News
PBOC officials to miss G7 meeting
The People's Bank of China said on Monday 28 November that its governor and vice governors won't be attending the Group of Seven meeting of finance ministers and central bank governors which takes place in London this weekend.
Azerbaijan to issue new banknotes
The National Bank of Azerbaijan is preparing to present new banknotes, according to NBA board chairman Elman Rustamov.
Russian people keep $30bn
The Central Bank of Russia has evaluated the volume of hard currency accumulated by residents at $20 billion to $30b, central bank chairman Sergei Ignatyev told a session at the State Duma.
OECD names Mexican as secretary-general
The OECD named Mexican former Foreign Minister Angel Gurria as its next secretary-general on Friday 25 November, after he received backing from a majority of the organization's 30 member countries.
UK to make statistics office independent
UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown said Monday 28 November that the Treasury intends to make the Office for National Statistics independent from the government.
Share price rise benefits BOJ
A surge in Japanese share prices has seen the Bank of Japan's holdings of shares in business firms increase to a record 1,132.3 billion yen as of Sept. 30.
Fed's Ferguson: Market stress may affect policy
Federal Reserve Vice Chairman Roger Ferguson said in a speech released on Monday 28 November that central banks may consider changing interest rates if financial stresses on markets or institutions put financial stability at risk.
OECD says ECB should leave rates 'unchanged'
The OECD joined in on the debate over an expected increase in eurozone interest rates, warning Tuesday 29 November that the cost of borrowing should be left "unchanged."
New York Fed to host regulation Seminar
The Federal Reserve Bank of New York will host a seminar to review Regulatory Reporting Best Practices as observed by Statistics Function staff on 12 January 2006.
Eurogroup head criticises ECB rate rise plan
An interest rate increase by the European Central Bank is unnecessary, Jean-Claude Juncker, prime minister of Luxembourg said on Monday 28 November.
Inflation warning from Bank of France
The Bank of France said on Monday 28 November inflation risks in developed countries have increased because of high oil and commodity prices and could rise further.
Slovakia joins ERM-II
Slovakia has joined the Exchange Rate Mechanism 2 (ERM-II), the Hospodarske noviny daily wrote.
Russia says gold policy will change slowly
Russian central bank chairman Sergei Ignatyev said Friday 25 November that any change in the weighting of gold in its reserves would come in years rather than months.
UK's Brown says India, China to attend G7 meeting
China, India, Brazil and South Africa will attend part of the G7 finance ministers meeting this week, British finance minister Gordon Brown said on Monday 28 November.
The Bernanke Files
Since the White House announcement on 24 October, the Financial Markets Center has published a detailed package of four pieces on Ben Bernanke's nomination as Federal Reserve Chairman.
Richmond Fed directors re-appoint FAC member
G. Kennedy Thompson - chairman, president and CEO, Wachovia Corp., Charlotte, N.C. - was re-appointed on 18 November as the Fifth Federal Reserve District's representative on the Federal Advisory Council for 2006.
Uncertainty over second term for Serdengecti
Turkish economists are asking whether the government will give central bank governor Sureyya Serdengecti a second five-year term to avoid any turmoil in financial markets.
Germany supports former Polish PM as OECD chief
Outgoing German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said recently that both he and designated chancellor Angelor Merkel supported former Polish Prime Minister Marek Belka as the new chief of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
Fed nominee's life rooted in numbers
The background and upbringing of Federal Reserve nominee Ben Bernanke is detailed in depth in this article published this week. From his counting ability at aged 3, to his decision to study economics rather than majoring in English at Harvard. While…
Interview with ECB's Quaden
In an interview published on Tuesday 22 November, European Central Bank Governing Council member Guy Quaden said the ECB needs to tackle the problem of negative real interest rates in Europe, but this does not mean slamming the brakes on growth.
Interview with Richmond Fed's Lacker
In an interview published this week, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond President Jeffrey Lacker said that as far as he is concerned it is clear "we're not done removing accommodation," suggesting US interest rates have further to rise.
Interview with ECB's Trichet
In an interview published on Thursday 24 November, European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet said he doesn't foresee "repeated" rises in eurozone interest rates.
Plenderleith to retire from SARB
South African Reserve Bank deputy governor Ian Plenderleith will retire at the end of his three-year contract on 31 December 2005, an SARB spokesperson was quoted as saying this week.
President 'Arrovo' blunder prompts banknote recall
The Philippines central bank suffered embarrassment this week when it was noticed that 100 peso (US$1.80) bank notes had been issued with the surname of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo spelled "Arrovo," with a "v."