News
Iraq's central bank to curb inflation
Officials at the Central Bank of Iraq (CBI) said that the bank is considering taking measures to curb inflation which hiked to 70 percent last year on soaring oil prices, Iraq Directory reported Wednesday 14 February.
Malta may apply for euro accession in March
Malta will file its formal request for accession to the eurozone in the first two weeks of March, The Times of Malta reported Wednesday 14 February.
Reports say Brazil's Meirelles will keep job
Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva ruled out the possibility of replacing central bank chief Henrique Meirelles, according to media reports Wednesday 14 February.
Officials call on BOJ to consider govt views
Japanese cabinet ministers on Thursday 15 February called on the Bank of Japan to consider the government's view when deciding whether to raise interest rates at a policy meeting next week.
Weber sees inflation around 2 pct to end-2008
Bundesbank president Axel Weber said in an interview published Thursday 15 February he expects eurozone inflation to be around 2.0 pct between now and the end of 2008.
Zalm says French on their own over ECB
Outgoing Dutch finance minister Gerrit Zalm said in an interview published Wednesday 14 February that no other eurozone countries share France's wish for politicians to exercise more control over the European Central Bank.
RBA's Battellino appointed deputy governor
The Australian government appointed Ric Battellino as deputy governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia on Wednesday 14 February for a five-year term.
BoJ's Fukui says risks to sustained growth remain
Bank of Japan governor Toshihiko Fukui said Wednesday 14 February he remains cautious about the outlook for sustained growth of the Japanese economy because it is still exposed to various risks.
PBOC says Wu's remarks don't rule out rate action
The People's Bank of China said Wednesday 14 February that comments by its vice governor published yesterday do not rule out the use of interest rates as an appropriate tool to absorb excessive liquidity.
Bank signals one more rate rise for 2007
The Bank of England implied on Wednesday 14 February that interest rates will be raised one more time in 2007, to 5.5%.
China finance official may head reserves body
China's vice-minister of finance is seen taking charge of the new body planned to manage part of China's massive foreign exchange reserves, the Financial Times reported Wednesday 14 February.
Carlos Hurtado named to Mexico central bank board
Mexican president Felipe Calderon nominated Carlos Hurtado, a former deputy finance minister in charge of spending, to the central bank board, Bloomberg reported Tuesday 13 February.
Cyprus makes request to join eurozone, says EU
The European Commission has received an application from Cyprus to join the euro zone, spokeswoman Amelia Torres said Tuesday 13 February.
PBOC official says current rates 'appropriate'
The current level of Chinese interest rates is "still appropriate" given economic and financial indicators, a senior People's Bank of China official said in an interview published Tuesday 13 February.
IMF's de Rato says G7 open minded on gold sales
International Monetary Fund managing director Rodrigo Rato said the Group of Seven leading industrialized nations were "open-minded" about allowing the Fund to sell part of its gold reserves.
EU's Almunia says 'no problem' for exchange rates
Current exchange rates, mainly the value of the euro against the yen, pose no threat to the economy, the EU's Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs Joaquin Almunia said in a magazine interview Tuesday 13 February.
Mexican central banker sees no need for rate hike
A vice-governor of Mexico's central bank wrote in an article Monday 12 February Mexican food price hikes have not pushed up inflation expectations enough to merit an interest rate hike.
Cb of China (Taiwan) to change name
The Central Bank of China (Taiwan) announced Saturday 10 February it has changed its English name as shown on its website in a move to avoid possible confusion with financial institutions in China.
Trichet warns markets on carry trades risk
European Central Bank president Jean-Claude Trichet warned markets this weekend at the G7 finance ministers and central bank governors meeting that one-way bets in currency markets posed risks.
ECSDA calls for postponement on settlement system
The European Central Securities Depositories Association (ECSDA) has called for the European Central Bank to postpone plans to implement an integrated securities settlement system in the euro zone, the Financial Times reported.
PBOC's Zhou says inflation data being studied
People's Bank of China governor Zhou Xiaochuan told reporters Friday 9 February the central bank is studying inflation data carefully to see if the recent acceleration is due to real inflationary pressures or seasonal factors.
Buba's Weber says German growth trend 'intact'
Bundesbank president Axel Weber said Saturday 10 February at the meeting of G7 finance ministers and central bank governors the underlying growth trend in Germany remains intact and that the outlook for euro zone growth remains positive.
Sweden's Riksbank reports SEK 7.9bn profit
In its annual report presented to the Swedish parliament Monday 12 February, the Riksbank reported a profit of SEK 7.9 billion for 2006.
Dispute over Slovenia's new central bank governor
Slovenia's president Janez Drnovsek refused on Monday 12 February to withdraw his candidate for the new central bank governor, despite fierce opposition to the appointment from the ruling party, the Associated Press said.