Central Banking
Merkel worried by debate on ECB independence
German Chancellor Angela Merkel spoke out on economic issues in an interview Saturday 13 January, defending the independence of the European Central Bank against euro critics and calling for closer ties with the US.
PBOC researcher says reserve, rates need adjusting
A People's Bank of China researcher has said in a report that the PBOC needs to raise the reserve requirement again as well as adjust interest rates to rein in liquidity.
Economy minister calls on BoJ to hold rates steady
Japan's economic and fiscal policy minister Hiroko Ota on Monday 15 January called for the Bank of Japan to hold interest rates unchanged ahead of its meeting this week.
Bangladesh names former BB chief as caretaker head
Bangladesh's President Iajuddin Ahmed on Friday 12 January named former central bank governor Fakhruddin Ahmed to succeed him as the chief of an interim administration charged with holding elections, officials said.
EPCA conference scheduled for May
The 6th International European Payments Consulting Association (EPCA) Conference will be held in Frankfurt on 15 and 16 May 2007. This year's theme is 'Reshaping the European payment landscape: the realistic scenarios'.
Court sanctions arrest of Kozlov murder suspect
A Moscow court on Monday 15 January sanctioned the arrest of a banker detained last week in connection with the investigation into the murder of a senior Russian central bank official.
Fed's Bies on enterprise risk management
In the speech 'Enterprise risk management and mortgage lending' given on 11 January Susan Schmidt Bies of the Federal Reserve said looser underwriting standards were partly responsible for recent rises in late mortgage payments and that lenders should…
IMF's Rato on the benefits of partnership
In the speech 'The benefits of partnership: Keynote speech for the inauguration of the central AFRITAC' given on 9 January Rodrigo de Rato of the IMF said the benefits of increased trade are greatest if it is accompanied by improvements in the regulatory…
IMF paper on Kenya's monetary policy
The IMF Working Paper "A VAR analysis of Kenya's monetary policy transmission mechanism: How does the central bank's REPO rate affect the economy?" examines the impact of a monetary policy shock on output, prices, and the nominal effective exchange rate…
Chile's Corbo on the Fund's medium-term strategy
In the speech 'The Fund's medium-term strategy - a view from Latin America and a dialogue with high-level officials' given on 11 December Vittorio Corbo of the Central Bank of Chile said after almost twenty years since the debt crisis of the eighties, a…
Mboweni says SARB independent despite shareholders
Although the South African Reserve Bank is controlled by the government and private shareholders it is one of the most independent central banks in the world, Reserve Bank governor Tito Mboweni said in an article published Friday 12 January.
Dallas Fed names Issing for globalisation study
The Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas has said Otmar Issing will advise its new think tank on the impact of globalisation on the international economy.
ECB says 265,000 counterfeit euro notes detected
The European Central Bank said Friday 12 January a total of 265,000 counterfeit euro banknotes were removed from circulation during the second half of last year.
Boston's Minehan says she will retire this year
Federal Reserve Bank of Boston president Cathy Minehan said Thursday 11 January she plans to retire later this year but will stay in place until her successor is named.
BoJ's Fukui says economy expanding moderately
Bank of Japan governor Toshihiko Fukui reiterated Friday 12 January that the economy is still growing gradually and that he expects the recovery to continue.
Bank of Japan seen leaning toward raising rates
The Bank of Japan is leaning towards raising interest rates at next week's policy board meeting, with consumer spending remaining firm and worries of a US economic slowdown receding, the Nikkei reported Friday 12 January, without citing sources.
Unpredictable Bank fails in mission to be dull
According to this article from Reuters, published Thursday 11 January, the Bank of England is failing miserably in its quest to be boring.
NY Fed's Geithner on the global economy
In the speech 'Developments in the global economy and implications for the United States' given on 11 January Timothy Geithner of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York said a large accumulation of dollars in official reserves has helped keep U.S. interest…
IMF paper on bank risk-taking and competition
The IMF Working Paper "Bank risk-taking and competition revisited: New theory and new evidence" studies two new models in which banks face a non-trivial asset allocation decision.
IMF paper on financial stability
The IMF Working Paper "Economic integration and financial stability: A European perspective" assesses changes in synchronization of real activity and financial market integration in Western Europe and evaluates their implications for financial stability.
IMF paper on foreign investment in China's banks
The IMF Working Paper "The rise of foreign investment in China's banks: Taking stock" takes stock of the involvement of foreign banks in the Chinese banking sector in the perspective of international experience.
IMF paper on rebalancing China's economy
The IMF Working Paper "Rebalancing China's economy: What does growth theory tell us?" uses the standard one-sector neoclassical growth model to investigate why China's consumption has been low and investment high.
Trichet says 'very close monitoring' on price risk
European Central Bank president Jean-Claude Trichet told a press conference on Thursday 11 January that the ECB will act in a "firm and timely manner" to ensure price stability but did not reintroduce a commitment to exercise "vigilance" on inflation…
Skrzypek named head of Poland's central bank
Poland's new central bank governor, Slawomir Skrzypek, a close ally of president Lech Kaczynski, was confirmed by parliament Wednesday 11 January. At a parliamentary hearing Skrzypek had earlier confused the deceased Wim Duisenberg with Jean-Claude…