News
UK shadow chancellor shifts on bank independence
UK - UK Chancellor Gordon Brown deserves "great credit" for his decision to give the Bank of England independence, Michael Howard has said.
Heikensten says slower wage growth needed
SWEDEN - Sweden's membership of European economic and monetary union will demand a higher government budget surplus and lower wage increases, Lars Heikensten, deputy governor of Sweden's central bank told Dagens Nyheter Sunday.
Iran's c bank chief dismisses embezzlement claims
IRAN - Governor of the Central Bank of Iran (CBI) has dismissed as "untrue" certain reports on embezzlement at CBI and said the claims are unfortunately raised by those who are unfamiliar with banking affairs.
Israel unveils plan to limit central bank powers
ISRAEL - Israel's Finance Ministry unveiled legislation Sunday to rein in the power of the central bank, with a monetary council appointed by the finance minister and a widening of the bank's goals to include growth and employment targets.
BIS-Central bankers see world economy improving
SWITZERLAND - Top central bankers see the world economy's prospects more positive than they did two months ago and expect key interest rates to rise only once a more broad-based recovery has been firmly established, Bank of England Governor Sir Edward…
Regulating the City 'costs £1bn'
UK - The cost of regulating the City is at least £1bn and the benefits are completely unclear some months after the Financial Services Authority acquired its full powers, according to research.
ECB Press Conference
PRESS CONFERENCE - Introductory statement by Willem F. Duisenberg, President of the European Central Bank, Christian Noyer, Vice-President of the European Central Bank, Frankfurt am Main, 7 March.
Banks shun online sales pitch
UK - Britain's banks and building societies are turning away from the web in their search for new customers.
BIS hits back over banking standards
GERMANY - Andrew Crockett, head of the Bank for International Settlements, has answered criticism of his plans for new global banking standards from Gerhard Schroder, German chancellor, by warning politicians not to interfere.
Zimbabwe election fears hit rand
SOUTH AFRICA - Less than a day ahead of Zimbabwe's bitterly contested presidential election, South Africa's currency is feeling the pinch.
US finance chief backs steel moves
US - US Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill has rejected suggestions from Europe that America's push to protect the domestic steel industry is simply a matter of treating the symptoms of an overvalued dollar.
Central bankers forged together over steel tariffs
US - ECB president Wim Duisenberg and Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan both spoke yesterday of their disagreement with the US government's decision to impose tariffs on steel. US treasury secretary Paul O'Neill, however, came out in favour of the…
Swedish c bank chief says worried by inflation
SWEDEN - Sweden's central bank governor Urban Backstrom said on Thursday he shared the concern of many of his colleagues at the bank on inflation but said a rate rise should be postponed if an upturn was not certain.
Gramlich- fiscal stimulus should be reversible
US - A Federal Reserve official on Thursday said measures the government takes to ward off recession should meet several criteria, including being easily reversible.
New man taking over at head of Irish central bank
IRELAND - Irishman John Hurley becomes the newest member of the European Central Bank's governing council on Monday when he takes up the reins as governor of the Central Bank of Ireland.
China ctrl bk - Weak yen won't affect stable yuan
CHINA - The weakening Japanese yen won't force China's government to abandon its long-held policy of maintaining a stable yuan, a senior central bank economic researcher said Friday.
Minutes of Japan's Monetary Policy Meeting
MINUTES - Bank of Japan Monetary Policy Meeting Minutes from the 15 and 16 January, released 5 March.
Bank of England News Release
NEWS RELEASE - Bank of England Maintains Interest Rates at 4.0%, 7 March.
European Central Bank Press Release
PRESS RELEASE - ECB Monetary Policy Decisions, 7 March.
ECB Press Release
PRESS RELEASE - European Central Bank buys Grossmarkt site, 5 March.
Greenspan upbeat on US recovery
US - Alan Greenspan, the chairman of the US central bank, has said that the US economic recovery is well under way.
Argentina seeks to clear way for IMF deal
ARGENTINA - Argentina's Senate yesterday debated the country's 2002 budget a day ahead of schedule as part of efforts to unlock a big support package from the International Monetary Fund.
Beige Book shows limited economic improvement
US - The US economy showed scattered "signs of improvement" through January and early February, but was not barrelling out of the gates, according to the latest anecdotal survey released on Wednesday by the Federal Reserve.
Papademos "very good" candidate for ECB vice head
GREECE - German Finance Minister Hans Eichel said Thursday that Greek Central Bank Governor Lucas Papademos was a "very good" candidate to succeed Christian Noyer as vice president of the European Central Bank, reports Dow Jones.