Central Banking
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.
Bundesbank FSR sees growth at 2.5%
The Bundesbank's latest Financial Stability Review notes that a 2.5% increase in the country's GDP growth this year is "a realistic prospect."
IMF strengthening framework for surveillance
The IMF on 29 November released the staff report on the revised and extended methodologies for exchange rate assessments by its consultative group on exchange rate issues.
Gonzalez-Paramo: fixed FX will help Cyprus
Jose Manuel Gonzalez-Paramo, member of the executive board of the ECB, said at a recent conference that Cyprus' experience of adjustment under fixed exchange rate regimes would help the country in its goal of adopting the euro.
De Rato: how to integrate financial and real secto
The managing director of the IMF, Rodrigo de Rato, on 23 November discussed the challenges facing policymakers in integrating financial and real sectors of the economy.
November beige book released by Fed
The Federal Reserve recently released the latest issue of the beige book, an informal review series by the banks of current economic conditions.
Core CPI still "uncomfortably high" - Bernanke
Fed chairman, Ben Bernanke, appeared to pour cold water on suggestions of an imminent cut in US interest rates in a speech in New York on 28 November.
Bank of Israel calls in the cops
The Bank of Israel has submitted a formal complaint to the Israel police after an internal report on the new-appointed banking supervisor was leaked to the press.
China raises renminbi value
China has raised the value of the renminbi even as its central bankers rule out major reductions in the dollar share of the country's foreign exchange reserves.
New rules for Bank of Italy chief
The Bank of Italy adopted new rules on 28 November that end the central bank governor's unrestricted decision-making powers and traditional job for life.
Bank Indonesia gets two new deputy governors
The government of Indonesia has recommended Mulaiman Hadad and Budi Rochadi as new deputy governors of the country's central bank.
RBA: Separating "signal" from "noise" in inflation
Estimating underlying inflation is crucial in monetary-policy making that uses "noisy" CPI data in forecasting. In a recent speech Tony Richards, head of economic analysis at the RBA, set out work the central bank has done in this area.
Philly Fed's Plosser hints at rate rise
Casting an eye over the current economic climate in the US, the president of Philadelphia's Reserve Bank said there was some risk that policy is not yet firm enough for a return to price stability over a reasonable time horizon.
The systemic importance of payments systems
Central banks are increasingly aware of the importance of payments systems to the maintenance of financial stability, the authors of this working paper find.
UK's Lomax: rate hike was inflation 'insurance'
Rachel Lomax, a deputy governor at the Bank of England suggested that successive interest rate hikes by the Bank this year were akin to "buying insurance" against possible inflation spikes.