News
Fiji: Pacific currency union out of the question
Fiji has rejected out of hand the idea of partaking in a Pacific currency union, according to the National Business Review. The prime minister said the idea was totally out of tune, far-fetched and unworkable. Australia's PM commented, "I think we should…
Egyptian cb reorganised
The Egyptian government has slimmed down the decision-making body of the Central Bank of Egypt, appointing a new seven-member committee to set short-term monetary policy and supervise the banking sector. This structure replaces the previous board of 11…
Broaddus: Fed can maintain low rates
The Fed can maintain an accommodative monetary policy until the US output gap narrows, said Alfred Broaddus, president of the Richmond Fed in a television interview on Wednesday, according to a report by Reuters.
UK MPC unanimous on August rate hold
All nine members of the Bank of England's monetary policy committee voted to leave interest rates on hold at 3.5%earlier this month, minutes of their meeting showed on Wednesday, reports the Financial Times. The quarter point cut in July had been…
Fuss over Mboweni's pay rise
Tito Mboweni, governor of the South African Reserve Bank, has been criticised for the fact that his pay rise of 9% this year turned out to be higher than the inflation target, reports the Mail & Guardian. He does not set his own salary however, the bank…
All's well in the euro zone
Contrary to incessant and repetitive media mutterings about the sickly euro zone economy, it would seem that in fact all is well. So well, in fact, that the ECB has decided that there is really no need for its forthcoming fortnightly meeting because…
Bank of Japan at the cutting edge
Toshihiko Fukui, Japan's central bank governor, keeps up with the times. He openly admits to entertaining his runaway addiction to the latest in mobile phone technology and is shortly to experience the unbridled pleasure of getting the NTT DoCoMo 505i…
Philippine central bankers to defend integrity
Four senior officials at the central bank in the Philippines, including the governor Rafael Buenaventura and his deputy Alberto Reyes, are getting heat from lawmen, accused of being "administratively liable of gross neglect of duty".
Cricketing King's unlikely heroes
When Mervyn King was the guest of honour last week at the lunch-time chat on BBC Radio 4's cricket programme "Test Match Special", he revealed his affection for - and knowledge of - the game as well as a certain ambition for socialite status. The…
Zimbabwe's central bankers urged to go
Things aren't getting any less desperate in Zimbabwe, which is in the thick of a crippling cash crisis, now that parliament is demanding that the central bank management just leave.
Donald Winn passes away
Fed old-timer Donald Winn sadly died at the age of 66 with pancreatic cancer after faithfully serving the central bank for almost half of his life. With 30 years on the clock, Winn had proved a precious asset to no less than four chairmen, in charge of…
RBNZ buys BIS shares
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand today announced that it had accepted an offer to become a shareholder in the BIS. The cost of the BIS shareholding is approximately NZ$100m (almost US$60m,) which has been raised from the Reserve Bank's balance sheet. In…
European inflation dips below ECB's target
Inflation in the eurozone dipped below 2% for July, according to Eurostat. The figure of 1.9% was down from 2% in June, helped by a 0.2% drop in prices - the largest monthly fall in two years, reports the Financial Times.
Swedish cabinet split over euro decision
The Swedish government, already split over whether to join the euro, was headed for crisis on Tuesday amid reports of an imminent cabinet reshuffle, reports Eubuisiness.com. The national referendum on whether to join the single currency is to be held on…
Political support needed for Africa currency union
Africa's central bank governors gathered together to discuss the possibility of forming a regional currency union, but concluded that however desirable and technically feasible it may be, it cannot be done without the support of politicians, reported the…
Balcerowicz urges fiscal reform in Poland
Polish central bank governor Leszek Balcerowicz has urged the government to undertake serious fiscal reform measures, according to Deutsche Presse-Agentur. If Poland is to avoid repeating Argentina's mistakes, there is a simple choice: "Either tolerance…
What is a central bank governor worth?
CentralBankNet's Monday Special reveals the going rate for the job of central bank governor.
Buenaventura wins president's support to appeal
Philippine central bank chief Rafael Buenaventura has won the support of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo following a court ruling to suspend him for a year, according to Agence France-Presse. Although Buenaventura should be able to appeal, she does not…
Serbian National Bank loan to boost govt budget
Bozidar Djelic, Serbian finance minister, today announced in an interview with the Belgrade financial daily Pregled that the government will take out a loan with the Serbian National Bank in September to boost the budget reports B92. The announcements…
Zimbabwe limits currency holdings
Zimbabwe has outlawed of individuals holding cash exceeding five million Zimbabwean dollars (US$6,250) in another attempt to halt the cash crisis, reports the Sunday Times in South Africa.
Arminio Fraga hedges his bets
Investors have been scrumming to get a piece of the action as Arminio Fraga, Brazil's ex-central bank governor and former employee of George Soros, is starting his own hedge fund. "It's going well," says Fraga, and great things are expected, according to…
Nigerian cb branded reckless and inefficient
The central bank in Nigeria has been denounced for its "recklessness and managerial inefficiency" by a member of the House of Representatives, which he says explains the sorry state of the banking sector, according to a report in the Daily Champion,…
Indian economy on the mend, says Jalan
Outgoing governor of India's central bank, Bimal Jalan, believes that strong economic fundamentals will clear the way for a higher growth rate and ease the way to full convertibility of the rupee, according to Asia Pulse.
No intervention to halt peso slide
The central bank of the Philippines did not intervene in the currency markets on Friday morning, August 15, despite the peso's dipping below the level of 55 to the dollar, said Amando Tetangco Jr, a deputy governor, according to INQ7.net.