Germany
German parliament approves Bundesbank board cuts
The upper house of the German parliament has approved legislation to allow two seats to be cut from the board of the Deutsche Bundesbank, the country's central bank.
Germany's Weber: academics good central bankers
In a speech made on 29 May in Paris, Alex Weber, president of the Bundesbank, said that sending academics to politics clearly solves a problem inherent in academic policy advice: "getting the message across to do the right thing".
Eurozone business confidence dips
Analysts are suggesting that business confidence in the euro area may have peaked. The May figure for the widely-watched Ifo index was unchanged from a month earlier for Germany, but somewhat lower for France and Italy.
Germany defends ECB focus on money growth
Germany's Bundesbank has come out in stout defence of the European Central Bank, arguing that money supply figures - used by the ECB in making interest rate decisions - are helpful in identifying property market distortions.
Hedge funds to rebuff German regulators
According to reports, updated guidelines on best practice published by hedge fund industry associations on 22 May will not heed German calls for a full voluntary code of conduct for the industry.
New board for German regulator
A new board will govern BaFin, the German banking supervision agency, following an internal fraud scandal that gripped the agency in 2006.
Trichet supports hedge fund code of conduct
There is growing support around the world for a proposed voluntary code of conduct for hedge funds, European Central Bank president Jean-Claude Trichet said recently.
Deutsche Bundesbank Monthly Report, April 2007
The Deutsche Bundesbank published the English version of its April 2007 Monthly Report on Wednesday 16 May. The report said German GDP growth in the first quarter is expected to have slowed compared with the fourth quarter last year.
Hedge fund progress pleases Germany's Steinbrueck
German finance minister Peer Steinbrueck said in comments published Wednesday 16 May that he plans to lay out the basis of a voluntary self-regulation agreement with hedge funds operating in Europe within the next months.
Stock exchange chief urges BoT to cut rates
According to the head of Thailand's stock exchange, the central bank should cut interest rates faster to spur sluggish domestic spending and the flagging economy.
Deutsche Bundesbank Monthly Report, March 2007
The Deutsche Bundesbank published the English version of its March 2007 Monthly Report on Friday 20 April. The report said the German economy continued to grow at a robust pace in the fourth quarter of 2006.
ECB's Weber says pressure on prices remains
European Central Bank governing council member Axel Weber told Handelsblatt newspaper in an interview published Friday 20 April that the ECB can't yet identify an end-point to its current cycle of interest rate increases.
US's Paulson sees progress on trade imbalances
U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said in a statement the Group of Seven (G7) nations have made progress but "more needs to be done" on trade imbalances.
IMF report sees soft landing for world economy
The International Monetary Fund is forecasting a 'soft landing' for the world economy and 4.9-per-cent growth in 2007, German government officials said Tuesday 10 April, according to Deutsche Presse-Agentur.
Germany's Weber on financial globalisation
In the speech 'Challenges posed by (financial) globalisation' given on 15 March Axel Weber of the Deutsche Bundesbank said the search for yield in riskier assets was one of the main topics during the time of record-low interest rates in major economic…
Buba's Meister on European financial supervision
In the speech 'European Financial Supervision: next steps' given on 29 March Edgar Meister of the Deutsche Bundesbank said each crisis is different and therefore calls for flexibility in action.
Weber says HICP should include home ownership
The eurozone should revise its measure of inflation to include home ownership costs, according to Axel Weber, the president of the Deutsche Bundesbank and a member of the governing council of the European Central Bank, reported Boersen-Zeitung on…
Deutsche Bundesbank Monthly Report, February 2007
The Deutsche Bundesbank published the English version of its February 2007 Monthly Report on Tuesday 27 March. The report said German economic growth may soon pick up steam again after a slight and temporary disruption caused by government fiscal…
Markets not pricing risk well says ECB's Weber
Global financial markets may not be adequately pricing risk even after their recent sharp corrections, European Central Bank governing council member Axel Weber said on Thursday 15 March.
Buba's Weber not saying ECB rates are appropriate
Bundesbank president Axel Weber said Tuesday 13 March he would not describe current euro zone interest rates as "appropriate".
ECB policy on 'accommodative side' says Weber
Bundesbank president Axel Weber said Friday 9 March the European Central Bank's monetary policy remains "on the accommodative side" even after Thursday's rate hike.
Why Germany's economy will outshine Japan
According to this article by Stephen Roach, published on Wednesday 28 February by MoneyWeek, the German economy is very much on the mend after failing to fall into a Japanese-like quagmire.
Opacity of a credible central bank and inflation
The Discussion Paper "Can opacity of a credible central bank explain excessive inflation?" from the University of Munich shows that, even in the absence of inflationary bias, a credible central bank may find it optimal to implement an accommodating…
Buba's Weber signals ECB rate hikes
Bundesbank president Axel Weber signalled Wednesday 28 February in a speech that the European Central Bank was set to further raise its key interest rates, which are already at a five-year high point.