News
EC's Barroso says stability pact deal possible
In an interview with Italian daily La Stampa, European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso said he believes it will be easier for EU states to reach a compromise over reforms to the stability and growth pact than on future contributions to the EU…
SAMA chief sees greater role for euro
The head of the Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority said that although he didn't see any new shift in world currency reserves from dollars to euros, he expected the single currency to have a greater role in the future in terms of international reserves.
Fed's Gramlich plays down talk of housing 'bubble'
Federal Reserve Governor Edward Gramlich said on Wednesday 12 January that high U.S. housing prices did not necessarily signal a "bubble" but might just reflect scarcity of available land for building.
ECB's Issing says euro rise has 'gone too far'
European Central Bank chief economist Otmar Issing said in a speech that the dollar's adjustment against the euro has gone too far and it now needs to adjust against Asian currencies, particularly the Chinese yuan.
Russia's foreign exchange reserves increase
Russia's foreign exchange reserves advanced 6 percent in December to USD124.541bn as of January 1, 2005.
Minutes from the Sveriges Riksbank Meeting, 8 Dec
Minutes from the Sveriges Riksbank Executive Board meeting on 8 December showed that members expected economic growth, both in Sweden and abroad, to be fairly robust in the period ahead. There were downside risks, however, mainly stemming from exchange…
Gramlich: US needs foreign help on fiscal deficit
Federal Reserve Governor Edward Gramlich said on Monday 10 January that stronger foreign demand is needed to help correct the huge fiscal imbalances in the United States without disrupting global growth.
SBP's Husain against hasty rate increases
Ishrat Husain, the governor of the State Bank of Pakistan, said on Tuesday 11 January in an interview that the SBP will be wary of hasty interest rate hikes for fear of hampering economic growth.
Eurogroup chief Juncker calls for closer ECB ties
Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker on Monday 10 January urged the Eurogroup of 12 eurozone finance ministers to improve its internal coordination and to develop a closer dialogue with the European Central Bank.
Seminar stresses need for Qatar's Q-pay project
Hashim Al Sada, Director of System Development and Planning at Qatar central bank on Monday 10 January stressed the importance of the Q-Pay project which would enable online payments through the Internet.
Europe's central banks start to reduce staff
The number of central bankers in the eurosystem stands at 52,321, a fall of 7% since the launch of the euro in 1999, reveals the 2005 edition of Central Banking Publications' Central Bank Directory. This is 4,129 fewer staff than the peak of 56,450 in…
Federal Reserve Bank transfers to US Treasury 2004
The Federal Reserve Board on Friday 7 January released figures that indicate the Federal Reserve Banks distributed approximately $18.086 billion of their $23.541 billion total income to the U.S. Treasury during 2004.
Bank of Japan Minutes, 17 &18 Nov 2004
The Bank of Japan's minutes from its 17 and 18 November 2004 Monetary Policy meeting revealed that members concurred that Japan's economy continued to recover as a whole, although the increase in exports and production seemed to be coming to a pause…
Report says ECB's losses increased last year
The European Central Bank, which posted a 2003 loss of 477 million euros (US $625 million), saw its net loss increase to at least one billion euros last year as a result of the weak dollar, according to the German Handelsblatt business daily.
IMF chief calls on US to resolve deficit
The U.S. budget deficit is "truly excessive" and the world's largest economy must resolve the problems linked to the imbalance, the head of the International Monetary Fund said in remarks published on Sunday 9 January .
Central bank credibility vital, says ECB's Issing
Speaking to the annual meeting of the Allied Social Science Associations, European Central Bank's chief economist Otmar Issing said interest-rate policy can only control inflation in the "medium to longer term," and that consistent policy was needed to…
Dollar statement important say G10 central bankers
Central bankers from the Group of 10 countries said on Monday 10 January that they are "confident" about global growth this year and welcomed comments by Treasury Secretary John Snow to support the dollar.
BCEAO selects infrastructure management platform
The central bank of West African States (BCEAO) announced Monday it would implement HighStreet Networks Xpress(TM) to monitor and control their complete computing infrastructure.
Interview with CBBH's Peter Nicholl
After almost seven years, the mandate of the Governor of the Central Bank of Bosnia and Herzegovina Peter Nicholl ended on 31 December 2004. In this interview Nicholl discusses the role of the CBBH and its development in the future, and offers advice to…
Philadelphia Fed names Assistant Vice President
The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia has announced the promotion of Michael Doyle to assistant vice president in the Bank's Information Technology Services Department.
Philadelphia Fed names Executive Vice President
The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia has also promoted Blake Prichard, its senior vice president in charge of retail payments, to the position of executive vice president.
World Bank president announces intention to retire
World Bank President Jim Wolfensohn sent a message to Yahya Alyahya, Dean of the Board of Executive Directors, on Monday 3 January. In the message he said he does not wish to be considered for a third term and intends to retire at the end of May 2005…
Dallas Fed appoints new president
Richard W. Fisher will become President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas effective from 4 April. Mr Fisher will succeed Robert McTeer, Jr., who resigned on 4 November to become chancellor of the Texas A&M University System.
OECD Secretary-General to step down in 2006
The Secretary-General of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the Honourable Donald J. Johnston, has advised the Member countries that he will step down from office in May 2006, having first been elected to the post in 1996.