Europe
IMF paper on integration of the securities market
The IMF Working Paper "Integration of the securities market infrastructure in the European Union: Policy and regulatory issues" examines the impact of ongoing cross-border integration of securities market infrastructure in the European Union.
Bond markets as conduits for capital flows
The IMF Working Paper "Bond markets as conduits for capital flows: How does Asia compare?" finds that Europe is more financially integrated than other regions, while Asia already seems to have made more progress on this front than Latin America and other…
ECB report on EU banking structures
The European Central Bank (ECB) published its annual report on EU banking structures on Thursday 26 October. The report, which has been published each year since 2002, reviews the main structural developments in the EU banking sector in 2005 and until…
ECB report on supervisory structures
The European Central Bank's "Recent developments in supervisory structures in EU and acceding countries" report finds that at EU level, the period 2003-06 was characterised by an intensified effort to strengthen cooperation among supervisory authorities.
Tumpel-Gugerell on Europe's financial sector
In the speech 'Building the future - Integrating Europe's financial sector' given on 23 October Gertrude Tumpel-Gugerell of the ECB said the ECB will only pursue plans for its own securities settlement system if it can offer much lower settlement fees…
How to save the young from the burden of pensions
According to this article by Lorenzo Bini Smaghi, published in the Financial Times on Wednesday 18 October, the introduction of an EU constitutional rule to prevent young workers being discriminated against in pension reforms is needed.
GCC dollar reserve shift unlikely
Oil-producing GCC countries, which hold most of their currency reserves in dollars, are unlikely to move away from the greenback, according to the IMF's director for the Middle East and Central Asia.
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.
Central Europe cannot afford to delay the euro
According to this article published by the Financial Times on Monday 9 October, the main reason for stalling central European economies is the reluctance by several governments to embrace monetary union as quickly as possible.
EU draft statement calls for limited IMF reform
According to a draft statement, European Union countries are willing to cede only a ``limited'' share of power in the International Monetary Fund to fast-growing emerging economies.
Wrestling regulators
According to this comment piece from the Financial Times, published Wednesday 4 October, regulation should forward the public interest but different regulatory bodies sometimes clash in its defence.
IMF paper on currency volatility trends
The IMF Working Paper "Common volatility trends in the Central and Eastern European currencies and the euro" asks how much convergence has been achieved between Central and Eastern European (CEE) economies and the eurozone.
EU may curb central banks on cross-border deals
EU internal market commissioner Charlie McCreevy wants to curb the power of central banks and national financial supervisory authorities to intervene arbitrarily in cross-border deals, the Financial Times reported Wednesday 6 September.
Monetary policy "still very accommodative" - Weber
Interest rates will rise as the Eurozone's economy continues to grow, said Axel Weber, the president of the Bundesbank.
Transparency in bond markets
This technical paper's conclusions suggest caution is needed in creating an extremely homogeneous and transparent trading environment for sovereign bonds.
More transparency may harm bond markets
More transparency in European bond markets may mean less liquidity according to a recent report
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.
Capital flows to Central and Eastern Europe
This IMF Working Paper examines the evolution of the net external asset positions of Central and Eastern Europe (CEEC) countries over the past decade, with a strong emphasis on the composition of their international balance sheets.
ECB paper on the European corporate bond market
The ECB Occasional Paper "Implications for liquidity from innovation and transparency in the European corporate bond market" offers a new framework for the assessment of financial market liquidity and identifies two types: search liquidity and systemic…
Simon Brooks appointed Vice-President of the EIB
Simon Brooks, a former Director in the Macroeconomic Policy and International Finance Directorate of the UK Treasury, has joined the European Investment Bank (EIB) as Vice-President.
Paper on European and US sovereign bond markets
The Research Technical Paper "An empirical analysis of transparency-related characteristics of European and US sovereign bond markets" from the Central Bank & Financial Services Authority of Ireland examines transparency-related characteristics of…
Cross-border bank contagion in Europe
This European Central Bank Working Paper, published 27 July, analyses cross-border contagion in a sample of European banks from January 1994 to January 2003.
Fiscal convergence before entering the EMU
This European Central Bank Working Paper, published 27 July, addresses the question of whether a reduction of public deficits, such as imposed by the Maastricht fiscal criteria, is a necessary or useful step on the road to the adoption of the euro.
Comment: Will McCreevy's approach work?
The European commissioner for internal market and services, Charlie McCreevy, has called for an industry-driven "code of conduct" to reduce the costs of European cross-border settlement and clearing, rather than propose a directive. Will his famous light…