Central Banking
Sants named as new FSA chief executive
Hector Sants has been appointed chief executive of Britain's Financial Services Authority (FSA). He will take up the post on 20 July 2007, succeeding John Tiner who steps down at the Annual Public Meeting on 19 July.
Zimbabwe to jettison release of inflation data
Recent media reports have highlighted the state of chaos in the management of the Zimbabwean economy, with central bank governor, Gideon Gono, seen as fighting a losing battle again the country's president, Robert Mugabe.
New foreign exchange strategy in New Zealand
Allan Bollard, the governor of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand, announced on 13 July that the central bank will move away from its current practice of matching its foreign assets to its foreign liabilities.
Croatian governor turns away German bank
eljko Rohatinski, the governor of the Croatian National Bank, refused to allow a German bank to return to the country after its role in a crisis five years ago.
Chile announces first rate rise in a year
The Central Bank of Chile raised interest rates for the first time in a year and hinted that there was more to come. In a widely anticipated move, the central bank's five-strong board raised rates 25 basis points to 5.25%.
US watchdogs mull hedge fund regulation
After hearing testimonies on developments in the hedge fund industry, the Financial Services Committee of the American House of Representatives has suggested that tighter regulation of the industry may be required.
Lawmakers turn-up heat on Georgian governor
Speculation that the governor of the National Bank of Georgia, Roman Gotsiridze, may resign intensified after parliament passed a resolution calling for changes at the central bank.
Latvia leaves rates on hold
The Bank of Latvia's Council voted to leave its refinancing rate unchanged at 6% noting that its anti-inflation plan was starting to take effect and there were the first signs of a stabilisation in the real estate market.
Lack of experience costs the Bank
Alex Brummer, a veteran economic commentator, criticised the Bank of England's monetary policy makers, their appointment process and their performance.
IMF paper on managing director appointments
A new paper from the Independent Evaluation Office of the IMF looks back at the history of appointing managing directors at the Fund.
ECB's July Monthly Bulletin
The July edition of the "Monthly Bulletin" of the European Central Bank, realeased on 12 July, contains articles on interpreting monetary developments over the last three years, and the recycling of oil revenues.
Papademos on euro adoption in Malta and Cyprus
In this speech, Lucas Papademos, the vice-president of the European Central Bank, discusses the adoption of the euro in Malta and Cyprus. The two island economies will adopt the euro on 1 January 2008.
Bank of Japan stays put
The Bank of Japan left its benchmark interest rate unchanged at 0.5% on Thursday. Only one board member, Atsushi Mizuno, opposed the decision and voted for a rate rise.
Korea raises rates to tame money growth
The Bank of Korea lifted raised interest rates by a quarter percentage point to 4.75% on 12 July. It was the first increase in Korean rates since August 2006.
Twin move leaves Philippine policy "neutral"
The Philippine central bank announced a sharp reduction of rates from 7.5 to 6% on 12 July. The move was, however, accompanied by the abolition of a policy of paying lower interest on large deposits with the central bank.
Fed's Warsh on hedge fund risks
Addressing the House's Committee on Financial Services, Kevin Warsh, a member of the board of governors of the Federal Reserve, set out what the Fed sees as the risks hedge funds pose to the financial system.
Draghi sees more efficiencies from bank mergers
Mario Draghi, the governor of the Bank of Italy, says the market expects further savings as banks in Italy consolidate. Speaking at the meeting of the Italian Banking Association in Rome on 11 July, Draghi said savings would come from unifying IT systems…
Ireland's three-year strategic plan
The Central Bank of Ireland on Wednesday published its three-year strategic plan.
BoE's Sentance on monetary policy and business
Andrew Sentence, an external member of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) said on 10 July that the benefits to businesses from sound monetary policy "lie not in a temporary respite from higher interest rates, but in achieving a…
Central bank sees "soft landing" for Irish housing
With Ireland's economy set fair, the property market is heading for a soft landing, says John Hurley, the governor of Ireland's central bank.
Opiokello on Uganda and Basel II
David Opiokello, the deputy governor of the Bank of Uganda, said "The key element that countries should consider before moving on to Basel II is whether a good baseline supervisory system is in place," in a speech delivered on 3 July in Kampala.
Expectations not perfectly anchored, says Bernanke
Ben Bernanke, the chairman of the Federal Reserve, says inflation expectations in the United States remain "imperfectly anchored", even if they seem much better anchored now than they were a few decades ago.
Euro appreciation reflects strength, says Stark
Jurgen Stark, an executive board member of the European Central Bank (ECB), says the euro's recent appreciation to a record high against the dollar reflects the strength of the region's economy.
Venezuela launches two-pronged inflation attack
Venezuela's central bank is raising interest rates and reserve requirements for banks in an effort to stem inflation. "These measures seek to provide incentives for national saving and adjust liquidity levels, with the goal of growing in a more stable…