Central Banking
Japanese opposition likely to reject nominee
As Toshihiko Fukui prepares to step down on Wednesday 19 March, a rudderless Bank of Japan looked a near certainty after the Democratic Party of Japan, the country's main opposition party, indicated it would veto the government's latest choice for…
UK inflation jumps to 2.5%
British inflation rose by 0.3 percentage points in the year to February, an increase that was widely expected after the Bank of England said last month that price growth was set to accelerate over the next quarter. Changes to the way in which the measure…
Overnight rate unchanged despite BoE injection
The Bank of England's attempt to lower sterling short-term interbank borrowing costs by adding £5 billion ($10 billion) to the money markets looks to have failed.
Reserve ratio up as Zhou hints at PBC hike
The People's Bank of China on Wednesday 18 March demanded that banks hold more cash in its coffers as Zhou Xiaochuan, the governor of the central bank, indicated rate rises were likely.
Turmoil set to impact Swiss exporters: SNB's Roth
The financial market turbulence is unlikely to leave Switzerland unscathed, said Jean-Pierre Roth, the chairman of the governing board of the Swiss National Bank.
Markets getting better at guessing rate moves
Financial markets have increasingly been able to correctly predict monetary policy decisions for a number of large central banks, research published by the European Central Bank notes.
Commodity prices prompted RBA rate rise
The likelihood of rampant commodity price growth over the course of 2008 led the Reserve Bank of Australia to hike rates by a quarter point earlier this month, minutes of the March monetary policy meeting reveal.
Private-sector wellbeing impacted by job cuts
Public servants are less sensitive to rises in unemployment than workers in the private sector, research published by the Boston Federal Reserve finds.
Fed opts for 75 basis-point cut
The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) on Wednesday 18 March voted to slash rates by three quarters of a percentage point to 2.25%.
Fed works over weekend to counter market stress
The Federal Reserve took its fourth emergency action in ten days on Sunday 16 March, cutting the rate at which it offers discount window funds and attempting to boost trading in securitisation markets.
Old Lady adds an extra £5bn
The Bank of England injected £5 billion ($10 billion) into the money markets on Monday 17 March after overnight interbank rates shot up on the back of Bear Stearns's collapse.
Beijing reappoints Zhou
After months of deliberation, the Chinese authorities on Monday approved the reappointment of Zhou Xiaochuan as governor of the People's Bank of China.
DSK praises central banks
The European Central Bank (ECB) and the US Federal Reserve received plaudits from Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the managing director of the International Monetary Fund, on Monday 17 March.
Research looks at the secrets of long-term growth
New research by the International Monetary Fund has uncovered several factors which influence the sustainability of growth.
Bank of Canada - Annual Report 2007
For Canada, 2007 was marked by sharply increased volatility in financial and foreign-exchange markets, and a widening of credit spreads.
Exporters create more jobs
Firms participating in international markets have higher employment growth rates than purely domestic companies, research published by the National Bank of Belgium finds.
Bank of England - Quarterly Bulletin
Though sterling interbank markets showed some signs of improvement in December and early January, conditions deteriorated again during February, the Bank of England states in its latest Quarterly Bulletin.
Fed credibility at risk, warn commentators
Economic commentators have largely slammed the raft of measures that the Federal Reserve has introduced over the past ten days.
Fed funds Bear Stearns on liquidity fears
The Federal Reserve on Friday 14 March agreed to provide emergency funding to Bear Stearns, a troubled investment bank.
SWFs a force for stability, says BoE's Gieve
Sovereign wealth fund investment will help temper volatility in equity markets, Sir John Gieve, the deputy governor at the Bank of England responsible for financial stability, said.
US should start a SWF: ex-Wyoming treasurer
The US should use its revenue from mineral reserves to start a sovereign wealth fund, said Cynthia Lummis, a former state treasurer for Wyoming, at Central Banking Publications' Sovereign Wealth Management conference.
UK inflation expectations surge to record high
The British public expects prices to rise by 3.3% over the next 12 months, their highest-ever estimate.
Chile keeps rates at six-year high
The Central Bank of Chile held rates at 6.25% for the second month in a row.
The EU's approach to SWFs is commendable
The EU Commission's proposal for sovereign wealth fund policies are to be welcomed, says Norbert Walter, the chief economist of Deutsche Bank Group. And it is in the interests of the funds themselves to support this course.