News
Germany's Steinbrueck defends 'sacrosanct' ECB
German Finance Minister Peer Steinbrueck insisted Tuesday 30 January that European Central Bank independence was "sacrosanct" amid calls from some politicians for a more accountable ECB.
PBOC 'closely monitoring' property prices - report
China's central bank is "closely monitoring" domestic property prices, state media quoted the People's Bank of China governor as saying Tuesday 30 January.
Ex-Fed's Rivlin says Bernanke gets an 'A'
"In general, I think he's doing a very good job...I think he gets an A on several different grounds," former Federal Reserve vice chairwoman Alice Rivlin told Kyodo News in an interview published Monday 29 January, ahead of the anniversary of Bernanke's…
Greenspan promotes stronger Chinese yuan
China may improve the stability of its economy by allowing the yuan to rise faster, Alan Greenspan, former chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve, said Monday 29 January via video link at a conference in Shanghai organized by UBS AG.
HKMA says close monitoring needed on hedge funds
Hedge funds' activity needs to be monitored closely because their 'risk-taking . . . is often excessive,' the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) said in a paper.
ECB policy still accommodating says Bini Smaghi
ECB board member Lorenzo Bini Smaghi said Saturday 27 January in a speech in Milan that current eurozone interest rates are still "accommodating" and will continue to be so in the coming months.
BoE's Blanchflower downplays 'dove' tag
Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee member, David Blanchflower, has attempted to downplay the market's view of him as an interest rate dove in an interview with the Guardian published Monday 29 January.
Buba's Remsperger sees German recovery into 2008
Bundesbank executive board member Hermann Remsperger said in an interview with the Financial Times published Monday 29 January Germany's economic recovery has a good chance of continuing beyond 2007 and into next year.
PBOC's Wu says yuan to shift gradually
People's Bank of China deputy governor Wu Xiaoling said at the World Economic Forum that the yuan exchange rate will gradually become more flexible.
ECB's Trichet sees risk of inflation spiral
European Central Bank president Jean-Claude Trichet told French television there is a risk of an increase in inflation in the eurozone and noted that ECB rates are well below those of the US Fed.
Buba's Weber says rates may have to rise
Bundesbank President Axel Weber said in an interview published Monday 29 January a further increase in euro zone interest rates may well be needed, if German wages increase steeply.
BoJ to discontinue its Quarterly Bulletin
The Bank of Japan said Friday 26 January it will stop publishing its Quarterly Bulletin from now on due to increased use of the internet. The last issue was the November 2006 edition, the BoJ said in a statement.
China's Yu says coordinate foreign reserve policy
Yu Yongding, a former adviser to the People's Bank of China, said on Friday 26 January that officials should coordinate foreign reserve policy with other Asian central banks to prevent volatility in currency markets.
Ota says BoJ, govt share same view on economy
Japan's economic and fiscal policy minister Hiroko Ota said Thursday 25 January the Bank of Japan and the government share the same view on the state of the world's second-largest economy.
Ecuador's central bank defends itself with advert
Ecuador's central bank is taking out advertisements in the country's main newspapers to defend its independence after newly elected President Rafael Correa questioned the need for its autonomy.
ECB's Weber says rates must keep rising
ECB governing council member Axel Weber said on Friday 26 January must keep withdrawing monetary stimulus from the euro zone economy.
Malaysia to host Global Islamic Finance Forum
Bank Negara Malaysia will host the inaugural Global Islamic Finance Forum (GIFF) between 26 and 29 March, the BNM said Thursday 25 January.
RBNZ's Bollard signals rates may rise
The Reserve bank of New Zealand said Thursday 25 January it will probably raise the benchmark interest rate from a record-high 7.25 percent because a surge in consumer spending and house prices may fuel inflation.
PBOC's Fan sees yuan fluctuating
Fan Gang, the only non-government representative on the monetary policy committee of the People's Bank of China, said Thursday 25 January has said the trend for the yuan will be to fluctuate, rather than rise constantly.
Prodi backing ECB independence
Italian prime minister Romano Prodi said this week the European Central Bank (ECB) should maintain its independence and that it had done a good job in its interest rate policy.
Interview with Bank of Japan's Fukui
In an interview with Reuters, published on Wednesday 24 January, Bank of Japan governor Toshihiko Fukui said he is not sure how quickly board members can agree on lifting rates.
Rates should rise if confident, says BoJ's Suda
The Bank of Japan needs to avoid spending too much time examining data and policy makers should raise interest rates as long as they're confident in the outlook for the economy, BoJ board member Miyako Suda said in a speech Thursday 25 January.
ECB's Weber sees upward risks to inflation
Further European Central Bank action is needed to make sure that eurozone price stability remains in check, European Central Bank Governing Council member Axel Weber said Wednesday 24 January.
Minutes show BoE split 5-4 on rate increase
The Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee voted 5-4 in favour of the surprise rate hike on 11 January, minutes of the meeting published Wednesday 24 January showed.