Central Banking
Statistics bureau head joins PBOC committee
China's State Council has appointed Xie Fuzhan, the director of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) as a member of the central bank's monetary policy committee, the official China Securities Journal reported Thursday 2 November.
It's the imbalances, stupid
Rachel Lomax, a deputy governor of the Bank of England, dismissed suggestions that the International Monetary Fund had outlived its usefulness in a speech in London on Wednesday 1 November.
Goshev on central banking in Macedonia
In the speech 'Central banking in Macedonia - a brief review of the first 60 years' given on 20 October Petar Goshev of the National Bank of the Republic of Macedonia said today the central bank is a successful and modern institution, with a satisfactory…
National Bank of Ukraine - Annual Report 2005
According to the National Bank of Ukraine's Annual Report 2005, the reduction in the real GDP growth almost to one-fourth in 2005 was determined primarily by considerable structural transformations in the economy, as well as by dampening of the…
Chicago's Moskow on education & economic growth
In the speech 'Can higher education foster economic growth?' given on 30 October Michael Moskow of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago said there may be benefits to universities taking a more direct role in economic development in the United States.
Bond markets as conduits for capital flows
The IMF Working Paper "Bond markets as conduits for capital flows: How does Asia compare?" finds that Europe is more financially integrated than other regions, while Asia already seems to have made more progress on this front than Latin America and other…
BoJ Outlook for economic activity & prices, Oct 06
The Bank of Japan published the English version of its October 2006 Outlook for economic activity and prices report on 1 November. In the report the BOJ kept to its stance that it will raise interest rates gradually, warning of the risk that very low…
How viable is a single Caribbean currency?
According to this article published on Friday 27 October by The Jamaica Observer, the call for a single Caribbean currency is once again in vogue and questions about the political will to implement it are being raised.
Saudi Arabia may bid to host GCC central bank
Saudi Arabia may join Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates in a bid to host the GCC's future central bank, Gulf News reported Tuesday 31 October.
Meirelles says Brazil must be tough on inflation
Brazil's central bank president Henrique Meirelles said in a newspaper interview on Wednesday 1 November that Brazil's constant vigilance against inflation in recent years was a key factor in helping President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva get re-elected.
PBOC advisor plays down dollar risk to reserves
A senior People's Bank of China advisor has tried to calm fears over risks posed to the country's huge stock of dollar reserves by a slide in the value of the US currency.
Turkey's Yilmaz says inflation target not changing
Durmus Yilmaz, head of the Central Bank of Turkey, told a press conference at the presentation of its 2006 inflation report Tuesday 31 October that changes to Turkey's inflation target could hurt the credibility of the central bank.
Bank of Italy to cut 20% of staff by 2013
The Bank of Italy announced Tuesday 31 October that it would cut staff by about one-fifth by 2013 and close 75 percent of the central bank's offices in Italy under a plan that was rejected by the bank's unions.
4th IFSB summit underway
Eight central bank governors will join Sultan Bin Nasser Al Suwaidi, governor of the United Arab Emirates central bank, in attending the 4th Islamic Financial Services Board (IFSB) Summit.
Jelasic on the NBS accomplishing its objectives
In the speech 'The National Bank of Serbia accomplishing its objectives' given on 10 October Radovan Jelasic of the National Bank of Serbia said the National Bank's activities, as well its efforts on its own transformation, have shown and proven that the…
Bank of Mongolia - Annual Report 2005
According to the Bank of Mongolia's Annual Report 2005, preliminary estimates put real economic growth in the reporting year at 6.2 percent.
ECB's Bini Smaghi on monetary, financial stability
In the speech 'Monetary and financial stability: Challenges in South-Eastern Europe' given on 30 October Lorenzo Bini Smaghi of the ECB said financial sector reforms in China and other emerging Asian economies can play a key role in reducing their large…
Buba's Weber on central bank independence
In the speech 'The independence of the central bank and inflation - the Bundesbank example' given on 26 October Axel Weber of the Bundesbank said the most important aspect of central bank independence in the euro area is that the central banks of the…
Paper on influences of demand for IMF resources
The main objective of the IMF Working Paper "How does the global economic environment influence the demand for IMF resources" is to quantify the relationship between the global economic environment and the number of Stand-By Arrangements (SBAs).
Who wants to be a trillionaire?
According to this article from The Economist, published Thursday 26 October, China's foreign-exchange reserves are likely to top $1 trillion as October ends, but what to do with the money poses many problems.
Interview with Dallas Fed's Richard Fisher
Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas president Richard Fisher told Reuters in an interview published Monday 30 October that after a weak third quarter the US economy seems to be recovering.
Iraq central bank officials to train in Bahrain
Sixteen high-ranking officials from Iraq's central bank are to undergo advanced training at the Bahrain Institute of Banking and Finance, the Gulf Daily News reported on Tuesday 31 October.
Syria says it will peg pound to SDR
Syria plans to remove the pound from its U.S. dollar peg and link it to the International Monetary Fund's special drawing rights (SDR) in the first half of 2007, the central bank governor told Reuters on Monday 30 October.
Problem banks may explain Kozlov murder
Former chairman of the Central Bank of Russia, Viktor Gerashchenko, was quoted by RIA Novosti as saying on Monday 30 October that the murder of the CBR's first deputy head in mid-September may have been ordered by a client of a commercial bank under…