Central Banking
SARB confounds expectations with half-point hike
The South African Reserve Bank raised its policy rate to 12% on Thursday.
Korean SWF could buy Lehman stake
Korea's sovereign wealth fund is one of a number of the country's official institutions that could inject funds into Lehman Brothers, an investment bank, it was revealed on Thursday.
Beige Book backs up Bernanke comments
The Federal Reserve's Beige Book indicates the US manufacturing sector is passing on higher input costs to customers.
ECB on why the risks to inflation have risen
The European Central Bank's (ECB) latest Monthly Report outlines why the upside risks to inflation have risen further over the past month.
Swiss housing market stable, says SNB's Roth
The Swiss housing market is unlikely to perform as badly as its US counterpart in the coming months, Jean-Pierre Roth, the chairman of the Swiss National Bank's governing board, believes.
Low inflation will foster growth:Zambia's Fundanga
The achievement and maintenance of a low and stable inflation rate is essential for economic growth, Caleb Fundanga, the governor of the Bank of Zambia, stated.
EU supports regulatory role for central banks
The recent financial turmoil has underlined the importance of central banks' role in supervision, said Lorenzo Bini Smaghi, a member of the European Central Bank's executive board.
NZ counters payments-systems attack
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand has hit back at criticisms of the country's payments and settlements systems.
ECB's Stark hints at standalone hike in July
The European Central Bank looks likely to raise rates only in July rather than tighten policy on a series of occasions over the coming months.
Analysts see point hike from SARB
Ahead of Thursday's rate-setting meeting, observers expect the South African Reserve Bank to increase the cost of borrowing by 100 basis points taking rates to 12.5%.
Vietnam hikes rates, devalues dong
The State Bank of Vietnam's benchmark rate will soar two percentage points to 14% from Thursday in a bid to counter inflation, while the dong's value will plunge by almost 2%.
Euro-area deserves bigger regulatory role: Merkel
The eurozone's economic importance warrants the region more influence over financial markets regulation, said Angela Merkel, the chancellor of Germany.
NY Fed on why the US Treasury auctions bills
The US Treasury began auctioning bills in 1929 to mitigate several flaws in the department's financing structure, research published by the New York Fed reveals.
Who stands to gain from inflation?
Research published by the Bank of Canada details the groups that have the most to gain, and to lose, from inflation.
RBA on why central banks tend towards Fed-set rate
Research by the Reserve Bank of Australia has uncovered why long-term nominal interest rates in a number of inflation-targeting small open economies have tended to be highly correlated with those of the United States.
Fed details banks' balance sheet developments
The Federal Reserve has published an account of the profits of and balance-sheet developments at US commercial banks in 2007.
Canada surprises markets with rate hold
The Bank of Canada's decision to leave rates on hold shocked analysts expecting a 25 basis point cut.
Stronger stability framework a priority: King
Mervyn King, the governor of the Bank of England, has said that he wants to establish a sturdier financial stability framework during his second term.
Riksbank drops CPIX inflation measure
Barbro Wickman-Parak, the first deputy governor of the Riksbank, said on Monday that the central bank would phase out its use of the CPIX inflation measure.
GCC governors back regional CB plans
Central bank governors in the gulf have taken a significant step towards monetary union, backing the creation of a regional central bank.
Indonesia to target overnight rate
The Bank of Indonesia is looking to enhance its liquidity provision by targeting an overnight interbank rate close to its benchmark rate.
Futures markets still a useful tool: Bernanke
Policymakers should still look to futures markets to derive their price forecasts of key commodities despite their inaccuracy, Ben Bernanke, the chairman of the Federal Reserve, said.
Stability risks have risen: ECB
The risks to euro-area financial stability have increased over the last six months, the European Central Bank said in its latest Financial Stability Review.
Kansas City Fed uncovers optimal inflation rate
Central bankers should aim for inflation of between 0.7% and 1.4% a year, research published by the Kansas City Fed states.