United Kingdom
BoE's governor blames banks for £5 note shortage
Mervyn King, governor of the Bank of England, criticised the short supply of "fivers" in his annual Mansion House speech on 20 June.
Reaction to King's loss of MPC vote
Less of a threat to the governor's credibility and more a sign of what is to come, was the conclusion observers drew from Mervyn King being in the minority at the MPC meeting in June.
King outvoted over rates increase again
The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Bank of England narrowly defeated governor Mervyn King at their policy meeting in June, voting 5-4 to keep the rate unchanged at 5.5%. This was the second time that the governor was on the losing end of an MPC…
Bank of England Quarterly Review
As well as regular features, the second bulletin of 2007 includes an article analysing public attitudes to inflation and interest rates, in particular the pick-up in the general public's inflation expectations between 2005 and 2006.
The political economy of the MPC - Tucker
In this keynote address to a conference on "Inflation Targeting, Central Bank Independence and Transparency" at the University of Cambridge, Paul Tucker, a member of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), discusses the political economy…
Brown promises transparency on MPC appointments
Gordon Brown, Britain's Prime Minister designate, has vowed to make the process of appointing the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee members more transparent, including an open invitation to candidates.
Conservatives want one-term limit for BoE governor
Britain's opposition Conservative Party is considering a one-term limit for the governor of the Bank of England, a policy that would mark the biggest change in the framework for monetary policy since the bank was made independent in 1997.
FSA warns on private equity
The British Financial Services Authority (FSA) has voiced concerns over the "excessive level" of debt private equity firms use to buy out public companies.
King warns on inflationary pressures
Mervyn King served notice that rates may have to rise even though the Bank of England sees inflation as likely to drop back this year from March's breach of the 3% target.
Bank of England maintains bank rate at 5.5%
The Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) has voted to maintain the official bank rate paid on commercial bank reserves at 5.5%.
UK's Blanchflower explains voting behaviour
In a speech on 30 May David Blanchflower, member of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee, said that he voted to raise rates for the first time since joining the MPC in June 2006 because he wanted to indicate to the public the Bank's intention…
FSA issues hedge fund guidelines
In the latest development surrounding the regulation of hedge funds, the British Financial Services Authority (FSA) has issued guidelines clarifying its approach in four important areas of hedge fund regulation.
The future of UK regulation
In this speech, Dan Waters, director of Retail Policy at the Financial Services Authority, provides an overview of the main principles and applications of the authority's much-praised "principles-based" supervision.
BoE contemplated 0.5% rate hike
The Bank of England considered raising interest rates by 50 basis points at the Monetary Policy Committee meeting of 9-10 May, the meeting's minutes showed.
FSA's inaction on split caps chided
The UK's Financial Services Authority (FSA) has been criticised for closing a five-year investigation into the split capital investment trust scandal without taking action against any individuals or firms.
ECB head says UK should join eurozone
Jean-Claude Trichet, president of the European Central Bank, questioned the UK's refusal to join the eurozone, in an interview in the Financial Times on 17 May.
Bank of England Inflation Report, May 2007
The Bank of England published its May 2007 Inflation Report on 16 May. At a press conference BoE governor Mervyn King signalled interest rates may have to increase again to bring inflation back to target.
King hints that Greenspan's comments are unhelpful
Mervyn King, governor of the Bank of England, told a press conference on Wednesday 16 May that it isn't helpful for former central bankers to comment on aspects of monetary policy or economic conditions.
Code words not for King, but BoE can improve
According to this article published Thursday 10 May by Reuters, the gloss is starting to come off the Bank of England's reputation for managing interest rate expectations and keeping inflation under control.
King and Co should do nothing either
According to this article from Bloomberg published Wednesday 9 May, there are plenty of reasons for the Bank of England to do nothing Thursday.
BoE says efficiency push may harm stats
The Bank of England said in a submission to a parliamentary committee published on Wednesday 9 May that it is concerned that cost constraints are preventing the UK's Office for National Statistics from doing a proper job.
Bank of England has much to discuss next week
With the Bank of England looking certain to raise UK interest rates next week, this article from Reuters, published Friday 4 May, looks at the main factors the MPC will be discussing.
BoE's King on the MPC ten years on
In the speech 'The MPC ten years on' given on 2 May Mervyn King of the Bank of England said since its inception the MPC has kept inflation expectations well anchored and is determined to keep doing so.
Interview with Bank of England's Mervyn King
In an interview with the Financial Times published Thursday 3 May Mervyn King said the Bank of England was "clearly" failing to explain properly to markets how the Monetary Policy Committee was likely to respond to economic data.