News
China to lift foreign banks' forex restrictions
CHINA - China will lift restrictions on foreign-exchange business conducted by foreign banks operating in the country, China's central bank announced via state television Sunday.
ECB Press Release
PRESS RELEASE - Monetary policy decisions, 6 December 2001.
ECB Press Conference
PRESS CONFERENCE - Introductory statement by Willem F. Duisenberg, President of the European Central Bank and Christian Noyer, Vice-President of the European Central Bank, Frankfurt, 6 December.
Japan falls into recession
JAPAN - Japan has entered a recession, according to the latest official figures, which show the world's second largest economy continued to shrink between July and September.
Argentina seizes pension funds
ARGENTINA - The Argentine government has said it is to use money held in private pension funds to help pay its bills.
IMF approves $1.3bn loan to Pakistan
US - The International Monetary Fund has approved a $1.3bn loan for Pakistan, to help it battle poverty and offset the economic impact of the war in Afghanistan.
Afghanistan's central banker invited home
AFGHANISTAN - Afghanistan's former central banker has been asked by the leader of the Northern Alliance to return to run the country's monetary policy.
Australian Reserve Bank to keep tower
AUSTRALIA - The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) has key offices in capital cities of Australia. In late 2001, it has decided to keep its Melbourne office at 60 Collins Street.
EU won't protest changes at Polish c bank
POLAND - An amendment to Poland's central bank law increasing the size of the bank's interest rate-setting Monetary Policy Council, or RPP, shouldn't draw protests from the European Union, Prime Minister Leszek Miller said Friday in an interview on…
Pakistan's For Ex reserves up US$85.3m
PAKISTAN - The foreign exchange reserves of Pakistan have registered an increase of US$85.3 million over the previous week.
S Africa's Nov gold, For Ex reserves up 9.4%
SOUTH AFRICA - South Africa's gold and foreign exchange reserves rose 9.4% to 77.7 billion rand ($1=ZAR10.8755) in November from ZAR71.00 billion in October, the South African Reserve Bank said Friday.
Anthrax found in Federal Reserve mail facility
US - The Federal Reserve Board that sets U.S. interest rates and guides the world's most powerful economy, announced on Thursday that mail possibly contaminated with anthrax had been found at its off-site postal facility set up to head off suspect mail.
U.S. Senate okays Bies, Olson to Fed board
US - The U.S. Senate on Thursday confirmed the nominations of bankers Susan Schmidt Bies and Mark Olson to the seven-member Federal Reserve Board, whose most visible job is setting U.S. interest rates.
IMF blocks loan to Argentina
ARGENTINA - The International Monetary Fund has disappointed Argentina by effectively blocking a $1.3bn loan payment.
World Bank: more globalisation
US - A new report from the World Bank argues that globalisation has helped reduce world poverty, but still has more to do.
ECB holds rates steady
EUROPE - The European Central Bank (ECB) has left its key interest rate unchanged at 3.25% on Thursday at its last meeting before the introduction of euro notes and coins in January.
Japan braces for recession
JAPAN - Japan is poised to cross the official dividing line into recession on Friday morning when figures showing how much its economy has shrunk are released.
Egypt - New central bank role enshrined in law
EGYPT - The cabinet on 27 November approved a new law giving the Central Bank of Egypt greater authority over monetary policy and extending its supervisory role.
ECB Noyer - Little M3 impact from euro changeover
GERMANY - European Central Bank Vice President Christian Noyer said Thursday that the bank doesn't expect the changeover to euro notes and coins next year to have a significant impact on M3 money supply growth.
Duisenberg - Current ECB rates appropriate
GERMANY - European Central Bank President Wim Duisenberg Thursday justified the central bank's decision to leave interest rates unchanged by saying recent data confirmed the ECB's view that there are no immediate dangers for price stability in the euro…
Malaysian BNM international reserve at RM116.5 bln
MALAYSIA - Bank Negara's international reserves stood at RM116.5 billion as at 30 November, an increase of RM24 million from the level two weeks earlier, with trade and investment-related inflows maintaining their rising trend.
Russia's Gerashchenko denies resignation rumours
RUSSIA - Chairman of the Central Bank of Russia (CBR) Viktor Gerashchenko said Thursday that he had no plans to resign from 1 January.
South Africa's central bank reduces MPC meetings
SOUTH AFRICA - The South African Reserve Bank is to reduce the frequency of its regular six-weekly monetary policy committee meetings to once every quarter, the bank said Thursday.
Bank Indonesia gets three new deputy governors
INDONESIA - The Indonesian parliament late Wednesday named three new deputy governors for Bank Indonesia, filling positions that had been left vacant for extended periods.