Japan
BOJ's Fukui signals confidence in US economy
Bank of Japan governor Toshihiko Fukui on Thursday 12 April repeated his optimism over the U.S. economy, saying it has a "high probability" of achieving a healthy slowdown despite signs of moderating business investment and high inflation rates.
IMF World Economic Outlook, April 2007
The International Monetary Fund published its World Economic Outlook April 2007 on 11 April. In the report the IMF said the European Central Bank should raise interest rates again this summer, and further tightening moves may also be necessary after that.
Bank of Japan Monthly Report, April 2007
The Bank of Japan published the English version of its April 2007 monthly report on Thursday 12 April. In the report the BOJ left its assessment of economic and financial developments unchanged in April, saying the economy will continue to expand…
BOJ's Muto on monetary policy
In a speech given on 4 April Toshiro Muto of the Bank of Japan said hinting at the actual timing of the policy change is generally inadvisable.
BOJ's Inaba warns on low short-term rates
Short-term interest rates left at too low levels for too long could ignite inflation concerns among investors, which in turn could push up long-term rates, a senior Bank of Japan official told lawmakers Wednesday 11 April.
BOJ new members see sustained, gradual recovery
Seiji Nakamura and Hidetoshi Kamezaki, who recently joined Bank of Japan's nine-member policy board, told a press conference on Wednesday 11 April they see a sustained but gradual expansion of the Japanese economy and a mild rise in inflation going…
BOJ's Fukui sees no resumption of yen-carry trade
Bank of Japan governor Toshihiko Fukui said Tuesday 10 April he sees no sign of the resumption of the yen-carry trade, despite the recent weakening of the yen.
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.
BOJ's Iwata on the state of the Japanese economy
In the speech 'The current state of the Japanese economy and its outlook' given on 7 March Kazumasa Iwata of the Bank of Japan said Japan's economy has been experiencing a sustained period of moderate expansion.
Japan appoints new board members to BOJ
The Japanese government on Friday 5 April appointed a former top manager at Japan's largest trading company and a former shipping company executive to the Bank of Japan's monetary policy board.
BOJ's Hirano says euro strength not to be G7 topic
Finance ministers and central bankers from the world's richest countries are unlikely to focus on the euro's strength against the dollar and yen next week, former Bank of Japan executive director Eiji Hirano said Tuesday 4 April.
Asean looking at ways to use growing FX reserves
South-East Asian nations plan to jointly set up a fund to finance infrastructure by exploiting heavy capital inflows, a senior Thai finance ministry official told reporters Monday 2 April.
Paper: The Eurosystem, Fed and Bank of Japan
The ECB Working Paper "The Eurosystem, the US Federal Reserve and the Bank of Japan: similarities and differences" provides a systematic comparison of the Eurosystem, the US Federal Reserve and the Bank of Japan.
Fukui says natural unemployment rate unknown
Bank of Japan governor Toshihiko Fukui said Tuesday 27 March that a natural rate of unemployment that would not trigger steep inflation in Japan has not yet been accurately estimated.
April rate hike not too late - BOJ minutes
One of the Bank of Japan's nine policy board members called on the central bank to be cautious about hiking interest rates in light of slow wage growth and sluggish consumption, the minutes of the BoJ's Feb 20-21 meeting released Monday 26 March showed.
BOJ's Fukui repeats to hike rates slowly
Bank of Japan governor Toshihiko Fukui told lawmakers Monday 26 March that the central bank will maintain its accommodative monetary policy stance for now by raising interest rates only slowly.
Japan's Omi says land prices don't indicate bubble
Japan's rising land prices reflect the country's economic recovery and don't indicate an asset bubble, finance minister Koji Omi said Friday 23 March.
Bank of Japan Monthly Report, March 2007
The Bank of Japan published the English version of its March 2007 monthly report on Friday 23 March. In the report the BOJ left its assessment of economic and financial developments unchanged for March, saying the economy continues to expand moderately.
Fukui says BOJ to help economy with low rates
Bank of Japan governor Toshihiko Fukui told lawmakers Thursday 22 March that the central bank will help maintain economic growth under price stability by keeping very low interest rates "for now" and vary them only gradually in line with the economic…
BoJ's Fukui says markets saw 'healthy correction'
Bank of Japan governor Toshihiko Fukui said on Tuesday 20 March the central bank will closely monitor global equity markets for further developments, but stressed that the recent worldwide sell-off has been a "healthy correction."
RBA's Edey on Australia in the global economy
In the speech 'Australia in the global economy' given on 16 March Malcolm Edey of the Reserve Bank of Australia said Australia's underlying inflation level is still expected to decline slightly over the next two years to around 2.75 pct which is higher…
Fukui denies BOJ leaked information
Bank of Japan governor Toshihiko Fukui denied in parliament Thursday 16 March that the central bank leaked information to the media before announcing an interest-rate increase last month.
BoJ's Fukui says no stocks impact from rate hike
Bank of Japan governor Toshihiko Fukui said in parliamentary testimony Thursday 15 March that the BoJ's latest rate hike in February did not directly lead to the recent global stock market slump.
Tanaka says next BOJ policy changes to take time
Japan's economy is running smoothly but it is not yet in an inflationary environment and further Bank of Japan monetary policy changes may take some time, Japan's senior vice finance minister said on Tuesday 14 March.