News
China's Zhou wants SDRs as global currency
Zhou Xiaochuan, the governor of the People's Bank of China, has urged countries to adopt special drawing rights (SDR) as an international reserve currency as part of a move towards a more stable global monetary order.
Buba names new communications head
Benedikt Fehr, a journalist for a German daily, is to become the new head of the Bundesbank's communications department after Christian Burckhardt, the former head, died tragically last December.
UK rejigs inflation basket
Rose wine, hot rotisserie chicken and internet-based DVD subscriptions are some of the items that have been added to Britain's new inflation basket.
Rules alone will not stop crises: Rajan, White
Raghuram Rajan and William White, two highly-regarded economists, have said that regulation - whether it was tighter, less pro-cyclical or more systemic - would not prevent future crises unless fundamental structural and behavioural changes were made to…
Estonia to meet Maastricht criteria in 2009
Andres Lipstok, the governor of the Bank of Estonia, has said that the country will meet all the Maastricht criteria for euro entry later this year, reports say.
Reforming regulation: how urgent, how effective?
Participants in a conference hosted by the London School of Economics and Deutsche Bank in London on Thursday were split over whether there was substance to regulatory buzzwords such as countercyclical supervision and utility-based banking.
Turkish rates hit record low
The Central Bank of Turkey's decision to lower its benchmark rate by a full percentage point on Thursday took borrowing costs in the country at an all-time low.
Indian inflation near zero
Indian inflation has reached a 20-year low of just 0.44%.
Global economy to shrink by 0.5-1%: IMF
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has again lowered its growth estimates, saying that it now sees a contraction of 0.5% to 1% in global activity.
Bank to begin buying corporate bonds next week
The Bank of England said on Thursday that it would begin buying corporate bonds outright next week.
Iceland's new MPC cuts by 100bp in first decision
The Central Bank of Iceland's Monetary Policy Committee, set up earlier this month, has cut the key policy rate by a full percentage point to 17%.
Fed feedback: bombshell welcomed but some concern
Reaction to the Federal Open Market Committee's decision to buy Treasuries has been broadly positive but some are concerned by the apparent rashness of a decision about which Fed officials had given scant indication.
Morgan Stanley economist new MPC member
Alistair Darling, the chancellor of the exchequer, announced on Thursday that David Miles will replace David Blanchflower as an external member of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) on 1 June.
Sri Lanka keeps on cutting
The Central Bank of Sri Lanka slashed its policy rate by 175 basis points to 14.75% on Wednesday in an effort to encourage lending and revive economic activity.
Fed to buy Treasuries
The Federal Open Market Committee said on Thursday that it will buy up to $300 billion in Treasuries and an additional $750 billion of agency mortgage-backed securities. It will also invest an additional $100 billion in agency debt.
King moots Glass-Steagall revival
Mervyn King, the governor of the Bank of England, has called for a debate on whether the global financial crisis has shown that a Glass-Steagall type provision is needed to prevent retail deposits from being used to fund investment-banking activities.
SA shifts to monthly schedule for rate moves
The South African Reserve Bank's rate-setters are will vote once a month for the remainder of the year after the central bank announced it was doubling the frequency of its meetings for 2009.
FSA's Turner unveils blueprint for reform
Lord Adair Turner, the chairman of Britain's Financial Services Authority (FSA), on Wednesday published proposals for fundamental regulatory overhaul of the financial system, which includes a shift in the approach of the industry watchdog, whose…
BoJ pledges up to 1 trn in subordinated loans
The Bank of Japan is to offer its banks subordinated loans worth up to 1 trillion ($10.1 billion) to bolster its banking sector, crippled by the recent slump in equity prices.
Serbian governor contradicts Belgrade on EU aid
Radovan Jelasic, the governor of the National Bank of Serbia, has said that central and eastern European states should avoid over-reliance on European Union (EU) aid just hours after it emerged that Belgrade was seeking assistance from Brussels.
Italy's Draghi calls on banks to raise capital
Mario Draghi, the governor of the Bank of Italy, has urged the country's banks to increase their capital ratios to shore up confidence in the financial sector.
Central banks join the flight to quality
The financial turmoil has had a major impact on central banks' reserve-management policies.
South Africa's Mnyande: no time to sit and wait
Strengthening southern Africa's ability to prevent future crises is vital, Monde Mnyande, the chief economist of the South African Reserve Bank, has warned.
Bric economies call for greater voice
Brazil, China, Russia and India, the four leading emerging-market economies, have pressed for a greater say in the running of the Bretton Woods institutions.