European Central Bank (ECB)
ECB's Trichet at the European Parliament
In testimony given on 10 October at the Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee of the European Parliament Jean-Claude Trichet of the ECB said economic growth in the euro zone has strengthened significantly and interest rates will rise further to combat…
No softening of EU rules for euro bidders
European Union governments won't relax inflation criteria for countries seeking to adopt the euro, finance ministers said on Tuesday 10 October.
Noyer says ECB rate rise was necessary for prices
Bank of France governor Christian Noyer speaking on French radio on Friday 6 October defended the European Central Bank's decision to raise interest rates, saying it was necessary to curb inflation.
Payment systems, monetary policy in Europe
The first of two articles published by the Financial Times on Friday 6 October looks at the issue of central bank "plumbing" which, it says, is creating a stink for the ECB. The second article concerns a letter sent by a group of monetarist economists to…
T2S is 'only solution': ECB's Tumpel-Gugerell
The European Central Bank sees its proposal on securities settlement, called TARGET2 Securities, as offering an "efficient organisation of central bank money", says Gertrude Tumpel-Gugerell, a member of the executive board, in an interview in the autumn…
ECB's Wellink says growth 'back on track'
European Central Bank governing council member Nout Wellink said on Thursday 5 October in Mexico that economic growth in the eurozone is "really coming back on track," but inflation risks remain on the upside.
Trichet on bank transfer data from SWIFT
In a speech on the interception of bank transfer data from the SWIFT system by the US secret services given on 4 October Jean-Claude Trichet of the ECB said warned the European Parliament that any disruption to the SWIFT bank data sharing system could…
ECB not hamstrung by consensus decisions
According to this article published on Tuesday 3 October by Reuters, new information that the European Central Bank's Governing Council holds informal votes suggests it is not as clumsy and slow as some believed.
ECB says final decision on T2S in 2007
The European Central Bank will make a final decision on whether to proceed with its proposed Target 2 Securities settlement system in the first half of 2007, executive board member Gertrude Tumpell-Gugerell said Wednesday 4 October.
ECB paper on international portfolio flows
The European Central Bank Working Paper "The geography of international portfolio flows, international CAPM and the role of monetary policy frameworks," says that global equity markets might be more integrated than global bond markets.
Monetary policy in the media
This European Central Bank Working Paper, published 29 September, analyses the coverage which ECB monetary policy decisions receive in the print media, and the determinants of its extent and of its favourableness.
Almunia silent on date for Lithuanian euro entry
EU economic and monetary affairs commissioner Joachim Almunia declined to set a date for Lithuania to enter the eurozone in a speech Monday 2 October.
Gonzalez-Paramo on the design of monetary policy
In the speech 'Expectations, uncertainty and the design of monetary policy' given on 28 September Jose Manuel Gonzalez-Paramo of the ECB said as regards the predictability of monetary policy, policy moves have been well anticipated by money markets.
ECB's Bini Smaghi on an ageing society
In the speech 'Democratic representation and economic policy rules in an ageing society' given on 28 September Lorenzo Bini Smaghi of the ECB said ageing population and negative demographics may jeopardize the financial and political sustainability of…
ECB's Stark on central bank independence
In the speech 'The role of central banks in economic and personal finance education' given on 29 September Jurgen Stark of the ECB made some pointed remarks indirectly warning Poland's government against interfering with the country's central bank.
ECB will move forward with financial integration
A European Central Bank executive board member signalled in comments to the Financial Times, published Friday 29 September, that the ECB will push ahead with plans to increase eurozone financial integration by providing securities settlement services,…
Weber sees inflation risks despite oil price fall
Germany's Bundesbank president Axel Weber said Thursday 28 September the eurozone still faces inflation risks despite the recent dip in oil prices.
Tumpel-Gugerell on financial system modernisation
In the speech 'Opening remarks at the conference on Financial System Modernisation and Economic Growth in Europe' given on 28 September Gertrude Tumpel-Gugerell of the ECB said EU economic growth has been disappointing in the period since the launch of…
ECB's Trichet says Europe lags US on labour
European Central Bank president Jean-Claude Trichet told a panel discussion on Saturday 23 September that labour productivity is the biggest problem facing the eurozone economy.
Launch of the ECB Statistical Data Warehouse
The European Central Bank launched its Statistical Data Warehouse on the internet on Thursday 21 September. The Statistical Data Warehouse is the ECB's new online data delivery service for statistics.
Riyadh to host payment systems conference
A two-day international conference on 'Payment Systems in Saudi Arabia and GCC countries' is to be held in Riyadh from 14 November. The forum will discuss the present mode of electronic access to funds at remote locations and future strategies.
ECB's Tumpel-Gugerell on a SEPA for cards
In the speech 'A SEPA for cards: a contribution to a cashless society?' given on 20 September Gertrude Tumpel-Gugerell of the ECB said the ECB has been surprised by the strength of growth in cash in circulation since the launch of the euro.
ECB report on interest rate differences
The European Central Bank published a report on differences in MFI interest rates across euro area countries on 20 September. In the report the ECB said interest rates charged by banks vary widely between euro zone countries.
ECB Liikanen says more rate hikes needed
The European Central Bank will have to raise interest rates again if it is to keep inflation under control, Finnish central bank chief Erkki Liikanen said in a newspaper interview published Wednesday 20 September.