednesday that he would almost certainly need to write at least one letter to the British chancellor in the coming months explaining why inflation is more than a percentage point above the Bank of England's target.
We did not repay $700m debt: Zimbabwe's Gono
Gideon Gono, the governor of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, has denied that the institution recently repaid a $700m African Development Bank loan.
Liquidity scheme stabilising markets: BoE staff
The Bank of England's governor and head of markets said on Wednesday that its Special Liquidity Scheme, introduced in late April, had begun to temper money-market tensions.
Interbank spreads to stay above pre-crisis levels
A fundamental shift in money-market attitudes will mean spreads between interbank and official rates remain greater than their pre-August levels for the foreseeable future, the Bank of England's head of markets said on Wednesday.