News
China considering expansion of HK yuan business
The Chinese government may allow Hong Kong companies to issue yuan-denominated bonds and settle trade transactions using the yuan, in order to expand yuan business in the city, Zhou Xiaochuan, governor of the People's Bank of China (PBoC) said, according…
NBP chief defends decision over meeting
Leszek Balcerowicz, governor of the national bank of Poland, rejected accusations on Friday 10 march that he broke the law by excluding a government official from a regulatory meeting on Italian lender UniCredit's deal to buy Polish Bank BPH.
Bank of Canada announces research award
The Bank of Canada announced on Friday 10 March that Professor Gregor Smith of Queen's University is the recipient of the Bank's Research Fellowship for 2006.
PBOC says US pressure not a factor on yuan
A People's Bank of China official was quoted on Thursday 9 March as saying that pressure from the US is not a factor under consideration in determining the yuan's exchange rate.
New vice-governor for Slovak central bank
The National Bank of Slovakia is to get a new vice-governor, the Slovak Spectator reported.
Liebscher says EU integration must not be hampered
National Bank of Austria governor Klaus Liebscher said in an interview that EU integration must not be hampered by protectionist measures to fight cross-border mergers in some countries.
RBNZ leaves OCR unchanged at 7.25 per cent
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand announced on Thursday 9 March that its Official Cash Rate (OCR) will remain on hold at 7.25 per cent.
IMF upholds sanctions against Zimbabwe
The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund met Wednesday 8 March to review Zimbabwe's overdue financial obligations to the Fund and consider the sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe.
Bank of Japan ends quantitative-easing policy
The Bank of Japan voted 7-1 to end its five-year-old super-easy monetary policy on Thursday 9 March at the end of a two-day meeting, but said it will maintain short-term interest rates near zero until its next meeting in April.
Japan's Abe praises Fukui's wisdom
Japan's top spokesman repeated the government's position on Wednesday 8 March that the Bank of Japan should exercise caution over scrapping its ultra-loose monetary policy.
Greenspan's memoirs sold to Penguin
Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan signed a deal on Tuesday to publish his memoirs with The Penguin Press.
Prime Minister of Lithuania visits ECB
The Prime Minister of the Republic of Lithuania, HE Algirdas Brazauskas, visited the European Central Bank (ECB) on Tuesday.
Swedish Riksbank unanimous in rate hike decision
The Swedish Riksbank's board was unanimous in its 22 February decision to raise the repo rate by 0.25 pct to 2 pct, according to the minutes of the meeting published Wednesday.
Fed's Poole says more rate hikes may be needed
The U.S. economy has a "great deal of momentum" and the Federal Reserve may have to raise interest rates further, one of its top policymakers said on Monday 6 March.
ECB warns on further Asian reserves build-up
The ECB said in a paper published Wednesday 8 March that a further build-up of foreign exchange reserves in Asia could lead to problems such as inflation pressures and asset price bubbles.
Riksbank to introduce new, more secure banknotes
On 15 March, Sweden's Riksbank will introduce new, more secure 50-krona and 1,000-krona banknotes.
Norges Bank's monetary policy conference 2006
On Thursday 30 March, Norges Bank is holding a monetary policy conference in connection with the publication of Norges Bank's Annual Report for 2005.
SARB slows forex buying
The Reserve Bank of South Africa slowed its buying of US dollars to $345m last month from $1,289bn in January, figures published Tuesday showed.
Bank of Canada raises rates to 3.75%
The Bank of Canada announced Tuesday that it is raising its target for the overnight rate by one-quarter of one percentage point to 3 3/4 per cent.
Libya appoints new central bank governor
Libya's top legislative and executive body has appointed Farhat Omar Bin Guidara as the new central bank governor, replacing Ahmed Mohammed Moneisi.
OECD cautions Japan on policy move
The OECD cautioned Japan on Monday 6 March against a hasty move to end its zero interest-rate policy, saying the country was only slowly emerging from deflation.
Japan's Abe says BOJ should be transparent
Japan's top government spokesman said on Tuesday 7 March that it was important that the Bank of Japan's monetary policy is transparent.
Ex-Buba Milow on govt gold grip
In Saturday's issue of Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, the former Bundesbank branch office manager Christian Milow wrote at length about "The grip of the government on gold" ("Der Griff des Staates nach dem Gold").
ECB publication of an enhanced 'Blue Book'
The European Central Bank on Monday 6 March published a statistical addendum to the publication "Payment and securities settlement systems in the European Union and in the acceding countries" (known as the "Blue Book") incorporating 2004 data.