News
Zimbabwe lops zeros off currency, again
The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe has chopped 12 zeroes off the Zimbabwean dollar in its latest attempt to curb hyperinflation.
Harare abandons Zim dollar for foreign currencies
The Zimbabwean government has said that it will allow businesses to accept multiple currencies alongside the effectively worthless Zimbabwean dollar.
Eurozone, Japanese inflation sink
Eurozone annual inflation fell to its lowest level since 1999 in January as data revealed price growth in Japan came to a near standstill in 2008.
Trichet urges markets to drop focus on capital
Jean-Claude Trichet, the president of the European Central Bank, has urged markets to abandon their fixation with banks' capital ratios, saying that officials were against raising requirements.
Philippines cuts again as inflation abates
The Central Bank of the Philippines cut rates by half a point for the second month in a row on Friday, citing a shift in the inflation outlook.
Economists' forum launches crisis blog
VoxEU.org, an online forum set up by the Centre for Economic Policy Research, has launched a blog on the global financial crisis.
NZ makes another mammoth cut, rates hit fresh low
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand slashed its benchmark official cash rate by 150 basis points to a new all-time low of 3.5% on Thursday and signalled it could cut again in the coming months.
Orphanides comments highlight ECB divide
Comments by the governor of the Central Bank of Cyprus on Wednesday underlined the split between members of the European Central Bank's (ECB) Governing Council on whether eurozone interest rates should fall to zero.
Fed holds on Treasury issue, flags deflation risk
The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) said that it could buy longer-term Treasury securities, but only if market conditions were right. The committee also acknowledged that inflation may fall to "below rates that best foster growth and stability".
Denmark details release schedule for new notes
The National Bank of Denmark will begin issuing a new Dkr50 ($8.75) bill, the first in a new series of banknotes, on 11 August.
South Africa's Mboweni rejects ANC seat
Tito Mboweni, the governor of the South African Reserve Bank, has turned down the chance to stand as a candidate for the African National Congress (ANC), the ruling political party, in the country's upcoming general elections. The decision signals that…
Global growth to slump to 60-year low in 2009: IMF
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said on Wednesday that it expected world growth to fall to 0.5% this year, its lowest rate since World War II.
FDIC may run US bad bank
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), a key American regulator, could manage a bad bank that the Obama administration is likely to soon set up, say reports.
Bailouts unnecessary if Basel II rules were laxer
A minor change to Basel II would have made it possible to restore much of the confidence in the banking industry without governments having to inject capital in the short term, economists have said.
Italy's Saccomanni hits out at protectionist claim
Fabrizio Saccomanni, the director general of the Bank of Italy, has attacked claims that a new facility set up by the central bank is protectionist.
Ukraine president to block move to sack governor
Viktor Yuschenko, the Ukraine's president, is to launch a legal bid to render parliament's latest attempt to oust the governor of the country's central bank invalid.
St Louis Fed elects new chair
The St Louis Federal Reserve has named Steven Lipstein, the president and chief executive of BJC HealthCare, the chair of its board for the coming year.
Dudley takes helm at NY Fed, Geithner sworn in
William Dudley, the executive vice president of the markets group at the New York Federal Reserve, is to succeed Tim Geithner as president of the central bank after Geithner was sworn in as US Treasury secretary on Monday.
Supervisors must change bonus culture: Wellink
Nout Wellink, the chairman of the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision and president of De Nederlandsche Bank, has called on supervisors around the world to tackle banks' "generous" bonus culture.
India holds but signals cuts could come
The Reserve Bank of India kept its benchmark repo rate at an all-time low of 5.5% on Tuesday but indicated it could soon cut further with the Indian economy vulnerable to the fallout of the financial crisis.
Poland slashes on "considerable" slowdown
The National Bank of Poland cut rates by 75 basis points to their lowest level since April 2007 on Tuesday, citing flagging growth and lower inflation.
IMF to cut growth forecast to 1% to 1.5% - report
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) now expects global growth of between 1% and 1.5% in the coming year, down from its November estimate of 2.2%, say reports.
Kuwaiti SWF to take 16% stake in Gulf bank
The Kuwait Investment Authority, a sovereign wealth fund, has taken a 16% share in one of the country's largest banks.
Israel cuts to record low, economy to shrink
The Bank of Israel slashed its key rate by 75 basis points to an all-time low of 1% on Monday and said that it now expected the economy to contract by 0.2% in 2009.