Central Banking
Sweden raises rates
Sweden's central bank raised it benchmark interest rate by 0.25% in a move anticipated by the market.
Fed minutes indicate a "close call"
Minutes of the Federal Open Market Committee showed a 9-1 vote on 8 August in favour of keeping interest rates on hold.
IMF boost for developing countries
China, South Korea, Turkey and Mexico seem set to win increases in their IMF quotas at the expense of some European countries.
Nigeria plans an oil investment fund
The Central Bank of Nigeria said it is working on a national investment fund that will manage a proportion of its external reserves.
Tunisia holds rates
Tunisian interest rates were unmoved after the monthly meeting of the central bank's executive board on Tuesday.
Bernanke's opening speech at Jackson Hole
A speech by Ben Bernanke notes that, as in the past, the social and political opposition to openness can be strong.
Stanley Fischer on the new economic powers
The governor of the Bank of Israel, Stanley Fischer, discusses the political and economic implications of the rise of Asian economies.
Reserve Bank of India's annual report
The Indian central bank released its annual report for 2005-2006 on 30 August 2006.
IMF on transparency and supervision in Africa
The IMF has published a new country report that looks at monetary and financial policy transparency in central Africa.
Iran unafraid of sanctions
Iran will be prepared for the economic consequences of UN sanctions, the governor of the country's central bank, Ebrahim Sheibani, said on Friday.
Hungary raises interest rates
The Hungarian central bank surprised markets with a half-point rate hike on Monday.
Italian banks' merger breakthrough
Two of Italy's biggest banks are to merge to form Europe's 10th largest bank with a market value of €55bn ($80bn).
Interest rates round-up
A brief round-up of recent interest rate decisions in central banks in emerging markets.
Jackson Hole attendees stick to the script
Central bankers and academics at the Fed's annual Jackson Hole conference in the United States discussed the impacts of globalisation at length, but gave away little on immediate policy directions.
BIS paper on business continuity
A new paper from the Bank of International Settlements sets outs business continuity principles for financial market participants and authorities.
Ghana goes for risk-based supervision
The governor of the Bank of Ghana, Paul Acquah, set out how the central bank plans to move towards a risk-based framework for banking supervision.
Trinidad and Tobago governor's inflation speech
Rocketing food prices are to blame for the rising inflation according to Ewart Williams, governor of the Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago.
NBER paper on optimal monetary policy
An NBER research paper on optimal monetary policy concludes that, in the presence of price stickiness, policymakers should focus their efforts actions towards low inflation volatility.
Thai central bank wins appeal against ex-governor
A recent decision by Thailand's Supreme Administrative Court clears the way for the central bank to press for damages against former governor, Rerngchai Marakanond.
Japan's inflation lower than expected
Japanese core CPI for July showed a smaller than expected rise in inflation of 0.2% year on year.
Czech central bank holds rates
Thursday's meeting of the Czech National Bank's governing board ended with rates being held at 2.25%, a spokeswoman said.
Value in money laundering doubles in China
The amount of money involved in money laundering in China has more than doubled in 2005 from RMB4bn ($500m) to RMB10bn ($1.25bn), the central bank said on Thursday 24 August.
Governor Hou criticises politicians' pay rise
The governor of the central bank of the Solomon Islands, Rick Hou, has criticised the timing of a recent pay rise awarded to local politicians.
Macfarlane says world can cope with oil shocks
The world economy is surprisingly good at absorbing price pressures from rising oil prices, said Ian Macfarlane, the outgoing governor of Australia's central bank.