Central Banking
Ex-minister questions Czech independence
Jan Mladek, a Czech member of parliament and former government minister, has claimed that Vaclav Klaus, the president of the Czech Republic, is abusing his power to appoint senior members of the Czech National Bank's staff.
Qatar SWF to invest up to $15 billion in banks
The Qatar Investment Authority will spend between $10 billion and $15 billion buying up stakes in banks, the head of the sovereign wealth fund has revealed.
UK lawmaker laments lack of chief regulator
John McFall, chairman of the Treasury Select Committee which published its comprehensive report on the Northern Rock crisis at the end of February, reiterated his suggestion that the lack of a central figure in charge of Britain's tripartite regulatory…
Emergency Fed cut an effort to appear decisive
The Federal Reserve voted to slash rates by 75 basis points to demonstrate decisiveness, minutes of the Federal Open Market Committee's (FOMC) January meeting reveal.
Progress masks greater threat of severe crisis
Financial innovation and greater macroeconomic stability may have made financial crises in developed countries less likely than in the past, but potentially more severe, research published by the Bank of England finds.
How the Fed is tackling turmoil
The Federal Reserve has acted in line with its dual mandate in taking the four measures made to rein in the recent bout of market turmoil, said Frederic Mishkin, a governor at the central bank.
Fed's Kroszner on risk and responsibility
America's banking industry and its regulators must together ensure that effective risk management practices are in place, said Randall Kroszner, a governor at the Federal Reserve.
Hanke attacks Fed at IEA seminar
Professor Steve Hanke of Johns Hopkins University rebuked the Federal Reserve for its conduct of monetary policy at a conference on Tuesday 26 February on "The State of the Economy" hosted by the Institute of Economic Affairs in London.
EU to devise SWF code
The European Commission is to propose a voluntary code of conduct for sovereign wealth funds in a bid to ease fears that their investments could compromise national security interests.
US mulling sanctions for Iranian central bank
The US Treasury Department could impose sanctions on the Central Bank of Iran after allegations emerged that the institution is helping the country's banks avoid American sanctions.
London calling for Czech governor Tuma?
The Czech government has nominated Zdenek Tuma, the governor of the Czech National Bank, to become the next president of the London-based European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).
Prices force China to stick with policy stance
A top Chinese central banker confirmed that the People's Bank's monetary policy stance will remain tight after inflation hit a fresh 11-year high.
Fed's Fisher warns on inflation expectations
Richard Fisher, the president of the Dallas Federal Reserve, has said that the Fed must be careful to avoid "stirring the embers of inflation".
Japan's Fukui on Islamic finance issues
The boom in Islamic finance raises many questions, said Toshihiko Fukui, the governor of the Bank of Japan.
FDIC's Bair calls for mortgage transparency
Sheila Bair, the chairman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the body responsible for deposit insurance in the US, has called for a return to common sense and back-to-basics lending standards.
IMF finds formula for trade-shock recovery
Real exchange rate depreciation, along with improvements in government stability and the institutional environment can lead to a speedy recovery from terms-of-trade shocks, research published by the International Monetary Fund finds.
State Bank of Pakistan - Annual Report 2006-2007
The State Bank of Pakistan has changed the formulation, management and conduct of monetary policy over the last 12 months.
SWF round-up
The march of sovereign wealth funds on Western financial institutions continued this week with the announcement the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) will buy a stake in Credit Suisse, a Swiss bank.
New Czech vice governor appointed
Mojmir Hampl, a board member of the Czech National Bank, has been named as vice-governor of the central bank.
New role for SARB in monitoring capital flows
A further relaxation in South Africa's exchange controls, announced this week, will change the South African Reserve Bank's role in overseeing capital flows.
Muto: a governor-in-waiting?
Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party is expected to nominate Toshiro Muto as the next governor of the Bank of Japan. But opposition leaders continue to resist his nomination.
Number of euro counterfeits rise
The number of counterfeited euro banknotes in the second half of 2007 shows an increase when compared to the two preceding half-year periods.
Sentance warns of slowdown
Andrew Sentance, a member of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee, has warned of the possibility of a "more significant and sustained" slowdown than those of the recent past.
New Canadian governor on globalisation
In this speech - his first as governor of the Bank of Canada - Mark Carney links the dramatic increase in highly structured credit products with emerging-market economies' role as exporters of capital.