European Central Bank (ECB)
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.
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.
Noyer says no conflict on price stability, growth
Bank of France governor and ECB governing council member Christian Noyer told the Liberation newspaper on Tuesday 23 January current monetary conditions are favourable for growth and there is no conflict between price stability and economic growth.
Buba's Fabritius sees German GDP growth down
Bundesbank executive board member Hans Georg Fabritius said in a speech German GDP growth is expected to be 1.75% this year, down from a 2.7% growth rate in 2006.
Bini Smaghi says ECB rate may rise further
ECB board member Lorenzo Bini Smaghi told La Repubblica in an interview published Tuesday 23 January that the ECB's rate is "still accommodating" and may have to rise further if growth expectations are confirmed to avoid excess liquidity.
Stark on monetary policy: a view from the ECB
In the speech 'Objectives and challenges of monetary policy: a view from the ECB' given on 19 January Jurgen Stark of the ECB said the ECB retains the freedom to move interest rates whenever it considers it necessary to control inflation pressures,…
Ministers concerned over settlement plan - report
European finance ministers have raised doubts about the European Central Bank's plan to provide its own settlement system for eurozone securities transactions, the Financial Times reported Monday 22 January.
ECB denies Trichet, Juncker, Almunia meetings plan
The European Central Bank denied a report on Monday 22 January which claimed Jean-Claude Trichet, Eurogroup chief Jean-Claude Juncker and EU commissioner Joaquin Almunia had agreed to hold informal meetings on the sidelines of the ECB's monthly press…
Buba's Weber warns on German wage hikes
Bundesbank president Axel Weber warned Friday 19 January that sharp wage increases in Germany could set off a new round of inflation and hinder the European Central Bank's price stability goal.
Bini Smaghi on global capital & monetary policies
In the speech 'Global capital and national monetary policies' given on 18 January Lorenzo Bini Smaghi of the ECB said central banks must be careful not to overreact to declines in real bond yields, which may reflect special factors related to…
Hungary plans central bank independence increase
Hungary's government is proposing an amendment to the country's Central Bank Act to increase the independence of monetary policy makers, a spokesman at the Finance Ministry has said.
ECB Monthly Bulletin, January 2007
The European Central Bank published its January 2007 Monthly Bulletin on Thursday 18 January. In the report the ECB said it will continue to monitor all economic developments very closely to ensure that euro zone inflation remains under control.
Stark says ECB criticism has little support
European Central Bank board member Juergen Stark said in a speech on Wednesday 16 January that criticisms of the ECB by some politicians have very little support and are simply a reflection of some countries' failure to adapt to monetary union.
ECB paper 'Adjusting to the euro'
In this ECB Working Paper the authors argue that, for a group of converging economies of the European Union, participation in the euro area has been associated with easier access to financing by domestic economic agents.
ECB says pan-euro settlement system to cut costs
The European Central Bank said Tuesday 16 January it believes the implementation of an integrated securities settlement system in the euro zone could cut settlement costs by up to 90%.
UWE paper on monetary policy uncertainty
It is widely believed that institutional arrangements influence the quality of monetary policy outcomes. Judged on its 'transparency' characteristics, therefore the Bank of England should do better than both the Bundesbank and ECB, according to the…
ECB's Trichet says 'Welcome to the Euro'
In a speech at the Celebration "Welcome to the Euro" given on 15 January Jean-Claude Trichet of the ECB congratulated Slovenia for its successful integration with the euro area and the adoption of the euro.
ECB's Gonzalez-Paramo on Slovenia's euro entry
In the speech 'Welcome to the euro, farewell to the tolar' given on 15 January Jose Manuel Gonzalez-Paramo of the ECB said the introduction of euro cash in Slovenia represented a highly successful continuation of the 2002 cash changeover.
ECB says Slovenia's euro switch successful
Two weeks after the introduction of the euro banknotes and coins, the cash changeover in Slovenia has been successfully finalised in accordance with the plans, the European Central Bank said Tuesday 16 January.
ECB's Tumpel-Gugerell at the Euro conference
In a panel intervention at the Euro conference hosted by Banka Slovenije given on 15 January Gertrude Tumpel-Gugerell of the ECB said now that it has adopted the euro, Slovenia needs to adapt to the absence of an independent monetary and exchange rate…
ECB's Trichet at € conference Slovenia
In his keynote address at the "€ conference Slovenia" given on 15 January Jean-Claude Trichet of the ECB said Slovenia will enjoy the general benefits of participation in the single currency area, such as no exchange rate risks with respect to its most…
ECB paper on the US housing market
The ECB Working Paper 'Regional housing market spillovers in the US: lessons from regional divergences in a common monetary policy setting' seeks to quantify the importance of state-level housing price spillovers and interest rate shocks to house price…
Merkel worried by debate on ECB independence
German Chancellor Angela Merkel spoke out on economic issues in an interview Saturday 13 January, defending the independence of the European Central Bank against euro critics and calling for closer ties with the US.
ECB says 265,000 counterfeit euro notes detected
The European Central Bank said Friday 12 January a total of 265,000 counterfeit euro banknotes were removed from circulation during the second half of last year.