United Kingdom
SPEED: the new journal for financial plumbers
SPEED - short for Settlement, Payment, E-money and E-trading Development - is a new journal aimed at all those policy-makers in banks, central banks and system operators who are trying to ensure that the financial infrastructure, often called the …
Bank of England drafts first 'Dear Gordon' note
This recent article from Bloomberg presents a fictional letter to UK chancellor Gordon Brown written by Mervyn King in the future explaining why the Bank of England exceeded its inflation target by more than 1 percent.
Minutes show Blanchflower dissented on rate rise
The Bank of England's interest rate setting Monetary Policy Committee voted six-to-one to raise its key repo rate by a quarter point to 4.75 pct at its meeting on 3 August, minutes released Wednesday 16 August showed.
BoE's Bean says rate move was no surprise
The inflation rate two or more years in the future matters more than the current rate for setting monetary policy, Bank of England Chief Economist Charles Bean was quoted as saying on Wednesday 16 August.
The curse of the parochial view
This article by Samuel Brittan of the Financial Times, published Friday 11 August, compares the reaction to the recent round of central bank interest rate decisions.
UK freezes bank accounts of terror suspects
The Bank of England said Friday 11 August it had frozen the accounts of 19 of the 24 men arrested in an alleged terror plot, and publicly released their names.
Bank of England Inflation Report, August 2006
The Bank of England published its August 2006 Inflation Report on 9 August. In the report the Bank said its expected profile for growth and inflation over the next two years was higher than in May.
Is King readying his pen reluctantly or eagerly?
The UK press has jumped on the admission by Mervyn King that he might soon have to write a letter to the chancellor if inflation climbs above the 3% limit, but such a letter would not be the admission of failure that many imply.
Bank of England appoints Finance Director
The Bank of England announced on Wednesday 2 August that Warwick Jones has been appointed Finance Director of the Bank of England from 1 October. Mr Jones will be an Executive Director of the Bank and a member of the Executive Team.
Surprise as Bank of England tightens early
The Bank of England raised interest rates by a quarter-point on Thursday 3 August, bringing the official bank rate to 4.75% after a year on hold.
Comment: BoE brightens silly season slumber
The Bank of England surprised practically everyone on 3 August by raising rates by 25 basis points. The Bank's next Inflation Report, to be released on 9 August, and the minutes from the August meeting will make intriguing reading. The move will also the…
The Old Lady can afford to be patient
According to this article by the Financial Times, published on Wednesday 2 August, there is a big difference between the predictability of the ECB's plans on Thursday, and the uncertainty surrounding the Bank of England's decision the same day.
Central banks need not divine bubbles
According to this article by Samuel Brittan of the Financial Times, published Friday 28 July, the question of whether central bankers should target asset prices will not go away.
BoE's Gieve on financial system risks in the UK
In the speech 'Financial system risks in the UK - Issues and challenges' given on 25 July Sir John Gieve of the Bank of England said the probability of a contagious financial crisis may have fallen but its impact, if it ever happened, could be more…
BoE's Gieve on stability and change
In the speech 'Stability and change' given on 20 July John Gieve of the Bank of England warned that policymakers "will not hesitate to change interest rates" to keep inflation on track as the deflationary benefits cheap imports show signs of retreating.
Bank of England voted 7-0 to hold rates
Minutes from the Bank of England's 5 and 6 July Monetary Policy Committee meeting, published Wednesday 19 July, showed policy makers voted unanimously to keep the benchmark interest rate at 4.5 percent this month.
Comment: Rethinking financial stability reporting
The Bank of England recently unveiled its revamped Financial Stability Report. Starting with the title of the publication, the Bank has taken a new approach to both the presentation of report and its content. The changes are an effort to focus the report…
BoE paper on efficient payment systems
The Bank of England Working Paper "The welfare benefits of stable and efficient payment systems" examines the importance of smoothly functioning payment systems to the economy by extending a recently developed theoretical model of banks.
Comment: More pounds in their pockets
According to the most recent IMF data on reserve holdings, the pound sterling has surpassed the yen as the third most popular reserve currency. A number of factors could see the pound's popularity increase further.
Two appointed to Bank of England's MPC
The Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee was back to full strength on Thursday 13 July with the appointed of two new members to fill the vacant places.
Bank of England Financial Stability Report, Jul 06
The Bank of England published its latest Financial Stability Report for July 2006 on Wednesday 12 July. It was published in a new-style, providing an assessment of prospects for the UK financial system.
British pound passes yen in central bank reserves
According to this article by Bloomberg News published Monday 10 July, central banks around the world are increasing their holdings of British pounds.
Too much secrecy in appointing the Bank's MPC
Writing in the Financial Times on Friday 7 July, UK shadow chancellor George Osborne says the appointment process to the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee has been brought into sharp focus with the MPC down to seven of its full complement of…
Morgan Stanley economist linked to BoE post
AFX News reported on Thursday 6 July that David Miles, managing director and chief UK economist at Morgan Stanley, has been approached to join the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee.