News
German regulator may follow US
GERMANY - The integration of European capital markets means Germany's securities regulator will need to model itself increasingly on the US Securities and Exchange Commission, according to Georg Wittich, the German authority's chairman.
Thailand may sue ex-central bank chief
THAILAND - Thailand's public prosecutor has recommended suing Rerngchai Marakanond, former central bank governor, for $1.6m ( £1.1m) for exhausting the country's foreign currency reserves in a failed defence of the baht, the trigger for the 1997 Asian…
Shanghai opens gold exchange
CHINA - China's gold markets will reach a milestone today with the low-key opening of a new exchange in Shanghai to trade the precious metal, which has been controlled by a rigid state monopoly for more than five decades.
Japan's bond market gets the jitters over debt
JAPAN - The Japanese government bond market was hit by a new bout of jitters on Monday as concern rose that the country's debt could soon be downgraded again - and signs emerged that Japanese banks were selling more JGBs.
Buba Welteke: Euro undervalued, dollar overvalued
JAPAN- Deutsche Bundesbank President Ernst Welteke said Wednesday that while foreign exchange rates are decided by the market, the euro is undervalued against the dollar.
Argentine central bank moves to cap interest rates
ARGENTINA - Argentina's Central Bank has entered potentially dangerous new territory this week, trying to impose ceilings on the interest rates banks pay depositors.
ECB may see rotating scheme with new members
GERMANY - The European Central Bank's policy making council might opt for a system similar to that of the U.S. Federal Reserve once the single currency area expands, ECB President Wim Duisenberg said on Friday 23 November.
Bank of England HM government gold auction result
NEWS RELEASE - The Bank of England announces that the gold on offer (approximately 20 tonnes or 643,200 ounces) has been allotted in full at a price of $273.50 per ounce. Details of the result are as follows.
BoE King - UK recession unlikely, more growth seen
UK - A recession in Britain is not the most likely result of the current global economic slowdown and the country should enjoy continued growth, albeit at a slower pace, Bank of England Deputy Governor Mervyn King said on Thursday 22 November in a speech.
US in recession since March, panel confirms
US - The struggling U.S. economy slipped into a recession in March, snapping a record 10-year-long expansion on its anniversary date, a panel of economists that dates U.S. business cycles said on Monday.
IMF considers sovereign debt protection
US - The International Monetary Fund has unveiled a radical plan to make itself the gatekeeper for a system designed to give heavily-indebted countries bankruptcy protection.
Germany 'is already in recession'
GERMANY - A day after news that the US entered a recession in March a leading economic think-tank has said Germany is already in a recession, and things will get worse later this year.
UK economy closer to eurozone
UK - Britain's economy has become more closely aligned with the eurozone than many countries that are already members, according to the OECD.
€ Euro - French police break up euro strike
FRANCE - French riot police have forced their way into the only mint in the country producing euro coins, after a 10-day strike by workers over pay and conditions.
Luxembourg's secret euro plan
LUXEMBOURG - Luxembourg was prepared to break up its monetary union with Belgium at the height of the crisis in Europe's exchange rate mechanism (ERM) in 1993, the country's prime minister has revealed.
€ Euro - Portugal rolls presses again
PORTUGAL - The euro has brought banknote printing back to Portugal for the first time in almost a century. Since the early 1900s, the work had been outsourced, largely to the UK, for reasons of economy of scale. But the Bank of Portugal decided that it…
€ Euro - Fears over Thai impostor
NETHERLANDS - The Dutch vending machine industry has raised the alarm about similarities between the new Euros 2 coin and 10 Thai baht, which has been discovered to fit in most machines being prepared for the arrival of the single currency.
€ Euro - Spaniards await manana
SPAIN - Only 42 per cent of businesses in Spain say they are ready for the euro, according to a survey by the Spanish chambers of commerce published yesterday.
€ Euro - Luck of the Irish thwarted
IRELAND - When David Hickey instructed his bank in Dublin to transfer funds to an account in Spain, he never expected to end up in court, fingerprinted, handcuffed and facing possible criminal charges.
Bank of Canada Press Release
PRESS RELEASE - Bank of Canada lowers key policy interest rate by 1/2 percentage point to 2 1/4 per cent.
Bank of Canada lowers key policy rate by 0.5%
CANADA - The Bank of Canada today, Tuesday, announced that it is lowering its target for the overnight rate by one-half of one percentage point to 2 1/4 per cent.
Austrian c bank - ECB not relaxing stability pact
AUSTRIA - Austrian central bank Governor Klaus Liebscher Friday said the European Central Bank's stance on the euro-zone's Stability and Growth Pact won't be relaxed.
Russia's central bank head office may be moved
RUSSIA - Members of a working group drafting amendments to a new law on the Central Bank are proposing moving the bank's head office from Moscow to St. Petersburg.
Parry: Q4 fall off in econ likely sharper than Q3
US - The downturn in high-tech business has been particularly rough for the San Francisco Bay area, where unemployment and commercial vacancies have been rapidly on the rise, said San Francisco Federal Reserve President Robert Parry Monday 19 November.