News
UK MPC hawk acting on 70s memories
Tim Besley, the only member of the Bank of England's nine-strong Monetary Policy Committee to back a rate hike this month, voted against the majority on fears that UK inflation could become as volatile as it was in the 1970s.
Philly Fed payments VP wins promotion
Arun Jain, a vice president at the Philadelphia Federal Reserve's retail payments department, will become a senior vice president after nearly 30 years of working within the Fed system.
Fed pledges to extend aid measures into 2009
The Federal Reserve moved to soothe financial market tensions on Wednesday with a fresh batch of liquidity measures, including confirmation that it will allow investment banks to borrow from its discount window into next year.
Zimbabwe lops ten zeros off currency
The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe announced plans to remove ten zeros from its currency in a fresh bid to fight hyperinflation.
Bangkok names new central bank board
The Thai government has appointed a new central bank board.
Obama talks crunch and regulation with Bernanke
Ben Bernanke, the chairman of the Federal Reserve, has discussed the credit crisis and proposals for more stringent financial regulation with Barack Obama, the Democratic candidate for the US president.
Canada names Toronto director
Mark Caplan, an executive managing director at BMO Financial, a financial services company, will join the Bank of Canada as a senior representative and director of its Toronto office.
RBI moves to counter "intolerable" inflation
The Reserve Bank of India looked to assert its inflation-fighting credentials on Tuesday, raising its policy rate and reserve ratio, and warning of regulatory action if financial institutions continue to lend excessively.
Russia cuts back on Fannie and Freddie paper
The Central Bank of Russia has markedly reduced its holdings of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac paper since the start of the year, a senior official confirmed on Monday.
Inflation and fiscal deficit force Pakistan to act
The State Bank of Pakistan has raised its benchmark rate by a full percentage point to 13% in a bid to combat rampant inflation, and a worsening fiscal deficit.
OECD inflation soars to eight-year high
CPI inflation in the 30 countries that comprise the OECD surged to its highest level since March 2000 in the year to June, data published Tuesday revealed.
IMF sticks with $1 trillion write-down estimate
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said on Monday it was standing by its estimate that subprime write-downs would end up totalling something close to $1 trillion despite research by the Bank of England suggesting that losses would be a lot lower.
Fed's Mishkin proposes communications changes
Frederic Mishkin, an outgoing governor of the Federal Reserve, believes the central bank needs to make a raft of improvements to its communication policy.
Research suggests Sarkozy's ECB ire unjustified
Though it is unlikely to placate Nicolas Sarkozy, France's president, new research has found the European Central Bank (ECB) is more transparent than the national central banks of the eurozone members were before the introduction of the euro.
Israel continues to hike despite inflation dip
The Bank of Israel will raise its benchmark rate to 4% in August in spite of signs price pressures are easing.
Obama praises Bernanke
Barack Obama, the Democratic candidate for the US presidency, has commended Ben Bernanke, the chairman of the Federal Reserve, for his response to the recent economic upheaval.
Brazil's Lula defends central bank's independence
Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, the president of Brazil, has underlined his support for the central bank's autonomy after the institution decided last week to make its biggest rate hike in more than five years.
Fed and SEC vie to regulate investment banks
The heads of Securities and Exchange Commission and the New York Federal Reserve made the case for their institution to supervise investment banks before US lawmakers.
Discount window borrowing hits fresh high
US commercial banks borrowed an average of $16.8 billion per day from the regional Federal Reserves' discount windows in the week to Wednesday, the highest-ever amount.
Zimbabwe plans reforms to ease consumers' plight
The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe is to publish plans aimed at alleviating the impact of hyperinflation on consumers, Gideon Gono, the governor of the central bank, said on Thursday.
Japanese inflation spikes to 1.9%
Annual core inflation in Japan soared by almost half a point in the year to June to 1.9%, up from 1.5% the previous month.
ECB's Liebscher: we could hike again
Klaus Liebscher, the governor of the National Bank of Austria and a member of the European Central Bank's (ECB) rate-setting council, said rates could rise again in the coming months.
Ecuador's central bank chief quits
Robert Andrade, the president of the Central Bank of Ecuador, has resigned after less than five months in charge.
New Zealand surprises with rate cut
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand on Thursday cut the benchmark official cash rate a quarter point to 8%.