Central Banking
BoT tries to slow strengthening baht
The Bank of Thailand has asked financial institutions in Thailand to halt short-term capital inflows in an attempt to stop speculation in the Thai currency, which is trading at a nine-year high.
Fed's Kohn on monetary policy and uncertainty
In the speech 'Monetary policy and uncertainty' given on 1 December Donald Kohn of the Federal Reserve said policy makers should avoid relying on any single indicator because of uncertainties surrounding the accuracy of economic data and public behaviour.
ECB's Papademos on monetary policy
In the speech 'Monetary policy in a changing world: Commitment, strategy and credibility' given on 1 December Lucas Papademos of the ECB said that the ECB's policy for fighting inflation had been proven successful in the period since Europe adopted a…
ECB's Tumpel-Gugerell on TARGET2-Securities
In the speech 'TARGET2-Securities: from vision to reality. The Eurosystem's contribution to an integrated securities market' given on 30 November Gertrude Tumpel-Gugerell of the ECB invited national central securities depositaries (CSDs) to discuss the…
Lacker on regulators and financial innovation
In the speech 'How should regulators respond to financial innovation?' given on 1 December Jeffrey Lacker of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond said financial regulators need to ensure that institutions such as banks have practices in place for…
Former central bank governor Buenaventura dies
This article published Friday 1 December by the Philippines Daily Inquirer reports the death of former governor of the Philippines central bank Rafael Buenaventura.
Poland's fin min tipped as central bank governor
Poland's finance minister Zyta Gilowska is a near-certainty for the National Bank of Poland (NBP) governorship, daily Parkiet wrote Monday 4 December, citing unspecified sources.
RBNZ runs out of coins in Xmas lead up
Just five weeks after phasing out the old coins, the Reserve Bank of New Zealand has now written to the country's retail banks warning them there will be a shortage of the new 20 cent pieces in the lead up to the busy Christmas period.
China needs to manage FX reserves - economist
China needs to set up a new institution to manage part of its huge foreign exchange reserves now estimated to be over 1 trln usd, the official Shanghai Securities News reported Monday 4 December, citing a state economist.
Riksbank's Nyberg on hedge fund regulation
From a welfare perspective, the advantages of hedge funds' operations exceed the risks, said Lars Nyberg, a deputy governor of Sweden's central bank, in a recent speech.
Fed's Bies backs Basel II
Susan Bies, a governor at the Federal Reserve, reiterated her commitment to the new capital accord, but noted that there would be differences in implementation in the US and across borders.
SA's Mboweni unconcerned about rand
The governor of the South African Reserve Bank, Tito Mboweni, is unperturbed by the level of the rand, but remains worried about rising debt levels and rampant consumer spending.
Excellent investment prospects in SADC - Guma
The deputy governor of the South African Reserve Bank, X.P. Guma, said in this speech that the investment prospects for South African Development Community (SADC) countries have never been rosier.
Trichet: lessons for EU financial integration
Jean-Claude Trichet, president of the ECB, set out some of the key lessons for greater financial integration among EU economies in a recent speech.
Central bankers in Islamic FSB
The governor of the State Bank of Pakistan, Shamshad Akhtar, has been appointed deputy chairperson of the Islamic Financial Services Board (IFSB) for 2007.
ECB sells more gold
The ECB sold 23 tons of gold on 30 November, the central bank said.
Bahrain launches money market forum
The Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB) has established a money market forum to provide a platform for discussion on market development and structural issues in the Bahraini Dinar money markets.
BoE's King cool on soaraway sterling
Mervyn King, governor of the Bank of England, seemed unperturbed by the recent surge in the value of the pound relative to the dollar.
Brazil cuts rates by half a point
The Central Bank of Brazil lowered its benchmark lending rate by 50 basis points to 13.25 on Wednesday in the face of falling growth.
Goldmans' Dudley is Fed's new markets man
The New York Federal Reserve named William Dudley, an advisory director at Goldman Sachs, as an executive vice-president and the new head of its markets group.
Ghana's currency to lose four zeros in 2007
Ghana's cedi will lose four zeroes next July 2007, a central bank official said on Monday.
Russia and Belarus governors to meet
Petr Prokopovich and Sergei Ignatyev, governors of the central banks of Belarus and Russia, respectively, will attend the 25th meeting of the Interbank Currency Council on Friday.
Russia worries about capital inflows
Russia's central bank on 29 November raised its forecast for capital inflows this year and has hinted at tighter banking reserve requirements to slow the inflow of cash.
Poland leaves interest rates unchanged
Poland's central bank held interest rates steady after a 29 November meeting, a decision that was in line with economists' expectations.