Central Banking
Interview with Malta's Bonello
In a recent interview, the governor of Malta's central bank, Michael Bonello, sought to assuage fears that the changeover to the euro in 2008 would lead to price rises.
HKMA: Annual Report
A 9.5% return on the exchange fund and the establishment of payment system links in renminbi and ringitt were among the highlights of 2006, according to the Hong Kong Monetary Authority's 216-page review of the year.
Federal Reserve: Annual Report
The Federal Reserve released its 93rd annual report on 6 June, in which it said "The US economy turned in another solid performance in 2006, although the pattern of growth was uneven."
Speech by Riksbank's berg
Speaking at a meeting at Handelsbanken in Stockholm, Sveriges Riksbank deputy governor Svante berg argued that "productivity will probably show a slower increase in the future. Combined with higher wage increases, this indicates higher inflationary…
Israel's Fischer on new banking law
Addressing the Knesset, Stanley Fischer, the governor of the Bank of Israel, urged lawmakers to push forward with a new law on the supervision of banking fees by the Supervisor of Banks.
Denmark's Annual Report
Denmark's central bank started work on a new note series in 2006, the annual report notes, with the series planned to start hitting the streets in 2009.
ECB: Inflation-linked bonds benefit central banks
In a recent occasional working paper the European Central Bank argues that "the issuance of inflation-linked bonds has explicit benefits for central banks."
Asian infrastructure needs - Ng speech
"The immense yet unmet need for infrastructure investments in Asia" combined with Asian governments' desire to develop their capital markets constitute an ideal environment for infrastructure capital markets to take off, according to Ng Nam Sin,…
Australia keeps rate at six-year high
Glenn Stevens, Governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia, announced on 6 June that the central bank would keep its benchmark interest rate unchanged for the sixth meeting in succession. Rates remain unchanged at a six-year high of 6.25%.
Polish inflation within target range - governor
The governor of the National Bank of Poland, Slawomir Skrzypek, says inflation should remain within the central bank's target range of 1.5% to 3.5% until mid-2008.
Bank Indonesia more bullish
Bank Indonesia, the country's central bank, has upgraded its national economic growth forecast for this year from 6% to 6.2%. The latest inflation figures are also better than those forecast by the central bank.
Risks rising for emerging markets - RBI's Reddy
Y.V. Reddy, the governor of the Reserve Bank of India, has warned that new financial market players and instruments, as well as greater market integration, mean that the risk of contagion to emerging economies may have grown.
Cyprus surprises with unchanged repo rate
The Central Bank of Cyprus has raised the interest rate on its marginal lending facility and on the overnight deposit facility by 25 basis points. However, the rate on the central bank's main refinancing operations (repo rate) remains unchanged at 4.5%.
ECB lifts rates to 4%
The European Central Bank has raised its key interest rates by 25 basis points to 4%, taking rates in the eurozone to their highest level for six years. This latest increase means that interest rates have doubled in 18 months.
Finland's Liikanen: uncertainty and globalisation
Erkki Liikanen, the governor of the Bank of Finland, said that although "There has been a broad-based decline in many measurable risks...one could argue that uncertainty may in fact have increased."
Ball: globalisation does not affect inflation
A recent paper by Laurence Ball for the National Bureau of Economic Research suggetss that "globalisation has had little effect on the rate of inflation in the United States."
Kiraly new deputy governor in Hungary
The Governor of the Magyar Nemzeti Bank, Andras Simor, has proposed Julia Kiraly as the central bank's new Deputy Governor.
Olmert called in on Bank of Israel wage dispute
The signing of a new wage agreement at the Bank of Israel has been delayed by troubles over the central bank's so-called "second generation workers".
Pig disease threatens inflation rise in China
Food prices, especially those of pork and eggs which make a substantial contribution to the country's inflation rate, are being closely watched by the People's Bank of China.
Syria to abandon dollar peg in July
The governor of Syria's central bank, Adib Mayelah, announced that the country will abandon the Syrian pound 's peg to the dollar in an effort to stem rising costs and inflation.
Serbian inflation on the rise
The governor of the National Bank of Serbia says the central bank expects the country's overall inflation rate to reach 6% this year.
Asia ten years on - IMF's Burton
Ten years after Asia's financial crisis it is the most dynamic region in the global economy, observed David Burton, the IMF's director for Asia and the Pacific, in a speech in Singapore.
Colombia's central bank: half yearly report
The reports presented to Colombia's Congress by the Board of Directors of the Banco de la Republica include macroeconomic results, the aims of the board, and future perspectives of the likely trend of several macroeconomic variables.
Bernanke: US inflation slowing, but risks remain
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke says US core inflation "seems likely to moderate gradually over time", but there are "upside" risks to this forecast.