Central Banking
The euro as an invoice currency
A new ECB working paper investigates the determinants of currency invoicing in international trade.
Chilean cb's study of sovereign debt in Americas
This paper contains the first comprehensive database on sovereign debt systematically compiled to ensure comparability for all countries in the Americas, the authors claim.
Swedish deputy on currency unions
In a speech in to celebrate the Bank of Uganda's 40th anniversary, the first deputy governor of Sveriges Riksbank talks about how countries should prepare themselves for joining a monetary union.
Korea changes inflation target measure
Korea will target a new measure of inflation for 2007-2009, the central bank has said.
Russia raises reserve requirements
Russia's central bank has increased minimum required reserves on foreign bank deposits from 2% to 3.5% in an effort to combat inflation.
Botswana's productivity "embarrassingly low"
Research at the Bank of Botswana, suggests the country's competitiveness and productivity is "embarrassingly low", said the governor, Linah Mohohlo.
Remittances on the rise in the Philippines
Money sent home by Filipinos working abroad rose 18% to $1.1bn in June compared to the same month last year.
Bangladesh Bank acts on corruption
Bangladesh's central bank has taken action against seven of its officials for allegedly siphoning off money and defaulting on loan repayments.
Bank of Ghana governor on fraud
Paul Acquah, governor of the Bank of Ghana urged investigators to review operations in the light of the increasingly sophisticated methods involved in financial crime.
Chicago Fed on home ownership
The Chicago Fed has published and article explaining recent high levels of residential investment and rates of home ownership.
South African Reserve Bank releases annual report
According to the Reserve Bank's 2006 Annual Economic Report released on Wednesday 23 August, South Africa's current account deficit widened to a seasonally adjusted and annualised R98.9-billion in the first half of 2006 from R58.7-billion in the first…
Monetary policy "still very accommodative" - Weber
Interest rates will rise as the Eurozone's economy continues to grow, said Axel Weber, the president of the Bundesbank.
Norges Bank raises interest rates
In a widely expected move, Norway's central bank raised interest rates by 25 basis points on 17 August. The rise was the third this year and follows the central bank's stated recent pattern of "small and not too frequent steps".
Rajan to leave IMF after three years
Raghuram Rajan, the International Monetary Fund's economic counsellor and director of its research department, has decided to return to the University of Chicago by early 2007.
Stagflation in Iraq - central bank
Iraq's central bank sounded a warning as inflation and unemployment hit high levels.
Vietnam probes possible North Korean accounts
State Bank of Vietnam governor, Le Duc Thuy, has revealed that Vietnam is investigating possible illicit North Korean bank accounts held in the country.
Is financial globalisation worth it?
A paper from the IMF reviews the recent empirical literature on financial globalisation and finds qualified support for the view that developing countries can benefit from financial globalisation.
How Australia hedges
This paper from Australia's central bank examines foreign exchange hedging behaviour in the country since it adopted a floating exchange rate regime.
Transparency in bond markets
This technical paper's conclusions suggest caution is needed in creating an extremely homogeneous and transparent trading environment for sovereign bonds.
How to face natural disasters
A report on the effects of Hurricane Katrina considers the lessons learned from managing a catastrophic event, including dealing with a sudden fall in the availability of cash and when electronic systems fail.
Polish central bank chief hits back
Describing the ruling coalition as a threat to the country's democratic system, the National Bank of Poland president, Leszek Balcerowicz, criticised a parliamentary inquiry into bank privatisation, describing it as "populist actions".
Lebanese governor speaks out on economic threats
The governor of Lebanon's central bank, Raid Salameh, has spoken about the strains on the country's economic recovery.
Thai governor calm over strong baht
Pridiyathorn Devakula, the governor of the Bank of Thailand governor, reassured domestic exporters and investors on Tuesday that the baht is being closely monitored and said that its current value is neither too high or low.
Norway's investments struck by rising krone
Norges Bank today published its second quarter results for its investment management division, showing negative returns in both equity and fixed income markets.