Central Banking
RBNZ's Bollard signals rates may rise
The Reserve bank of New Zealand said Thursday 25 January it will probably raise the benchmark interest rate from a record-high 7.25 percent because a surge in consumer spending and house prices may fuel inflation.
PBOC's Fan sees yuan fluctuating
Fan Gang, the only non-government representative on the monetary policy committee of the People's Bank of China, said Thursday 25 January has said the trend for the yuan will be to fluctuate, rather than rise constantly.
Sri Lanka's Jayamaha on financial regulations
In the speech 'Glimpse of current financial regulations' given on 13 November Ranee Jayamaha of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka said financial regulations are necessary given the complexity of financial transactions that are taking place here in Sri Lanka…
ECB won't tolerate being a political football
According to this article from Reuters, published Wednesday 24 January, the European Central Bank has mounted its strongest defence so far against recent attacks on its independence from politicians.
US imbalances: the role of technology and policy
This ECB Working Paper published Thursday 25 January investigates the role of three likely factors in driving the steady deterioration of the US external balance: US technology developments, changes in the US government fiscal position and the Fed's…
Prodi backing ECB independence
Italian prime minister Romano Prodi said this week the European Central Bank (ECB) should maintain its independence and that it had done a good job in its interest rate policy.
Interview with Bank of Japan's Fukui
In an interview with Reuters, published on Wednesday 24 January, Bank of Japan governor Toshihiko Fukui said he is not sure how quickly board members can agree on lifting rates.
Rates should rise if confident, says BoJ's Suda
The Bank of Japan needs to avoid spending too much time examining data and policy makers should raise interest rates as long as they're confident in the outlook for the economy, BoJ board member Miyako Suda said in a speech Thursday 25 January.
ECB's Weber sees upward risks to inflation
Further European Central Bank action is needed to make sure that eurozone price stability remains in check, European Central Bank Governing Council member Axel Weber said Wednesday 24 January.
Ingves on Sweden's inflation target
In the speech 'Swedish experiences of monetary policy with an inflation target' given on 19 January Stefan Ingves of the Sveriges Riksbank said it is difficult to say anything else than that the changeover in economic policy in Sweden at the beginning of…
BoE's King on UK inflation and monetary policy
In a speech given on 23 January Mervyn King of the Bank of England said inflation in the UK could fall quite sharply this year and that there was room for reasonable people to disagree about the timing or level of interest rate changes. On Wednesday the…
Redrado on monetary policy in Argentina
In the speech 'Overview of monetary and financial policy in Argentina' given on 20 December Martin Redrado of the Central Bank of Argentina said the main obstacle to implementing inflation targeting is the small size of the financial system.
General principles for intl remittance services
The Committee on Payment and Settlement Systems (CPSS) and the World Bank issued a report Tuesday 23 January which provides an analysis of the payment system aspects of remittances, to assist countries that are seeking to improve the market for…
Belgium's Quaden on structural reforms in Europe
In the speech 'Structural reforms in Europe - harmonisation or decentralisation?' given on 12 January Guy Quaden of the National Bank of Belgium said structural reform applies to existing situations which differ radically from one country to another,…
Minutes show BoE split 5-4 on rate increase
The Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee voted 5-4 in favour of the surprise rate hike on 11 January, minutes of the meeting published Wednesday 24 January showed.
BoJ policymakers say rate rise is likely
A few Bank of Japan policymakers said the central bank should raise interest rates in January if it were to gain confidence about the economic outlook, according to minutes of the policy board's December meeting, which were released Tuesday 23 January.
More on China's new finance strategy
Following the new strategic guidelines announced by the Chinese prime minister, Wen Jiabao, following the crucial meeting of the Central Financial Committee last weekend, CentralBankNews.com understands that a more detailed document will be published…
Moskow sets retirement, leaving fourth Fed opening
This article published Monday 22 January by Bloomberg notes that Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago president Michael Moskow's departure will leave a fourth high-level opening at the central bank.
China aiming for 'basic balance' in payments
The head of China's currency regulator SAFE said Sunday 21 January that it will ease rules for capital to flow out of the country this year while making it harder for money to enter.
Report says Deloitte's Simor set to be join NBH
Andras Simor, CEO of the Hungary branch of Deloitte Touch Tohmatsu, is most likely to be the next governor of the Hungarian central bank (NBH), business daily Napi Gazdasag said on Tuesday 23 January, citing sources close to the government as saying.
Noyer says no conflict on price stability, growth
Bank of France governor and ECB governing council member Christian Noyer told the Liberation newspaper on Tuesday 23 January current monetary conditions are favourable for growth and there is no conflict between price stability and economic growth.
Chicago Fed National Activity Index, December 2006
The Chicago Fed National Activity Index for December 2006, published 22 January, was +0.04 in December, up from -0.30 in November. Three of the four broad categories of indicators in the index made negative contributions.
IMF chief calls for flexible yuan, warns BoJ
The head of the International Monetary Fund said Monday 22 January that greater flexibility in China's exchange rate will help Asian economies cope with potential risks from sharp capital inflows.
Buba's Fabritius sees German GDP growth down
Bundesbank executive board member Hans Georg Fabritius said in a speech German GDP growth is expected to be 1.75% this year, down from a 2.7% growth rate in 2006.