News
Welteke resigns from Bundesbank
Bundesbank president Ernst Welteke resigned Friday after coming under heavy criticism for taking a free hotel stay from a commercial bank. He said in a statement "the disregard for the legally guaranteed independence of the Bundesbank and its…
Stark to succeed Welteke?
Ernst Welteke, head of the Bundesbank, resigned on Friday. The Bundesbank and German Ministry of Finance called his decision "appropriate". Many observers of the affair think that his successor will be Koch-Weser, the ministry of finance official…
Bundesbank appoints corporate governance officer
On 14 April the Executive Board of the Deutsche Bundesbank appointed Professor Theodor Baums of the Johann Wolfgang Goethe University in Frankfurt as Corporate Governance Compliance Officer of the Deutsche Bundesbank.
EMEAP central banks announce structure of ABF2
The EMEAP (Executives' Meeting of East Asia and Pacific Central Banks) Group announced the initial structure of the Asian Bond Fund 2 on 15 April.
Noyer says France open to gold sale
Bank of France governor Christian Noyer said in an interview published on Wednesday 14 April that he was open to selling some of France's gold but that the receipts would not go directly to the state.
Brazil cuts rates to 16 per cent
Brazil's central bank cut its benchmark lending rate to a three-year low on Wednesday 14 april to 16 per cent.
Flexible yuan may not ease overheating- IMF
The International Monetary Fund's chief economist Raghuram Rajan said on Wednesday 14 April that it was unclear if any loosening of the Chinese yuan's peg to the dollar would prevent overheating of the Chinese economy.
Too early to judge inflation trend- SF Fed's Parry
Outgoing San Francisco Federal Reserve President Robert Parry said on Wednesday 14 April that the Fed will have to raise interest rates "at some point" to head off inflation, but rising prices are not a concern yet.
Japan sees continued economic recovery
Japan's government will not upgrade its assessment of the economy in a monthly report to be released on Friday 16 April, but will say a recovery in business conditions is broadening, according to a draft seen by Reuters.
Balcerowicz says Polish euro entry may be delayed
Poland's national bank President Leszek Balcerowicz said the country may not be ready to adopt the euro by 2007 because the government has failed to cut spending.
Greenspan to appear before Senate panel Apr 20
Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan is due to testify on the state of the U.S. banking industry before the Senate Banking Committee on April 20, a panel aide said on Wednesday 14 April.
Bank of Japan's Monetary Policy Meeting Minutes
The Bank of Japan released the minutes from its 26 February and 15, 16 March Monetary Policy Meetings on Wednesday 14 April. Minutes from the March meeting showed members felt that the downtrend in prices was slowing and expectation of price declines was…
SF Fed's Parry sees US rates 'maybe' at 3.5%
Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco President Robert Parry said in an interview that U.S. interest rates cannot remain at their 1958 lows forever and will have to rise at some point, perhaps to 3.5 per cent.
Fed's McTeer unconcerned over US inflation
There are no concerns about inflation emerging even as the U.S. economy is growing "on all cylinders," said Robert McTeer, the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas.
Eichengreen urges controlled yuan float
Barry Eichengreen, a senior policy adviser to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) during the Asian financial crisis has said that China should immediately stop pegging the yuan to the US dollar and instead move to a controlled float of its currency.
IMF stops Vietnam lending program
The International Monetary Fund said on Tuesday 13 April that it has stopped its multi-million dollar lending program to Vietnam after a long-running dispute with the country's central bank over disclosure of its foreign reserves.
Eichel tells FAZ Welteke actions 'unacceptable'
Ernst Welteke faced strong criticism from the German government on Tuesday 13 April when the finance minister said in an interview with a German daily that it was unacceptable that the official took a free hotel stay from a private bank under Bundesbank…
Bank of Canada cuts interest rates to 2 per cent
The Bank of Canada announced on Tuesday 13 April that it is lowering its target for the overnight rate by one-quarter of one percentage point to 2 per cent.
Fukui pledges to maintain current monetary policy
Bank of Japan governor Toshihiko Fukui reaffirmed to parliament on Tuesday 13 April his commitment to maintain the current super-easy monetary policy framework, until the prolonged deflation comes to an end.
Gov't and Bundesbank agree to work together
The German Government has agreed to work together with the Bundesbank over the Ernst Welteke scandal, it was reported on Tuesday 13 April, as both organisations try to prevent their conflict from escalating.
France 'just thinking' about gold sales
The French finance ministry said on Tuesday 13 April that it was just thinking about using some of the country's gold for future investments or to reduce debt, after press reports said talks could begin this week with the Bank of France.
PBOC: China to make yuan fully convertible
China will make the yuan fully convertible, People's Bank of China governor Zhou Xiaochuan said.
Russia to revise exchange rate mechanism
The Russian Central Bank will revise its mechanism for setting exchange rate targets, Central Bank Deputy Chairman Konstantin Korishchenko declared. According to him, the bank is considering the possibility of changing its exchange rate policy.
Buba's Executive Board to abide by ECB Code
The Executive Board of the Deutsche Bundesbank has decided, with immediateEffect (8 April), to expressly adopt and apply to itself the Code of Conduct applicable to the members of the Governing Council of the ECB.