United Kingdom
BoE most transparent G7 central bank - economists
UK - The Bank of England is the most transparent central bank among the world's leading economies, according to a new ranking devised by two European economists.
Foreign banks play down euro importance to City
UK - Foreign banks operating in London believe that the City's success does not depend on the euro.
FSA steps up split caps probe
UK - The city watchdog has stepped up its investigation into split caps, with the announcement that it has started swooping on investment firms involved in the controversial trusts.
Speech by Eddie George, Bank of England Governor
SPEECH - In the speech George said "With inflationary pressures subdued, monetary policy generally can, for the time being at least, afford to remain reasonably supportive" - although he added that he made "no predictions as to what that may mean for…
BoE's George hints at reluctance to raise rates
UK - Sir Edward George, governor of the Bank of England, hinted last night that he does not support a rapid rise in interest rates.
Goodhart talks on central bank independence
UK - Professor Charles Goodhart a former member of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee made a powerful argument for central bankindependence in a talk at the London School of Economics yesterday, Thursday. A CentralBankNet correspondent was…
ECB and BoE - distinguishing features
UK - Analysts often laud the speed of the Fed's response times, like the BoE's, to changes in the business climate, while they decry the supposed "slowness" and unpredictable nature of the ECB.
Bank of England - News Release
NEWS RELEASE - Financial Sanctions: Afghanistan (Taliban and Usama Bin Laden), 28 January 2002.
Regulator warns about health of insurance industry
UK - The Financial Services Authority has warned that it is important for the long-term health of the insurance industry and clients that its capital base is strengthened.
Voters 'will back euro' if economic tests passed
UK - Tony Blair would win a euro referendum just by saying that Britain had passed the five economic tests for joining, according to a poll published on Wednesday.
FSA acts to tighten assurers' solvency reports
UK - The Financial Services Authority plans to tighten rules that were used by Equitable Life, the troubled mutual life assurer, to bolster its reported financial strength.
Bank chiefs unanimous on rate freeze
UK - Bank of England gurus in charge of setting interest rates voted unanimously in favour of a rate freeze this month.
Speech by Eddie George, Bank of England Governor
SPEECH - In the speech George said that while an increasingly global economy served to boost living standards worldwide the fact that many poorer nations had unequal access to free markets meant more must be done to help them through the careful…
Speech by Christopher Allsopp of Bank of England
SPEECH - Charles Allsopp said in the speech that maintaining a stable rate of economic growth should be given a clearer role in the policy framework of the European Central Bank and that greater symmetry in inflation targetting had worked well in Britain…
Allsopp - ECB should have stable growth aim
UK - Maintaining a stable rate of economic growth should be given a clearer role in the policy framework of the European Central Bank, a senior Bank of England official said on Wednesday.
Speech by John Townend of the Bank of England
SPEECH - In the speech Townend acknowledged that "the sterling exchange rate is clearly overvalued, at least against the euro". But he went on to insist that a fall in its value would create inflationary pressures.
Bank of England official: 'Leave pound alone'
UK - A senior Bank of England official has warned against artificially reducing the value of the pound.
UK Tory chief: Euro tests are 'rubbish'
UK - United Kingdom Conservative Party leader Iain Duncan Smith has called on Tony Blair to hold an early referendum on the UK adopting the European single currency.
Central Banker of the Year
ARTICLE - The Banker magazine published in London has awarded Mugur Isarescu, Governor of the Central Bank of Romania the title, Central Banker of the Year. Three other governors from the Philippines, Chile and Botswana won regional titles.
Stamp of approval
ARTICLE - So just why has DeAnne Julius, the American former member of the Bank of England's monetary policy committee, taken out dual UK nationality? City types point darkly to a Bank of England connection.
Let pounds and euros compete
ARTICLE - For well over a decade there has been a ceaseless political battle over whether Britain ought to join the euro. The introduction of euro notes and coins at the beginning of this year has raised the decibel level of the controversy but has not…
Bank of England in legal action
UK - The Bank of England faces legal action by a mother who returned from maternity leave and was sacked for rejecting changes to its benefits package that made employees worse off, said Unifi, the banking and finance union.
BOE gold auction fifth of six planned auctions
UK - The Bank of England Wednesday auctioned 20.0 metric tons of gold, or 643,200 ounces, at an allotment price of $283.50 per troy ounce.
Sterling may not have to enter ERM to join euro
UK - Brussels has smoothed the path to British entry to the euro, by suggesting that sterling might not have first to rejoin the Exchange Rate Mechanism for two years.