News
Fischer approved as Bank of Israel governor
Israel's state appointments committee approved the nomination of renowned American economist Stanley Fischer late on Tuesday 18 January as chief of Israel's central bank.
Hungary's Monetary Council elects deputy chairman
The National Bank of Hungary (MNB) has elected Henrik Auth as deputy chairman of its Monetary Council in order to conform with the changes to the Central Bank Act passed in December 2004.
Yushchenko's swearing in set for 23 Jan
Viktor Yushchenko, former governor of the National Bank of Ukraine, will be sworn in as Ukraine's president on Sunday 23 January, ending a two-month standoff over disputed election results.
BMA gets new governor after reshuffle
The king of Bahrain, Sheikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, made a ministerial reshuffle this week which saw Bahrain Monetary Agency Governor Shaikh Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, named Finance Minister on Saturday 15 January.
The ECB's new premises
Jean-Claude Trichet, the ECB president, unveiled the bank's final choice for its new building at a press conference on Thursday 20 January, saying it will not only come to symbolise Frankfurt and European unity, but develop into a "global icon".
Interview with ECB's Gonzalez-Paramo
In an interview published on Friday 21 January, ECB Executive Board member Jose Manuel Gonzalez-Paramo said the underlying Regulations of the Stability and Growth Pact should not be changed, but its implementation could be improved. Asked about the ECB's…
Greek, Turkish supervisors to exchange information
Greece's central bank said that it will sign a cooperation agreement with Turkey's Banking Regulatory and Supervisory Agency regarding the exchange of information.
Foreign central banks resume buying debt says Fed
Data released on Thursday 20 January by the Federal Reserve showed foreign central banks resumed buying US Treasuries in the latest week, but cut their agency holdings for a second week.
Takenaka says Japan 'no longer in post-bubble era'
Japan's economic and fiscal policy minister Heizo Takenaka said the world's second largest economy is "no longer in the post-bubble era," the Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported.
IMF's Rajan: World economy to slow down this year
Raghuram Rajan, chief economist at the International Monetary Fund, said that 2004 was an excellent year for world growth in the last two-three decades but don't expect 2004 to be repeated in 2005.
ECB's Papademos sees improving growth
European Central Bank Vice President Lucas Papademos said in an interview on Thursday 20 January that economic growth will speed up this year and inflation will slow.
Interview with vice governor, Central Bank of Iran
In a recent interview Mohammed Jafar Mojarrad, vice-governor of Bank Markazi, Iran's central bank, spoke about the latest developments in the economy and the financial sector. He said there are two main challenges currently facing Iran: unemployment and…
Fed's Consumer Advisory Council appointments 2005
The Federal Reserve Board on Friday 7 January named eleven new members to its Consumer Advisory Council for three-year terms and designated a new Chair and Vice Chair of the Council for 2005.
Bank of Canada to upgrade $10 bank note
As part of its ongoing efforts to improve the security of Canadian bank notes, the Bank of Canada announced on Thursday 20 January that it will issue a $10 note with upgraded security features beginning 18 May 2005.
Luxembourg's Juncker says ECB wrong on pact
Luxembourg finance minister Jean-Claude Juncker, speaking as the euro group's president for the next two years, said the European Central Bank is wrong to say that reforming the EU's fiscal rules would harm the euro.
Cleveland's Pianalto says rates must rise further
Sandra Pianalto, the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland said in a speech that the Federal Reserve must be "prudent" and continue to raise short-term interest rates until central bankers are more certain that monetary policy is no longer…
President calls for BI supervisory board
Indonesia's President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has demanded the immediate setting up of a Bank Indonesia (BI) supervisory board as required under the new central bank law, according to Finance Minister Jusuf Anwar.
OECD sees high yen as a risk for Japan recovery
The OECD said in a report on the Japanese economy published on Thursday 20 January that the sharp appreciation of the yen poses a big risk to Japan's already sluggish economic recovery, and that the Bank of Japan should remain focused on ending deflation.
BoJ's Fukui says exchange rate movements unsteady
Bank of Japan Governor Toshihiko Fukui said Tuesday currency exchange rate movements have become unsteady, suggesting the possibility that Japanese monetary authorities may resume intervening in the currency market.
China's reserves top US $500bn in 2004
China's foreign exchange reserves hit a record US$609.9 billion in 2004, soaring at a rate of US$206.7 billion over 2003, according to the People's Bank of China.
PBOC chief Zhou pledges on convertible yuan
China reaffirmed its commitment to allowing free movement of the yuan on the capital account, with PBOC chief Zhou Xiaochuan promising further steps this year.
Eurosystem for ex reserves down 0.7 bn
The European Central Bank said that net foreign currency reserves in the euro system fell 0.7 bln eur to 154.9 bln in the week ending 14 January.
Cleveland Fed says US trade gap may hit growth
The massive trade deficit in the United States will eventually be reversed and implies a weaker dollar and higher interest rates, a Cleveland Fed report said, warning this could quell growth unless US exports grow.
Riksbank reallocates its gold & currency reserves
The Sveriges Riksbank announced on Tuesday it has up to the present date sold a total of fifteen (15) tonnes of gold under the renewed Central Bank Gold Agreement (CBGA), established between fifteen European central banks.