Central Banking
Role of MAS enhanced with Banking Amendment Bill
The Monetary Authority of Singapore's role as the central bank was enhanced on Monday 22 January when Parliament passed the Banking Amendment Bill, Channel News Asia reported.
Buba's Weber warns on German wage hikes
Bundesbank president Axel Weber warned Friday 19 January that sharp wage increases in Germany could set off a new round of inflation and hinder the European Central Bank's price stability goal.
Taking personalities out of monetary policy
The Working Paper 'Taking personalities out of monetary policy decision making? Interactions, heterogeneity and committee decisions in the Bank of England's MPC' from the Centre for Dynamic Macroeconomic Analysis identifies significant interactions…
RBNZ announces role for Steve Anderson at IMF
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand announced Friday 19 January that the Head of Risk Assessment and Assurance, Steve Anderson, has been appointed to the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) External Audit Committee.
Fed's Bernanke on fiscal challenges facing the US
In testimony 'Long-term fiscal challenges facing the United States' given on 18 January Ben Bernanke of the Federal Reserve said the economy could be gravely hurt if Social Security and Medicare aren't revamped, and he called on lawmakers to tackle the…
Cleveland Fed's Pianalto on economic conditions
In the speech 'National and regional economic conditions' given on 18 January Sandra Pianalto of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland said financial markets seem confident that the Federal Reserve will bring inflation back down, but there is a risk…
Bini Smaghi on global capital & monetary policies
In the speech 'Global capital and national monetary policies' given on 18 January Lorenzo Bini Smaghi of the ECB said central banks must be careful not to overreact to declines in real bond yields, which may reflect special factors related to…
Bank of Canada Monetary Policy Report Update
The Bank of Canada released its January 2007 Monetary Policy Report Update on Thursday 18 January. Canada's economy will pick up this year and next, while global growth slows, according to the report.
Coroner's report on death of BoE's Walton
Former Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee member David Walton was killed by a rare flesh-eating bug, a coroner's officer report has shown.
BoT's Tarisa says exports likely to decline
Bank of Thailand governor Tarisa Watanagase on Thursday 19 January said the Thai economy would grow at a slower pace this year since exports are likely to decline.
Economists may review RBA testimony
Australian lawmakers are likely to invite economists to review the twice-yearly testimony of Reserve Bank of Australia Governor Glenn Stevens, Bloomberg reported Friday 19 January.
Hungary plans central bank independence increase
Hungary's government is proposing an amendment to the country's Central Bank Act to increase the independence of monetary policy makers, a spokesman at the Finance Ministry has said.
New developments in Kozlov murder case
A woman was charged on Friday 19 January in connection with the murder of Russian central banker Andrei Kozlov.
Zimbabwe: Yet another challenging year for Gono
According to this recent article from the Financial Gazette, Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe governor Gideon Gono's turnaround efforts are likely to be gambled on short-term succession politics.
Europe's club of nations needs a rule change
According to this article by Zdenik Tma, governor of the Czech National Bank, first published by the Financial Times on 4 January, ERM-2 rules might have been perfectly legitimate in the past, but today they are outdated and -counter-productive.
ECB Monthly Bulletin, January 2007
The European Central Bank published its January 2007 Monthly Bulletin on Thursday 18 January. In the report the ECB said it will continue to monitor all economic developments very closely to ensure that euro zone inflation remains under control.
Federal Reserve Board - Beige Book, January 2007
The Federal Reserve published its January 2007 Beige Book survey on Wednesday 17 January. The economy entered the new year in pretty good shape, with most parts of the country enjoying moderate growth and businesses increasing hiring, according to the…
BoE's Besley on inflation and the service sector
In the speech 'Inflation and the service sector' given on 18 January Timothy Besley of the Bank of England said he expects limited spare capacity in the services sector to drive up wages in the wider economy.
Fed's Mishkin on house prices in monetary policy
In the speech 'The role of house prices in formulating monetary policy' given on 17 January Frederic Mishkin of the Federal Reserve said the Fed should not get involved with trying to burst or even slow the growth of housing bubbles because it would lose…
SF Fed's Yellen on the U.S. economy in 2007
In the speech 'The U.S. economy in 2007: Prospects and puzzles' given on 17 January Janet Yellen of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco said inflation is too high at the moment, but the current level of a key interest rate is high enough to bring…
Fukui says BoJ not bowing to pressure
The Bank of Japan will try to change interest rates slowly but has no timetable for such moves at present, central bank governor Toshihiko Fukui said Thursday 18 January.
EU's Almunia positive on 2007 inflation
European Union Monetary Affairs commissioner Joaquin Almunia said Thursday 18 January eurozone growth and inflation should be roughly in line with 2006 figures this year thanks largely due to a positive outlook for Germany.
Fed adviser Reinhart to leave for AEI
Vincent Reinhart, one of Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's top advisers on interest rates, is leaving the central bank, a statement said Wednesday 17 January.
CBK says economy to grow 6%
The Central Bank of Kenya said Thursday 18 January in its monthly report that the economy grew at the rate of 5.8 per cent last year and will grow at 6 per cent this year.