News
IMF says HK dlr peg good but needs constant review
US - Hong Kong's dollar peg is appropriate for the region's economy, the International Monetary Fund said on Wednesday, but warned it is a policy that requires constant review.
Polish central bank head ready for gov't dialogue
POLAND - Polish National Bank (NBP) President Leszek Balcerowicz declared on Thursday he was ready for dialogue with the finance minister but believed that structural reforms and securing higher competitiveness were more important than discussions on the…
Argentina central bank chief 'may resign' rumour
ARGENTINA - Rumours that Central Bank Chairman Mario Blejer is considering stepping down were circulating among banks yesterday, newspaper Clarin reported.
Russia's forex reserves hit record 40bn dollars
RUSSIA - Russia's gold and hard currency reserves have broken a new record. The Central Bank of Russia's department of external and public relations announced on Thursday 16 May that they stood at 40bn dollars as of 10 May.
Carr's role settled at RBNZ
NEW ZEALAND - Rod Carr has been confirmed as Acting Governor of the Reserve Bank for the next six months, or until a permanent appointment has been made.
World's smallest ATM machine goes on display
UAE - Dubai-based Quick Line, which delivered a solution to produce labour cards for the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs in 1994, has launched the world's smallest ATM called NanoCash.
Advertisement for new governor of RBNZ
ADVERTISEMENT - The Reserve Bank of New Zealand is seeking applications for the position of Governor. The position has been advertised both within New Zealand and offshore.
IMF Survey, 14 May
REPORT - Topical coverage of the IMF's activities, policies, and research. It includes an interview with Anne Krueger on the sovereign debt plan.
Unpublished IMF letter to the Wall Street Journal
LETTER - A letter by Thomas Dawson, Director of the IMF's External Relations Department, concerning the IMF's policy on Argentina. The Wall Street Journal declined to publish it.
RBNZ raises Official Cash Rate to 5.5%
NEW ZEALAND - Reserve Bank of New Zealand Acting Governor Rod Carr justifies the bank's decision to increase the Official Cash Rate in a statement, and warns of further increases over the year ahead.
Papademos underlines importance of M3
GERMANY - ECB vice-president designate Lucas Papademos said he supports the first pillar of the ECB's monetary policy strategy and that analysis of M3 money supply growth should continue.
BoJ's Ueda advises higher govt spending in Japan
JAPAN - Bank of Japan policy board member Kazuo Ueda said that a small rise in government spending may stimulate the economy without significantly affecting long-term interest rates and that the bank should aim for 1-2% inflation.
Argentina's central bank raises dollar sell rate
ARGENTINA - The central bank has raised the dollar sell rate to 3.24 pesos from 3.19 pesos.
UAE cb governor says abuse of hawala must stop
UAE - Sultan bin Nasser Al Suwaidi, the UAE Central Bank Governor, says abuse of the hawala (unofficial) system of money transfer must stop, but practical solutions to the challenges faced must be sought.
Riksbank's Bergstroem worries about inflation
SWEDEN - The Riksbank's deputy governor Bergstroem said the bank's research estimates wage rises of 4% over the next two years, which is not compatible with the inflation target of 2%. Further interest rate hikes may be necessary in the future.
Basel II: An Economic Assessment
WORKSHOP - Basel II: An Economic Assessment (Basel, 17-18 May 2002), a workshop jointly organised by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision, the Centre for Economic Policy Research, and the Journal of Financial Intermediation.
Bank law compromise seen in Russia
RUSSIA - The State Duma and the government have narrowed differences over a bill to curtail the powers of the Central Bank, Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Kudrin said Monday.
Eurosystem reserves down 0.1 bln eur to 10 May
GERMANY - The European Central Bank said eurosystem net foreign currency reserves fell 0.1 bln eur to 258.2 bln in the week ending 10 May on account of customer and portfolio transactions.
Argentina pays down 680 mln US$ World Bank debt
ARGENTINA - The government paid down yesterday a 680 mln US$ instalment on a World Bank loan from central bank reserves, the economy minister Roberto Lavagna, said.
Euro Parliament approves Papademos' appointment
FRANCE - The European Parliament has approved the nomination of Lucas Papademos, the governor of the Central Bank of Greece, as vice-president at the Central European Bank.
Polish cen bank dep chairman favours fixed ex rate
POLAND - Central bank deputy chairman Andrzej Bratkowski said the economy could benefit from a fixed zloty rate in a situation when the inflow of foreign capital linked with the prospect of Poland's EU accession will continue to strengthen the zloty.
House of Commons Treasury Committee
PRESS RELEASE - Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee: Confirmation hearings for new members, 14 May.
Hugh Fletcher appointed to NZ Reserve Bank board
NEW ZEALAND - Hugh Fletcher, the former head of Fletcher Challenge, has been appointed as a non-executive director of the Reserve Bank and Rod Carr has been confirmed as acting governor for up to six months, the New Zealand government announced today.
Brazilian bank chief's warning
BRAZIL - Arminio Fraga, president of Brazil's central bank, said yesterday that he was worried by "a certain lack of coherence" in the economic programmes offered by candidates for the October presidential election.