International Monetary Fund (IMF)
Perspectives on low global interest rates
This IMF Working Paper, published March 2006, looks at the dramatic decline in global real interest rates in recent years from a historical perspective and examines the various factors that may account for this trend.
Rato on the IMF and global imbalances
In the speech 'How the IMF can help promote a collaborative solution to global imbalances' given on 4 April Rodrigo de Rato of the IMF proposed a multilateral forum where developing and industrialized nations can address ways to rebalance the global…
Joint external debt website launched
The Bank for International Settlements, the International Monetary Fund, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development and the World Bank announced on Thursday 30 March that they are jointly launching a new website.
Review of IMF-World Bank collaboration
Rodrigo de Rato, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and Paul Wolfowitz, President of the World Bank Group, announced Wednesday they have initiated a range of measures to promote a deeper and early review of Fund-Bank collaboration.
ECB's Bini Smaghi: IMF risks becoming secretariat
European Central Bank (ECB) board member Lorenzo Bini Smaghi said the International Monetary Fund needs to give the ECB and eurozone stronger representation, according to an interview by the Financial Times.
IMF's Rato on Palocci's resignation
Rodrigo de Rato, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), issued a statement on Monday 27 March on the resignation of Brazilian Finance Minister Antonio Palocci.
State Bank of Vietnam urged to modernise
The State Bank of Vietnam has not reached the levels of transparency and accountability required of a successful central bank, a State Bank official was quoted as saying by Vietnam News.
An evaluation of World Economic Outlook forecasts
This IMF Working Paper, published March 2006, reviews the performance of its World Economic Outlook forecasts against both actual outcomes and alternative forecasts.
IMF managing director to travel to Mexico
Rodrigo de Rato, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, will travel to Mexico, March 22-25, to participate in a meeting of the Capital Markets Consultative Group (CMCG) in Mexico City.
IMF paper on central banks and seigniorage
The IMF Working Paper "Spending seigniorage: Do central banks have a governance problem?" published March 2006 reviews how central banks allocate seigniorage, based on systematic crosscountry comparisons of their financial accounts.
Comment: The benefits of supervisory integration
A new IMF working paper investigates the trend toward integrating the regulation and supervision of banks, non-bank financial institutions and securities markets. The authors attempt to fill a gap in the literature by empirically assessing the impact…
Rato sees world growth beating IMF forecast
According to the International Monetary Fund's managing director, world economic growth this year will exceed the current forecast of 4.3 percent thanks to a recovery in Europe and Japan.
Canada's Macklem on renewing the IMF
In the speech 'Renewing the IMF: Some lessons from modern central banking' given on 9 March Tiff Macklem of the Bank of Canada said the IMF should also play a role in setting the "rules of the game" in the international financial system, including…
IMF upholds sanctions against Zimbabwe
The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund met Wednesday 8 March to review Zimbabwe's overdue financial obligations to the Fund and consider the sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe.
IMF paper on banks during the Argentine crisis
According to the IMF Working Paper "Banks during the Argentine crisis: Were they all hurt equally? Did they all behave equally?" published February 2006, the simple answer to both questions in the title is: No.
The monetary transmission mechanism in Jordan
This IMF Working Paper, published February 2006, examines monetary transmission in Jordan using the vector autoregressive approach.
SARB's Mboweni blasts 'know-it-all' IMF
South African Reserve Bank governor, Tito Mboweni, slammed the IMF and World Bank on Tuesday 28 February for what he called their high handedness and know it all approach when dealing with developing countries.
IMF likely to raise Japan growth forecast
The International Monetary Fund will likely revise its forecast of 2.0 percent growth for Japan in 2006 "significantly" upwards, a senior IMF official said on Tuesday 28 February.
IMF's de Rato to visit Honduras
Rodrigo de Rato, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), will visit Honduras on February 27, 2006, at the invitation of the President Jose Manuel Zelaya Rosales.
Comment: Zimbabwe's mystery repayment
Two weeks ago the Zimbabwean government managed to avoid expulsion from the IMF by paying off a large chunk of its debt to the Fund. However, the source of the forex-depleted government's finances remains a mystery.
Macroeconomic challenges with EU accession
The IMF Working Paper "Macroeconomic challenges with EU accession in Southeastern Europe: An overview" published February 2006 reviews key macroeconomic challenges with EU accession in Southeastern Europe (SEE).
IMF Paper on forecasting ECB monetary policy
Monetary policy in the euro area is conducted within a multicountry, multicultural, and multilingual context involving multiple central banking traditions. This IMF Working Paper published February 2006 asks how this heterogeneity affects the ability of…
BoE's King on reform of the IMF
In the speech 'Reform of the International Monetary Fund' given on 20 February Mervyn King of the Bank of England said the IMF urgently needs to reassess its purpose and needs more focus, independence and legitimacy.
Suppressed inflation and money demand in Zimbabwe
This International Monetary Fund Working Paper investigates the divergence between inflation and monetary expansion in Zimbabwe since late 2003.