News
Fed shocks with half point but signals easing over
US - The U.S. Federal Reserve on Wednesday slashed interest rates by a sharp half percentage point to new four-decade lows to try to reignite the recovery, but signalled it planned no more cuts any time soon.
Cautious Bank of England holds rates steady at 4%
UK - The Bank of England on Thursday left is main interest rate unchanged at 4 per cent for the twelfth consecutive month, despite the US Federal Reserve's unexpectedly large rate cut on Wednesday.
Bank of England News Release
NEWS RELEASE - Bank of England Maintains Interest Rates at 4.0%, 7 November.
ECB Press Release
PRESS RELEASE - At today's meeting the Governing Council of the ECB decided that the minimum bid rate on the main refinancing operations and the interest rates on the marginal lending facility and the deposit facility will remain unchanged at 3.25%, 4.25…
Lack of mavericks 'poses threat' to MPC committee
UK - The Bank of England risks making mistakes in its interest rate decisions because of a lack of maverick thinkers and a growing tendency towards consensus on its monetary policy committee, according to Capital Economics, a consultancy.
Doubts over Japan recovery
UK - Data released Wednesday suggested Japan's fragile export-led recovery might have peaked.
ECB refuses to join Fed rate cut for now
GERMANY - The European Central Bank left interest rates unchanged on Thursday, opting not to join the U.S. Federal Reserve in monetary easing aimed at propping up the faltering global economy.
RBA holds interest rates steady again
AUSTRALIA - The Reserve Bank of Australia, in a widely anticipated response to a worsening global economy and the growing impact of the drought, announced on Wednesday that it had decided to leave interest rates on hold for a fifth month.
SEC chairman Harvey Pitt resigns
US - US Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Harvey Pitt resigned under pressure Tuesday night after a series of political missteps that embarrassed the Bush White House just when it needed to shore up investors unnerved by accounting scandals.
UAE to tighten rules for 'terrorist' cash system
UAE - The United Arab Emirates is to tighten regulations for the hawala remittance system, the unofficial method of transferring money home used by millions of Asian and other expatriate workers in oil-rich Gulf states.
Euro rises above $1 mark in trading
GERMANY - The euro rose above a dollar Tuesday and hit its highest level against the U.S. currency in more than three months amid fears that the U.S. economic recovery may be faltering.
Argentine markets edge up, but worried about IMF
ARGENTINA - Argentine stocks inched higher, while the peso firmed slightly on Tuesday as the Central Bank sold dollars into the market to offset investor nervousness about a stalemate in aid talks with the IMF.
Takenaka admits Japan's debt-deflation spiral
JAPAN - Japan's economic and financial services 'super-minister', Heizo Takenaka, formally acknowledged Tuesday that the nation's economy is caught in a 'vicious circle' of debt and deflation, and that it will be difficult to get the government's own…
IADB chief praises Argentine crisis strategy
ARGENTINA - Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) President Enrique Iglesias on Tuesday praised Argentina's strategy to try and end its worst ever economic crisis, even though it has caused a standoff between the government and the IMF.
Latvia nominate ex c banker as next prime minister
LATVIA - Einars Repse, a former head of the Central Bank who campaigned against corruption, was nominated Tuesday to be the next prime minister of the former Soviet republic.
Russian gov't to cancel currency regulations 2007
RUSSIA - The Russian government plans to completely cancel currency regulations starting in 2007, the Vedomosti daily business newspaper reported on Tuesday, quoting First Deputy Finance Minister Aleksey Ulyukayev.
Norges Bank Press Release
PRESS RELEASE - The payment systems have become more efficient, 6 November.
South African Reserve Bank Press Release
PRESS RELEASE - Governor appointed Honorary Colonel, 31 October.
ECB Press Release
PRESS RELEASE - Publication of the European Court of Auditors' report on the efficiency of the ECB's management for the financial year 2001 and the ECB's reply, 30 October 2002.
Basel Committee QIS 3 Frequently Asked Questions
REPORT - Supervisors and banks have raised the following issues since the distribution of the Basel Committee's Quantitative Impact Study 3 (QIS 3), 30 October.
Minutes of Japan's Monetary Policy Meeting
MINUTES - Minutes of the Bank of Japan's Monetary Policy Meeting on 17 and 18 September 2002, released 5 November. The Policy Board noted Japan's economy has almost stabilised as a whole thanks to an export increase and the associated expansion of…
Kuwait market ready for more funds - central bank
KUWAIT - The Governor of Central Bank of Kuwait Sheikh Salem Abdulaziz Al-Sabah has said that the Kuwaiti market is developing considerably especially in the investment funds sector in the past two years.
Bank of Canada won't tip its hand
CANADA - A deputy governor of the Bank of Canada answered its critics on Monday, telling a blue-chip crowd that it's not the central bank's job to fine-tune the markets' expectations about future interest rate moves.
Tokyo shares surge as Asia awaits Fed
JAPAN - Japanese shares jumped nearly three percent Tuesday, while most other Asian stock markets paused to pocket profits, as investors looked forward to an expected cut in U.S. interest rates.