United Kingdom
Banks face loyalty dilemma
FEATURE - With all the fuss about terrorist finance, it's sometimes easy to forget that the argument about how to track dirty money is a very old one indeed.
Speech by Edward George, Bank of England, 19 Mar
SPEECH - In the speech George again sought to reassure markets that last year's series of interest rate cuts was unlikely to be reversed any time soon.
Bank of England/NOP Inflation Attitudes Survey
NEWS RELEASE - Bank of England/NOP Inflation Attitudes Survey, 19 March.
Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee Minutes
MINUTES - Minutes from the MPC meeting 6-7 March, released 20 March.
MPC unanimity points to end of easing
UK - The interest-rate easing cycle may finally be over in the U.K. That seems the conclusion to be drawn from the latest set of Monetary Policy Committee meeting minutes, released by the Bank of England Wednesday. In a speech given Tuesday the Bank of…
Interest rates may not rise says Bank governor
UK - Sir Edward George, governor of the Bank of England, yesterday hinted that interest rates may not need to rise this year.
FSA chief warns Europe on bank takeovers
UK - Sir Howard Davies yesterday called on fellow European regulators to allow foreign takeovers of banks, warning that nationalistic limits on bank ownership were a block to a single financial market.
Brown to give euro evidence
UK - Chancellor Gordon Brown is to appear before a key committee of MPs to answer detailed questions about the government's economic tests for entering the euro.
Bank of England - News Release
NEWS RELEASE - Bank of England To Celebrate The Queen's Golden Jubilee, 18 March 2002.
Bank of England Quarterly Bulletin
REPORT - The Bank of England has published its Quarterly Bulletin, Spring 2002.
Cash transfers to be possible by Visa card
UK - European consumers will be able to transfer money directly between each other's Visa credit and debit cards by the autumn under plans by the card-processing network.
Speech by David Clementi, Bank of England, 14 Mar
SPEECH - In the speech titled 'A Bank for all Regions: Promoting Monetary and Financial Stability in the United Kingdom' Clementi said that interest rates in the U.K. may stay around present levels for some time to come, given the current uncertain…
Regulators and the gentle art of persuasion
LETTER - A letter published in the London edition of the Financial Times on Friday.
BoE's Clementi sees steady UK rates for some time
UK - British interest rates, on hold at a 38-year low of 4.0 percent since November, will probably stay unchanged for some time while the economy shakes off last year's downturn, a senior central bank official said on Thursday.
UK government extends Davies' term at FSA
UK - The UK government on Wednesday said it had extended the term of Sir Howard Davies as head of its chief financial regulator until January 2004, ending speculation that he may stand down to move to the Bank of England.
Some E Europe states may need longer in ERM2-Noyer
UK - European Central Bank vice-president Christian Noyer reiterated on Friday it could be desirable for some eastern European accession states to remain in the European exchange rate mechanism (ERM-II) for longer than the minimum requirement of two…
Central bank independence should be preserved-IMF
UK - The IMF on Wednesday criticised moves in Israel and Poland to limit the independence of their central banks.
Soros warns UK not to snub euro
UK - Billionaire investment guru George Soros has said that it is "impossible" for Britain to reject adoption of the euro.
UK shadow chancellor shifts on bank independence
UK - UK Chancellor Gordon Brown deserves "great credit" for his decision to give the Bank of England independence, Michael Howard has said.
Regulating the City 'costs £1bn'
UK - The cost of regulating the City is at least £1bn and the benefits are completely unclear some months after the Financial Services Authority acquired its full powers, according to research.
Banks shun online sales pitch
UK - Britain's banks and building societies are turning away from the web in their search for new customers.
Bank of England News Release
NEWS RELEASE - Bank of England Maintains Interest Rates at 4.0%, 7 March.
London gold auction ends but arguments continue
UK - The UK completed its sale on Tuesday of 400 tons of gold - a $3.5 billion stack almost as big as two London taxis.
Nobel Laureate Nash is mathematician not economist
LETTER - Letter published in the London Financial Times from Dennis Hesseling, Brussels, Belgium, 4 March. In reply to an article published recently by the newspaper.