News
China raises rates by 0.27%
The People's Bank of China on Friday 18 August announced increases of 0.27 percent for key lending and deposit rates in an attempt to slow investment and prevent the economy from overheating.
Fukui says 'more time' needed to hike rates
Bank of Japan governor Toshihiko Fukui told the Kyodo News Agency in an interview that the central bank needs "a little more time" to lift interest rates after it ended its zero-rate policy last month.
SADC meeting focuses on trade
Trade in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) will feature high on the agenda at the 14-member body's summit in Maseru, Lesotho.
Report sees slower gold sales
With European central banks unlikely to opt to sell the maximum allowable 500 metric tons of gold in their annual quota, gold prices should benefit from the reduced physical supply, according to a report by London-based consultancy Virtual Metals Ltd.
SPEED: the new journal for financial plumbers
SPEED - short for Settlement, Payment, E-money and E-trading Development - is a new journal aimed at all those policy-makers in banks, central banks and system operators who are trying to ensure that the financial infrastructure, often called the …
Romanian central bank confident of inflation drop
The Romanian central bank said Wednesday 16 August it is confident of a drop in inflation, while promising to maintain its cautious approach to monetary policy, guarding against the possibility of inflation rising again.
Venezuela monetary reform pondered
A likely monetary reform in Venezuela is subject to a decision by the Central Bank of Venezuela (BCV), said the National Assembly Finance Committee president Rodrigo Cabezas.
Securities Settlement Service may cut costs
Costs for securities settlement services could fall as much as 20% if the European Central Bank sets up a single platform in the eurozone, a person familiar with the deliberations told Dow Jones Newswires Thursday 17 August.
Minutes show Blanchflower dissented on rate rise
The Bank of England's interest rate setting Monetary Policy Committee voted six-to-one to raise its key repo rate by a quarter point to 4.75 pct at its meeting on 3 August, minutes released Wednesday 16 August showed.
BoJ members called for cautious stance - minutes
Minutes released Wednesday 16 August showed some members of the Bank of Japan's policy board called for a cautious policy stance at their last meeting to avoid leading markets to think the central bank's rushing to raise interest rates.
BoE's Bean says rate move was no surprise
The inflation rate two or more years in the future matters more than the current rate for setting monetary policy, Bank of England Chief Economist Charles Bean was quoted as saying on Wednesday 16 August.
PBOC should raise rates again, says economist
A well-known Chinese economist was quoted by Xinhua News as calling for another interest rate hike as the economy pushed ahead at the fastest pace in a decade.
SBV strengthens communications, security
The State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) has selected advanced technologies from Cisco Systems to help increase operational efficiencies in its countrywide infrastructure and provide a platform to regulate the banking system.
Esca expects to gain greater authority
The Emirates Securities and Commodities Authority (Esca) will gradually execute all functions of the financial authority, Gulf News reported.
BIS' Knight to join Nobel Laureate Meetings
The General Manager of the Bank for International Settlement in Basel, Dr. Malcolm Knight, is to become a new member of the Honorary Senate of the Foundation of Nobel Laureate Meetings in Lindau, Germany, the Council for the Lindau Nobel Laureate…
African central bank governors meet in Namibia
Central bank governors from across Africa have converged on Windhoek to participate in the Assembly of African Central Bank Governors (AACB) conference taking place this week.
World Bank sees China economy slowing
The World Bank said on Tuesday 15 August that China's economy is likely to slow slightly over the rest of the year and Beijing will probably wait to see the impact of current tightening steps before deciding if more are needed.
RBA's Macfarlane facing final hearing
The Australian House of representatives economics committee will hold a public hearing on Friday 18 August with the Reserve Bank governor, Ian Macfarlane.
War will slow growth says Israel's Fischer
Bank of Israel Governor Stanley Fischer said in an interview that war with Hizbullah will cut the nation's economic growth rate by 1 percentage point this year.
Report says US considering inflation gauge change
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics is contemplating a change in the consumer price index that may have an impact on how markets and policymakers interpret inflation data, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday 14 August, citing a government official.
SNB's Roth sees continued rate hikes
Swiss National Bank president Jean-Pierre Roth said in an interview with Swiss Sunday paper NZZ am Sonntag that the SNB will continue its policy of gradual interest rate hikes.
RBZ's Gono given increased protection
Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe governor Gideon Gono has been given increased security following a recent arson attack on his property, the Zimbabwe Standard reported.
France's Breton says sharp ECB hikes not needed
France's Finance Minister Thierry Breton said in an interview there is no need for the European Central Bank to continue raising interest rates much above the current 3.0 pct level.
BOJ steps in after Tokyo blackout
The Bank of Japan began supplying emergency funds Monday 14 August to the interbank market after a blackout halted fund settlements.