International Monetary Fund (IMF)
Forex volatility in EU accession countries
This IMF Working Paper analyses foreign exchange market volatility in four Central European EU accession countries in 2001-2003. It shows that periods of high volatility seem to be cross-correlated for Hungary, Poland and Czech, Slovak Republics. It…
CBI, IDB to hold monetary conference in Tehran
The Central Bank of Iran (CBI) and the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) will hold their first international monetary conference next week between 16-18 February.
Iraq's botched currency reform
Prescriptions by the official sector institutions for Iraq ignore political realities and their own findings argue Steve Hanke and Matt Sekerke.
The SDR: an international reserve liability
The SDR is central to the work of the International Monetary Fund, but it remains a deeply ambiguous unit.
Argentina's Lavagna to meet IMF's Koehler
Argentine Economy Minister Roberto Lavagna will meet IMF Managing Director Horst Koehler in Miami on Monday 9 February to discuss the second review of a $13.3 billion loan deal, an economy ministry source said on Thursday.
Kohler on adoption of the euro in Central Europe
In a speech on 'The Euro - Towards Adopting the Common Currency in Central Europe' given on 2 February, Horst Kohler of the IMF said that imbalances in the global current account remain a risk to economic recovery though a stronger euro and weaker dollar…
Iraq to talk debt with G-7 and IMF
Top finance officials from Iraq and Afghanistan will meet next month with their counterparts from the G7 industrial countries and Russia to report on progress in reconstruction.
Norges Bank executive director gets IMF move
Norges Bank Executive Director Jon Solheim is to take office as executive director for the Nordic-Baltic countries at the IMF in Washington.
Kohler on building prosperity in the Americas
In a speech on 'Building Shared Prosperity in the Americas' given on 12 January, Horst Kohler of the IMF said that on the threshold of 2004, the world economy has decisively turned the corner, but we know that there are still risks.
Sources of exchange rate fluctuations in S Africa
IMF Working Paper on the "Sources of Nominal Exchange Rate Fluctuations in South Africa" published December 2003.
Argentina leader slams IMF, others over debt
Nestor Kirchner criticised the IMF on Tuesday after reports the Fund might delay aid payments to Argentina over the government's hard-line stance as it restructures privately held debt. The Argentine president said he would not cave in to pressure to…
US's Taylor-unsure if IMF will OK Argentine loan
US Treasury Undersecretary for International Affairs John Taylor said on Friday 12 december that it was too soon to tell whether Argentina would win approval for the next instalment of its IMF loan, according to a Reuters report. "There is no way at this…
Ortiz gets the nod for second term
Vicente Fox, Mexico's president, nominated Guillermo Ortiz for a second six-year term as governor of the central bank on Friday 5 December. Santiago Creel, the interior secretary, said at a news conference Friday that Ortiz's nomination had been formally…
Why central banks need financial strength
What are the tell tale signs of a weak central bank? Peter Stella peers into the murky world of central bank balance sheets to find out.
Reports from Dubai
In the following 14 pages our correspondents report some of the more interesting but less publicised developments and events that took place at and around this year's meeting of the IMF, held in the glittering hotels and convention centres of Dubai…
IMF's Koehler says now not time for EU deficit cap
IMF chief Horst Koehler told an Austrian daily, according to Reuters, that it was not the right time to force eurozone countries to stick to the 3 percent deficit limit. He added that he did not favour letting countries that have been too loose with…
Brazil c bank chief - IMF deal 'insurance'
Brazil's central bank president, Henrique Meirelles, has said the new IMF loan deal would give Brazil cheap insurance against international market volatility. But officials said they did not intend to draw on a $14 billion loan package from the IMF…
IMF's Koehler to visit Eastern Europe this week
IMF Managing Director Horst Kohler will visit Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Russia and Tajikistan this week. The trip includes a speech at the International Conference on the Occasion of the Tenth Anniversary of the Introduction of the Tenge -…
Krueger speech to African central bank governors
In a speech at a luncheon for African Central Bank Governors given on 23 September Anne Krueger of the IMF said that achieving macroeconomic stability is a prerequisite for durable growth. It is not, of course, enough. From my contacts with African…
G7 communique
Statement of G-7 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, September 20, 2003
IMF says PMA not a central bank yet
The IMF has said in a press conference that the Palestine Monetary Authority is "not a central bank yet in that their role really is, at the present time, confined to banking supervision and also the holding of required reserves to banks operating in…
G10 ministers and CB governors meet in Dubai
Ministers and central bank governors of the Group of Ten met in Dubai and despite an improvement in the overall economic outlook, drew attention to the "significant internal and external imbalances that persist, which could weigh on the sustainability of…
IMFC statement on IMF and the global economy
Communique of the International Monetary and Financial Committee of the IMF Board of Governors which highlights the importance of "more balanced growth with orderly adjustment", "sustained and vigorous structural reforms" and "continued focus by the IMF…
IMF/World Bank meeting in Dubai
The IMF/World Bank meetings which begin in Dubai on Saturday 20 September are being held for the first time in an Arab country. Over the weekend thousands of participants from 184 countries will gather at the Dubai International Convention Centre. The…