Central Banking
Thai rates cut with one eye on baht
Thailand's central bank cut its benchmark interest rate, the one-day bond repurchase rate, to 3.25% from 3.5% today, the fifth consecutive cut this year. Suchada Kirakul, the assistant governor, told reporters after the rate decision that the cut "will…
German confidence takes a dip
A survey of investors published yesterday by the ZEW Institute in Mannheim suggested that Germany's recovery might falter as the country feels the effect of higher interest rates, nervous financial markets and a stronger euro.
Fed's Monetary Policy Report to Congress
The Fed's seminannual report to the American congress, which was released at the start of chairman, Ben Bernanke's testimony on 18 July, paints a rosy picture of the outlook for the world's largest economy.
Hungary's Simor questions Maastricht criteria
Andras Simor, the president of Hungary's central bank, told reporters in Bucharest on 17 July that the Maastricht criteria for the adoption of the euro "might not be as appropriate for emerging countries as for the more developed ones."
Concerns remain over rising baht
The Thai central bank was has been urged by the country's military-backed government to cut its key interest rate further to try to stem the rise of the baht, the country's currency, which has reached ten-year highs against the dollar.
Zimbabwe can't join rand monetary union - Mboweni
Tito Mboweni, the governor of the South African Reserve Bank, says Zimbabwe was far from being ready to join the rand common monetary area (CMA), which currently includes South Africa, Lesotho, Namibia and Swaziland.
Australia also wants wider net for Fund leader
Peter Costello, the Australian federal treasurer, has joined the international chorus urging a departure from tradition in the selection of the next head of the International Monetary Fund.
India mulls sovereign wealth fund
The government of India has decided to set up a "wholesale banking company" - its own version of a sovereign wealth fund - in a separate country with a mature financial system, according to reports in the Indian media.
Bermuda - annual report 2006
The Bermuda Monetary Authority's annual report for 2006 explains why the central bank separated the roles of chairman and chief executive.
Mexico ends dollar sales for three months
Mexico's central bank, Banco de Mexico, announced today that it will not sell dollars in the third quarter of 2007.
BIS report on foreign exchange settlement risk
A new report from the BIS surveys foreign exchange settlement risk in over 100 banks and other institutions active in forex markets.
Is an international lender welfare enhancing?
This Central Bank of Chile working paper examines the role of an extra lender in the international markets - such the IMF or another similar institution. The authors suggest that the existence of such a lender "is not beneficial from a welfare standpoint…
Japan's CPI understated deflation - NBER paper
Japan's deflation would have more than twice as severe as official statistics suggested if the country adopted American methodologies which correct for substitution biases and quality upgrading, this NBER working paper finds.
Financial-stability stress testing at BoE
Nigel Jenkinson, an executive director at the Bank of England, set out plans for a suite of models to map the effects of financial system stress.
ECB - annual report 2006
Presented by Jean-Claude Trichet to Parliament on Friday, the ECB's 250-page report surveys economic developments in the eurozone and looks at changes in central bank operations over 2006.
Canada's monetary policy update
Two days after raising rates, the Bank of Canada published its update on monetary policy. "Some modest further increase in the policy rate may be required," it says.
Inflation surprise lifts New Zealand dollar
New Zealand's benchmark interest rate is widely expected to be raised by a quarter of a percentage point to a record level of 8.25% next week, after a report published today revealed that inflation has risen faster than the Reserve Bank anticipated. The…
Choose Fund head on merit - Colombia's Uribe
Jose Dario Uribe, the governor of the central bank of Colombia, says it is still too early to select a candidate to head the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to succeed Rodrigo de Rato, who will leave the Fund in October.
Tanzanian governor "will not resign"
The governor of the Bank of Tanzania, Daudi Ballali, called a special press conference at the end of last week in which he denounced mounting allegations against him as "malicious lies and fabrications" and said he had no intention of resigning.
Sarkozy tones down ECB rhetoric
French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, appears to have relented to pressure from other European leaders over his repeated criticism of the European Central Bank (ECB). The newly-elected leader said on 16 July that he supported the central bank's independence.
New regulator for Qatar
Qatar is to follow the international trend towards an integrated approach to the regulation of various financial products, services and institutions. Work is under way to create a fully-integrated regulatory and legal environment for financial services.
Dutch finance minister keen on Islamic banking
The Dutch finance minister, Wouter Bos, is calling for an investigation into the possibility of developing Islamic banking in the Netherlands.
Su heads Chinese central bank's Shanghai office
Su Ning, a deputy governor of the People's Bank of China is to be chief of its Shanghai office. Su succeeds Xiang Junbo, who has been appointed as the president of the Agricultural Bank of China.
Monetary integration in Southern Africa
This IMF working paper finds that the current Common Monetary Area (CMA) agreements between South African, Lesotho, Swaziland and Namibia, although not a full monetary union, have delivered many benefits of a full monetary union.