Central Banking
Confidence in German economy high
Strong global demand for Germany's manufacturing exports has pushed business confidence in Europe's biggest economy to its highest level since the country was reunified at the start of the 1990s, the Ifo institute announced Tuesday 19 December.
Wellink on goals and strategies of Basel
In the speech 'Goals and strategies of the Basel Committee' given on 11 December Nout Wellink of the Netherlands Bank and Chairman of the Basel Committee said the Basel Committee's goals are to provide a forum for information sharing, to promote…
Fischer on the openness of Israel's economy
In the speech 'The openness of Israel's economy to the global economy and the importance of Israel's joining the OECD' given on 11 December Stanley Fischer of the Bank of Israel said membership of the OECD would promote Israel's position in the important…
SNB's Roth on recent economic developments
In the speech 'Recent economic and financial developments in Switzerland' given on 14 December Jean-Pierre Roth of the Swiss National Bank said the economic situation in Switzerland has continued to improve.
Deutsche Bundesbank Monthly Report, November 2006
The Deutsche Bundesbank published the English version of its November 2006 Monthly Report on Thursday 14 December. The report said euro- zone interest rates are still very low and inflation risks persist despite a recent drop in the inflation rate.
Sveriges Riksbank Economic Review 3rd Quarter 2006
The Sveriges Riksbank published its Economic Review for the 3rd Quarter 2006 on Monday 18 December. The latest edition includes the article "Who is paying for the IMF?."
Iran plans move towards euro from dollar
A spokesman for the Iranian government said Monday 18 December that the Central Bank of Iran will convert the state's foreign dollar holdings into euros and use the euro for foreign transactions.
Trichet on defensive over ECB political attacks
European Central Bank president Jean-Claude Trichet defended the ECB against attacks by French politicians in an interview published Monday 18 December, saying that it has a mandate from governments and voters which guarantees its independence from…
ECB's Stark says eurozone rates still low
European Central Bank (ECB) Chief Economist Juergen Stark said Thursday 14 December the bank's interest rate policy is still accommodative and noted that levels are low.
UAE says GCC trying to simplify plans
The governor of the Central Bank of the UAE, Sultan bin Nasser Al Suwaidi, on Sunday 17 December tried to play down rumours of cracks in plans for the proposed GCC monetary union by 2010.
US, China agree reforms but differ on timing
Following the talks in Beijing last week U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said China and the US have agreed basic principles on a wide range of issues including economic times, but the timing of any moves remains a stumbling block.
BOT sets limit on Thai baht exchange
The Bank of Thailand (BOT) has made a major intervention in the markets to stem the soaring Thai baht, setting a reserve requirement on short-term capital inflows that will come into effect Tuesday 19 December.
Gulf monetary union is a cracking project?
According to this article published by Gulf News on Saturday 16 December, Oman's decision to pull out of the 2010 deadline indicates pressure on the proposed GCC single currency.
Fed's Bernanke on the Chinese economy
In the speech 'The Chinese economy: Progress and challenges' given on 15 December Ben Bernanke of the Federal Reserve said Chinese policy-makers risk losing control of their economy unless they let the yuan rise in value and strengthen their financial…
Philadelphia Fed Business Review, 4th Quarter 2006
The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia published its Business Review for the Fourth Quarter 2006 on 13 December. The latest issue has articles on housing, exports, and segmented markets. Written by Senior Economic Analyst Tim Schiller, the housing…
International Journal of Central Banking, Dec 06
The December 2006 issue of the International Journal of Central Banking was published on Friday 15 December. The impact of jumps, regime switches, and linearly changing correlation term structures on the risk management of basket options is examined in…
SNB's Hildebrand on risk management
In the speech 'Risk management' given on 14 December Philipp Hildebrand of the Swiss National Bank said effective risk management requires that all relevant risks be identified and assessed regularly, in a manner that is as unbiased as possible.
Ireland's Hurley on SEPA and NPIP
In the speech 'The challenges ahead - SEPA and NPIP' given on 12 December John Hurley of the Central Bank and Financial Services Authority of Ireland said the SEPA project aims to ensure that all consumers throughout the euro area will have available to…
PBOC's Fan says China would gain from yuan rise
A modest appreciation of the yuan is good for China and will help to curb speculation on the currency, the Xinhua news agency reported Friday 15 December, citing Fan Gang, a member of the central bank's monetary policy committee.
Buba's Weber says ECB won't bow to rate pressure
The European Central Bank will definitely not put off possible further rises in interest rates to avoid potential clashes with eurozone politicians, Bundesbank President Axel Weber said Friday 15 December in an interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine…
Sweden's Riksbank raises rates to 3%
The Sveriges Riksbank increased its repo rate to 3.00 pct from 2.75 pct Friday 15 December in response to rising inflation combined with continued good levels of economic activity.
Trust me, Ben, if Mervyn can do it, so can you
This article published Friday 15 December by Bloomberg, compares the Bank of England's communication strategy with the Federal Reserve's. In less than a decade of independence the BoE has leapfrogged the Fed in terms of clarity, it says.
Sri Lanka sees healthy growth rate for economy
According to the Central Bank of Sri Lanka's December 2006 Monetary Policy Review, published Friday 15 December, the economy continues to grow at a healthy rate.
Conference announcement and call for papers
The Sveriges Riksbank has announced a conference "The Evolution of Financial Markets and Financial Institutions: New Threats to Financial Stability" will take place between 5-7 September 2007. The conference seeks to gather academics and policymakers to…