News
Bubble, schmubble - foil or trouble?
According to this article published on Saturday 22 April, a number of economists are beginning to argue that long-accepted methods of measuring economic trends must be rethought and possibly replaced to reflect new economic conditions.
ECB talk of normalising rates confirms slow pace
This article published on Monday 24 April suggests that a recent shift in ECB rhetoric to talk of normalising interest rates appears to confirm that the central bank has in mind a slow and steady course of rate hikes.
Is single global currency feasible?
The problems of how to value one currency compared to another and How to predict or control fluctuations in those values persist and now must be solved, according to this article published Tuesday 25 April.
Buba's Weber sticks to German growth forecast
The German central bank still expects economic growth of around 'one-and-a half percent' in Germany this year, despite the rallying oil prices, Bundesbank president Axel Weber told Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung in an interview.
Economist warns over euro currency
Respected European economist Paul de Grauwe has warned of the euro's collapse unless there is progress towards political union.
ECB's Mersch sees inflation risks from oil
European Central Bank council member Yves Mersch said in an interview he is concerned about a surge in liquidity and oil prices pushing up inflation.
Does the euro zone really need political union?
Seven years after the launch of the euro, this article published on Friday 21 April asks how much political union is needed to make monetary union work more effectively?
Capital accord or capital discord?
According to this recent article, preparations for the new capital accord continue but there are growing fears among bankers and their supervisors that its inconsistent implementation around the world will cause problems.
Language: Breaking the code of the Fed
This article published on Monday 24 April sets out to decipher the language of the Federal Reserve System, otherwise known as the House of Hints, it says.
Mario Draghi to succeed Roger Ferguson at FSF
Following consultations within the Financial Stability Forum's (FSF) membership, the G7 Finance Ministers and central bank Governors on Monday 24 April confirmed their support for the designation of Mario Draghi as Chairman of the FSF.
Fed's Ferguson warns over shock potential
U.S. Federal Reserve Vice Chairman Roger Ferguson on Saturday 22 April cautioned that the tranquillity of financial markets in recent years does not mean that they were not vulnerable to more severe shocks.
IMF given new surveillance powers
The International Monetary Fund has won new powers after its 184 member countries supported a new framework to monitor how the economic policies of one country affect others.
PBOC economist says 2006 GDP at least 9%
China's gross domestic product (GDP) will rise at least nine pct this year and the consumer price index (CPI) is likely to rise more than two pct, the official China Securities Journal reported, citing a central bank economist.
Riksbank changes currency allocation
Sweden's Riksbank announced on Friday 21 April that it has reallocated the currency holdings in the bank's foreign currency reserves. The changes include a move away from US dollar holdings in favour of euros.
Interview with Fed's Roger Ferguson
In an interview published on Friday 21 April, Federal Reserve Vice Chairman Roger Ferguson said if there were a sense that the economy was at great risk, he would not want to leave the Fed.
No Nixon moment on China's currency
According to this article published on Friday 21 April, for the second time in less than a year Asia's No. 2 economy outmaneuvered the world's biggest on the yuan.
Reshaping the IMF - Not even a cat to rescue
This article published Thursday 20 April reports that the International Monetary Fund's budget is shrinking and the morale of its staff is sinking. Some of its best customers are now doing without it, leaving some of its biggest shareholders wondering…
Reserve diversification
Sweden's central bank is the world's oldest, and according to this article published on Friday 21 April, it is also proving to be among the most proactive in managing its foreign exchange reserves.
BoJ overpays on travel expenses
The Bank of Japan has paid overstated amounts of domestic travel expenses claimed by some of its personnel and has been told by the Board of Audit of Japan to correct the problem, Jiji Press reported Thursday 20 April.
MEPs criticise ECB appointment
Following the approval of Jurgen Stark's nomination to the ECB's board by the European Parliament's Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee on Wednesday 19 April, some centre-left MEPs have criticised the go-ahead.
Padoa-Schioppa 'serious' candidate for econ min
Romano Prodi, Italy's election winner, said on Friday 21 April that former European Central Bank board member Tommaso Padoa-Schioppa was a "serious" candidate to become his economy minister, but that nothing had been decided yet.
Can the new Fed keep eyes off rear-view mirror?
According to this article published Thursday 20 April, the minutes from the last FOMC meeting, released on Tuesday 18 April, had something old, something new -- and something borrowed from former Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan.
Indian central bank must let housing bubble be
This article published Thursday 20 April asks, is the Reserve Bank of India trying to prick the housing bubble, something that both Alan Greenspan and Ben Bernanke have shied from doing in the U.S.?
Interactive access to Fed statistical data
The Federal Reserve Board on Wednesday 19 April announced its new Data Download application, which provides interactive access to Federal Reserve statistical data in a variety of electronic formats.