United Kingdom
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.
Speech by Eddie George, Bank of England Governor
SPEECH - In the speech Sir Edward said that the timing of any rise in interest rates would depend on the strength of the global recovery. He described himself as "reasonably optimistic" about the prospects of an improvement later in the year, but said…
Eddie George cautious on interest rate rise
UK - Sir Edward George, governor of the Bank of England, last night played down expectations that the Bank might soon put up interest rates, saying: "I do not suggest that the timing of any such move is imminent."
Blair and Straw in euro entry talks
UK - Britain yesterday held talks about the euro with Denmark and Sweden, the two other EU countries that are outside the eurozone.
International bankruptcy scheme 'easy to set up'
UK - An international bankruptcy procedure for governments could be set up quickly and easily while protecting key public services from creditors, according to a report from a leading campaign group.
Bank of England leaves interest rates unchanged
UK - Bank of England chiefs have left interest rates on hold at 4%, despite increasing evidence of the strength of the UK economy.
Bank of England News Release
NEWS RELEASE - Bank of England Maintains Interest Rates at 4.0%.
Bank of England Working Paper Series
RESEARCH - Bank of England Working Paper by Nicoletta Batini, Richard Harrison and Stephen P Millard. 'Monetary policy rules for an open economy'.
Capital flow and soundness of regulation
LETTER - A letter published in the London Financial Times, 8 January 2002.
UK Interest rates may have to rise: George
UK: The Governor of the Bank of England last night warned that interest rates might have to be raised to moderate consumer demand.
Speech by Eddie George, Bank of England Governor
SPEECH - Sir Eddie George, the governor of the Bank of England, in a speech backed the claims of anti-globalisation protesters that the poorest countries are excluded from the benefits of expanding world trade.