Central Banking
Price setting behaviour in Japan
The Bank of Japan has published a working paper exploring micro price setting behaviour and price hazard functions.
Bank of Israel - Annual Report 2006
The Bank of Israel has published its 2006 annual report, reflecting on a strong year for the Israeli economy.
IMF board backs global imbalances plan
The board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has backed a plan for conducting multilateral surveillance aimed at reducing global imbalances.
Burundian central bank chief arrested
Isaac Bizimana, the governor of the Bank of Burundi, was arrested Saturday 4 August on suspicion of embezzlement. The alleged embezzlement involves payments made to Interpetrol, an oil company, between 1996 and 2002.
South Africa's Mboweni on monetary policy risks
In this speech Tito Mboweni, the governor of the South African Reserve Bank, outlines some of the major concerns currently facing the central bank.
South African inflation target band remains
The South African Reserve Bank's current inflation target band of 3% to 6% will be maintained despite criticism from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), finance minister Trevor Manuel announced on Monday 6 August.
Czech central bank predicts further rate hikes
The Czech National Bank will increase interest rates if its macroeconomic forecast is correct, minutes of latest policy meeting, released on Friday 3 August, revealed.
Philippines to hold rates
Amando Tetangco, governor of the Central Bank of the Philippines, hinted that interest rates would remain unchanged for the foreseeable future.
Polish inflation to stay below 3.5% until 2009
Slawomir Skrzypek, the governor of the National Bank of Poland, says inflation will not top 3.5% in the next two years. Interest rates, he added, should remain unchanged as a result.
Paper on contestability in Canadian banking
The Bank of Canada has published a discussion paper entitled, "A Note on Contestability in the Canadian Banking Industry."
Colombia researches ratings
The Bank of Colombia has published a paper that estimates transition matrices for the ratings on financial institutions.
Central Bank of Ireland 2006 annual report
The Central Bank and Financial Services Authority of Ireland has published its 2006 annual report.
Real effective exchange rates in WAEMU
A new paper from the IMF investigates the long-run equilibrium paths of the real effective exchange rates (REERs) of countries in the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU).
Central Bank of Oman - annual report 2007
Oman's economy grew at 15.6% in 2006 the central bank reports in its annual report for 2006.
New Zealand central bank defends policy framework
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand has published its submission to the government's inquiry into the future monetary policy framework.
Calls for New Zealand to drop inflation target
The New Zealand stock exchange operator, New Zealand Exchange (NZX), has called for on the country's central bank to abandon its strict inflation target. Michael Cullen, the finance minister, called the suggestion "very interesting and very well…
Singaporean wealth fund warns of protectionism
One of Singapore's state investment companies, Temasek Holdings, says it is concerned about the threat of protectionist backlash against sovereign wealth funds.
Mboweni dismisses calls for intervention
The governor of the South African Reserve Bank, Tito Mboweni, dismissed the suggestion of a group a renowned economic advisors to the government.
Peruvian rates on hold
Peru's central bank kept interest rates unchanged on 2 August, after last month's unexpected rate rise.
Bank of Korea to restrict foreign borrowing
The Bank of Korea is about to impose new restriction on the amount of foreign currency borrowing South Korean companies can undertake.
Central Bank of Nigeria 2006 annual report
The Central Bank of Nigeria notes in its annual report for 2006 that macroeconomic stability was achieved through non-accommodating monetary policy and prudent fiscal policies by the federal government.
Trichet signals September hike
The European Central Bank (ECB) today left interest rates unchanged at 4%. In a surprise press conference after the announcement, Jean-Claude Trichet, the president of the central bank, dropped a strong hint that rates will rise at the next meeting in…
Bank of England leaves rates unchanged
The Bank of England today announced that it would leave its benchmark interest rate at 5.75%. The decision to hold rates steady was widely expected, though most economists expect rates to rise to 6% before the end of this year.
Poole says Fed should not react to volatility
William Poole, the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of St Louis, says there is no need for the Fed to react immediately to recent volatility in the financial markets.