Central Banking
The rise of SWFs is unstoppable
Western governments must accept the rise of sovereign wealth funds as a further sign of a shift in the world economy, according to Gerard Lyons, the chief economist at Standard Chartered, a bank.
Stiglitz praises Chavez's "Bank of the South"
Joseph Stiglitz, a former World Bank chief economist and Nobel laureate, commended plans put forward by Venezuela's president Hugo Chavez for a regional lender for Latin America.
China likely to replace Zhou
Zhou Xiaochuan, the governor of the People's Bank of China, is set to lose his job as part of a wide-ranging reshuffle, the details of which will be announced at next week's party congress.
Former financial stability adviser returns to Bank
Alastair Clark, a former executive director at the Bank of England, is to rejoin the Bank to advise Mervyn King, the governor, on financial stability.
Chile holds rates at 5.75%
The Central Bank of Chile's policy board voted to keep its benchmark rate at 5.75% despite mounting concern over rising inflation.
Canada's Macklem to move to finance ministry
Tiff Macklem, a deputy governor of the Bank of Canada, is to move to the Department of Finance on 1 November.
Korea holds rates at highest level for six years
The Bank of Korea's rate-setting board decided to leave its benchmark rate at a six-year high of 5% on Thursday.
Can rainy-day funds make a difference in Europe?
The Bank of Italy has published a paper looking at whether rainy-day funds, which US states (who usually have to balance their budgets) use to limit procyclical fiscal policies, have a role to play in European fiscal policy.
Zoellick wants "inclusive" globalisation
Robert Zoellick, the president of the World Bank, set out his plans for the strategic direction of the Bank on Wednesday to mark his first 100 days in charge.
Kroszner on the role of the Fed
Randall Kroszner, a member of the Federal Reserve's Board of Governors, listed the central bank's responsibilities with regard to monetary policy, supervision and consumer protection in a speech on Thursday.
National Bank of Moldova - Annual Report 2006
Moldova's economy grew relatively slowly in 2006. GDP increased by 4%, in comparison with 7.5% in 2005 and 7.4% in 2004.
UK regulators launch reform paper
Alistair Darling, the UK chancellor of the exchequer, announced on Thursday the publication of a banking reform discussion paper, written by the Treasury, the Financial Services Authority (FSA) and the Bank of England.
Private sector urges cooperation on rulemaking
The Institute of International Finance (IIF), a global association of finance institutions, called for central bankers and finance ministries to ensure that the regulatory response to the current crisis complements reforms pursued by the private sector.
Japan holds rates at 0.5%
The Bank of Japan's rate-setting committee voted eight to one in favour of maintaining their benchmark rate at about 0.5% on Thursday.
South Africa hikes rates by 50 basis points
The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) surprised markets on Thursday, pushing its benchmark rate up by half a percentage point to 10.5%.
Singapore continues currency appreciation
The Monetary Authority of Singapore said on Thursday that it would continue to strengthen the value of the Singapore dollar relative to its US counterpart.
UK financial sanctions: shift in responsibility
Responsibility for financial sanctions is being transferred from the Bank of England to the Treasury on 24 October.
Colombia's Uribe highlights new challenges
The integration of Colombia into the global economy has presented two policy challenges, says Jose Dario Uribe, the governor of the Banco de la Republica, Colombia.
ECB paints rosy picture for the future
Though the banking crisis has caused uncertainty, the eurozone looks set to continue growing in the medium term, according to the latest edition of the European Central Bank's (ECB) Monthly Bulletin.
Turmoil not likely to hamper growth, says Mboweni
South Africa's economy will continue to prosper in spite of the recent global banking crisis because of its favourable macroeconomic position, said Tito Mboweni, the governor of the South African Reserve Bank.
Differing results on investment adjustment costs
A Bank of England paper evaluating the costs of changes in investment shows the elasticity of investment with respect to the shadow price of capital (the value to the firm of one additional unit of capital) to be 15 times larger than aggregate models…
Crisis shows why we need Basel II, says Committee
The recent banking crisis has underlined the importance of Basel II implementation, according to the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision.
Fed unanimously supported 50 basis point cut
All ten members of rate-setting Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) were in favour of 50 basis point cut, the minutes of the 18 September meeting reveal.
Latin America set to escape worst of turmoil
Rodrigo de Rato, the managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), expects Latin America to avoid most of the effects of the recent financial turmoil, though its economy may be hampered by the aftermath.