Central Banking
Sri Lanka rebuts IMF report
The Central Bank of Sri Lanka has countered claims, made in an International Monetary Fund report, that poor decision-making has contributed to high inflation in the country.
Bank of Japan survey shows confidence on the wane
The Bank of Japan is likely to adopt a more dovish monetary policy stance and revise growth estimates downwards on the back of a poorer-than-expected Tankan survey.
Australia leaves rates at 12-year high
The Reserve Bank of Australia left rates at 7.25% - their highest level since April 2006.
Hungary raises rates by half a point
The National Bank of Hungary hiked rates by 50 basis points on Monday 31 March from 7.5% to 8%.
RBA's Stevens on the future of liquidity provision
It is likely that arrangements for providing liquidity will continue to be discussed, said Glenn Stevens, the governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia.
Kenya's IFRS and Basel 2 challenges
A practical challenge Kenyan banks challenge in complying with International Financial Reporting Standards and Basel 2 is the use of complex financial models to measure risks in their portfolio, explained Njuguna Ndung'u, the governor of the Central Bank…
New Zealand set for slowdown - Bollard
New Zealand will see a moderate slowdown in economic activity reflecting weaker household spending, business investment, the negative effects of dry weather conditions and the impact of the exchange rate on exporters, stated Alan Bollard, the governor of…
Kansas City's subprime loan record
Subprime borrowers in the 10th district are having difficulties with payment delinquencies running above the national average, according to a recent report by the Federal Reserve of Kansas City.
Major reforms in view for IMF
The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has backed a resolution that would achieve a major change in the representation of many emerging countries as well as allowing poorer countries a bigger say in the way the Fund is run.
Treasury shake-up to grant Fed more power
The US Treasury has unveiled a series of recommendations for a major restructuring of financial services regulation, which will allot broad new powers to the Federal Reserve to attack systems risk, including the ability to send SWAT teams into any…
"Unscrupulous dealers" attacking Iceland's economy
David Oddsson, the chairman of the board of directors at the Central Bank of Iceland, suspects that "unscrupulous dealers" are trying to bring down the Icelandic financial system by circulating rumours about the country's bank and central government.
ECB in a quandary as inflation rises sharply
The European Union's statistics office said on Monday 31 March that consumer price inflation accelerated to 3.5% this month from 3.2% in February, the biggest rise since June 1992, further exacerbating the European Central Bank's (ECB) monetary policy…
China stands firm on monetary policy
The People's Bank of China said on Monday 31 March, after its first quarter monetary policy committee meeting, that it would maintain its firm attitude to monetary policy, using instruments "in a measured manner".
Panel considers political fallout of SWFs
Expert panel discuss “The politics of sovereign wealth funds” at Central Banking Publications’ first Sovereign Wealth Management conference in London in March 2008
Deutsche Bank dismisses ECB conflict concerns
Deutsche Bank's chief economist sees no serious conflict between the European Central Bank's price stability objectives and its lender-of-last-resort function.
Watanagase upbeat on Thai economy
Tarisa Watanagase, the governor of the Bank of Thailand, says the strong performance of the country's economy "under significant downside risks" is testament to its resilience.
Pakistan's corporate governance agenda
The governor of the State Bank of Pakistan has outlined an agenda of outstanding corporate governance reforms for the country's banks.
Kansas Fed finds changing inflation dynamics
This research by the Kansas Federal Reserve finds that the dynamics of inflation and long-term inflation expectations have changed over the last two decades.
ECB to add €150 billion as market rates creep up
The European Central Bank (ECB) is to conduct four extra open market operations in a bid to relieve interbank tensions.
Fed's Mishkin makes his point on inflation
In one of his strongest advocacies of inflation targeting since joining the Federal Reserve in 2006, Frederic Mishkin argued that countries should adopt a specific point objective for price stability rather than having a target range.
We need banking secrets to help: Fed's Rosengren
The Federal Reserve's regulatory role has been essential in allowing the central bank to deal with the current turmoil, a top official claimed on Friday.
Decade-high inflation will not impact BoJ policy
The Bank of Japan remains more likely to cut than hike rates this year despite inflation climbing to its highest level since the 1990s in February, according to analysts.
Fed's Stern ponders on asset-price stance
Gary Stern, the president of the Minneapolis Federal Reserve, has acknowledged that the central bank may need to review its policy of non-interference with asset prices in the wake of the recent turmoil.
Governors discuss African market development
The South African Reserve Bank has published a series of papers from a roundtable of governors, where discussions focused on the theme "Financial market developments in Africa: new challenges for central banks?"