News
Bank of England's MPC united on rate vote
Minutes from the Bank of England's 7 and 8 September meeting released on Wednesday 21 September showed policy makers voted unanimously to keep interest rates unchanged.
Liebscher says property prices won't influence ECB
European Central Bank Governing Council member and Austrian Central Bank Governor Klaus Liebscher said in an interview that the ECB would not raise interest rates solely as a result of rising real estate prices in some eurozone countries.
South Africa plans no change to inflation target
Treasury Director General Lesetja Kganyago has said South Africa has no plans to modify its inflation targeting framework to aim for the middle of the established three to six per cent target range.
New Bank of Israel law agreed
The Israeli government has agreed to the wording of a new Bank of Israel Law that would transfer responsibility for setting interest rates from the central bank governor alone to a monetary committee.
NY Fed statement on credit derivatives meeting
The Federal Reserve Bank of New York hosted a meeting with representatives of major market participants and their domestic and international supervisors on Thursday 15 September.
What future for central banks?
The London School of Economics is hosting a public lecture on Thursday 24 November. 'What future for central banks?' will be presented by Howard Davies, director of the LSE and chaired by Professor Charles Goodhart.
EU calls for single payment area by 2010
Charlie McCreevy, the European Commissioner for the Internal Market and Services said on Tuesday 20 September that banks must create a single pan-EU system for payments by 2010, a demand the European Commission will underpin by legislation.
Jarai says euro target date 'hopeless' for Hungary
Hungary's "macroeconomic developments do not appear to be improving, especially in terms of the public sector", Hungary's central bank Governor Zsigmond Jarai told a press conference on Monday 19 September.
China to attend G7 Washington talks
China has accepted an invitation to a working lunch on Friday in Washington of finance ministers and central bank governors of the Group of Seven major industrialised countries, Vice-Finance Minister Li Yong said on Tuesday 20 September.
BoE's Nickell warns on growth shortfall in UK
The economy faces a 'serious risk' that economic growth will fall short of the Bank of England's forecasts, Stephen Nickell, a member of the central bank's rate-setting body told the Financial Times.
Report says IMF to cut US growth outlook
The International Monetary Fund expects the United States economy to grow less than previously expected this year and next, but will upgrade Japan's growth prospects on its upcoming world economic scorecard, German newspapers said over the weekend.
PBOC vows to maintain stable yuan
China's central bank said Monday 19 September it will keep the yuan rate basically stable as it works to improve the exchange rate mechanism introduced at the end of July.
GSE bill vote seen this week
The U.S. House of Representatives may vote on legislation to rein in Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac this week, a key lawmaker has said.
Pakistan's Hussain plans economic think tank
The governor of the State Bank of Pakistan, Dr Ishrat Hussain, has said he intends to establish an Economic Think Tank in Pakistan soon after his retirement.
Colombia central bank plans reserves sale
Colombia's central bank said on Friday 16 September it cut interest rates by half a percentage point and would sell at least $3 billion in international reserves to the government.
G7 may call for further currency reform in Asia
G7 finance ministers and central bankers are likely to reiterate their call for increased currency flexibility in emerging Asian economies at their meeting in Washington later this week, a source close to the French finance ministry told AFX News.
Time to go, Mr. Fazio
The agenda set out in this article published Monday 12 September is clear. Bank of Italy governor Antonio Fazio must go. Even if nobody can legally force him out, the campaign for his resignation will not go away, it says.
World Bank names Europeans to top posts
World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz named two Europeans to senior positions at the development lender on Friday 9 September.
Fed schedule suggests Greenspan January exit
The Federal Reserve has shortened its planned two-day monetary policy meeting for 31 Jan - 1 Fed down to one day, suggesting Alan Greenspan will leave the Fed then.
Interview with Bundesbank's Weber
In an interview published on Saturday 10 September Deutsche Bundesbank president Axel Weber said Germany could learn a lot from Britain's success in reducing unemployment to such low levels.
Greenspan successor to face tough economic climate
Until recently it seemed that Alan Greenspan's successor at the Federal Reserve would have a fairly easy ride at first. But according to an article published this week, that seems like a distant memory now that Hurricane Katrina has sent gasoline,…
Place your bets! Will Fazio stay or go?
A Swedish online gambling website is offering odds on whether embattled Bank of Italy governor Antonio Fazio will stay in office beyond the start of October.
Greenspan, the Wizard of Bubbleland
This lengthy article published on Wednesday 14 September covers a lot of central banking ground. Greenspan's measured-paced interest-rate policy is a reversal back to the Fed's tradition of gradualism, it says, but the debt cancer is spreading faster…
BoE's Lambert downplays UK inflation rise
Writing in the UK newspaper the Sun, Bank of England rate setter Richard Lambert downplayed the sharp recent rise in UK inflation, saying that the central bank does not set rates according to where inflation stands at present.