Central Banking
ECB's Wellink says rates still 'very low'
European Central Bank council member Nout Wellink said in an interview published Monday 23 October interest rates in the euro region are ``very low'' and the speed of economic growth could risk fueling inflation.
PBOC's Su says China to seek more yuan flexibility
The People's Bank of China (PBoC) will continue to seek greater flexibility in the country's foreign exchange regime and seek to increase domestic hedging mechanisms against forex risk, central bank vice governor Su Ning told a conference in Suzhou on…
Iceland's central bank appoints Internal Auditor
Stefan Svavarsson has been appointed Internal Auditor of the Central Bank of Iceland, effective from 1 November, the central bank said on Monday 23 October.
Bank of Canada Monetary Policy Report, Oct 2006
The Bank of Canada released its October 2006 Monetary Policy Report on 19 October. The latest report says the Canadian economy is judged to be operating just above its production capacity.
BoE's Clark on risk management
In the speech 'Prudential regulation, risk management and systemic stability' given on 20 October Alastair Clark of the Bank of England said risk identification, risk measurement and risk management have become increasing challenges in an ever more…
Empirical evidence for central bank autonomy
The International Monetary Fund Working Paper "Measures of central bank autonomy: Empirical evidence for OECD, developing, and emerging market economies" presents an update of the Grilli-Masciandaro-Tabellini (GMT) index of central bank (CB) autonomy,…
The measurement of central bank autonomy
The International Monetary Fund Working Paper "The measurement of central bank autonomy: Survey of models, indicators, and empirical evidence" presents a survey of the literature on the measurement of central bank autonomy.
NBP's Rybinski on the single euro payments area
In the speech 'Single euro payments area from the point of view of the National Bank of Poland' given on 10 October Krzysztof Rybinski of the National Bank of Poland said the implementation of SEPA is a huge challenge for the Polish banking system.
Nobel winner Phelps sees Fed transparency risk
Edmund Phelps, awarded the Nobel Prize for economics last week, told Bloomberg in an interview published Wednesday 18 October that Federal Reserve policy makers must make sure that they are no so open with the public that their ability to make decisions…
Study urges improved Fed communications policy
A new study commissioned by Macroeconomic Advisers, headed by former Fed governor Larry Meyer, reveals most leading US financial market participants do not want the US central bank to adopt an inflation objective, a mild form of an inflation target.
NBH to change framework of issuing press releases
The National Bank of Hungary (NBH) announced on Thursday 19 October that it is changing its practice of issuing press releases on the Monetary Council's regular rate-setting meetings.
UAE delays cheque clearing system for tests
The Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates has said at least 90 per cent of UAE banks are ready to implement the new system of cheque clearing that is expected to go live early next year.
Parra says Venezuelan inflation may exceed target
The president of Venezuela's central bank, Gaston Parra, has said inflation is likely to end the year about 4 percentage points above the government's target range of 10 percent to 12 percent.
Bahrain says Gulf to keep dollar peg after union
A common currency for the GCC Gulf Arab states will at first be pegged to the US dollar although the peg may be reviewed later, Bahrain's central bank governor said Thursday 20 October.
Reserve diversification - Danger for the dollar
According to this article published Tuesday 17 October by Daily FX, Russia has reignited the hot topic of reserve diversification and this time it is to the benefit of the Yen.
Sweden's Ingves on cross-border banking regulation
In the speech 'Cross-border banking regulation - a way forward: The European case' given on 16 October Stefan Ingves of the Sveriges Riksbank said a separate regulatory framework for banks is based both on consumer protection arguments and on financial…
BIS' Knight on financial stability
In a speech given on 11 October Malcolm Knight of the BIS posed some questions to central banks and supervisory authorities regarding how best to oversee the activities of institutions engaged in microfinance.
Interview with Central Bank of Kuwait's al-Sabah
According to this recent interview published on the IHT's website, the governor of the Central Bank of Kuwait, Sheik Salem Abdul Aziz al-Sabah, is known by other central bankers as the "big survivor" and an "intelligent and balanced man."
Deutsche Bundesbank Monthly Report, September 2006
The Deutsche Bundesbank published the English version of its September 2006 Monthly Report on 17 October. The report said German banks may not be able to match 2005 profit levels this year in the wake of rising uncertainties in the capital markets.
SF Fed's Yellen on prospects for the U.S. economy
In the speech 'Prospects for the U.S. economy' given on 16 October Janet Yellen of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco said it makes sense for the Federal Reserve to hold monetary policy stable "for a time" because the full effect of 17 rate…
Sweden's Srejber on the modern payment system
In the speech 'Vulnerabilities in the modern payment system' given on 18 October Eva Srejber of the Sveriges Riksbank said a payment system with effective resilience to shocks is of critical importance to the economy and to society.
Canadian inflation targets need debate
Canadians need to debate the Bank of Canada's inflation-targeting program, according to an e-brief released Tuesday 17 October by the C.D. Howe Institute, if they wish to set the stage for future improvements.
BOJ says regional economies expanding moderately
Japan's regional economies are all generally showing signs of moderate expansion although differences exist in growth rates between the various regions, the Bank of Japan said in a quarterly report on Thursday 19 October.
BoE's Lomax does not see economic boom coming
Bank of England deputy governor Rachel Lomax said in an interview published Thursday 19 October that recent increases in UK house prices are not a sign that the UK is set for another boom in the economy.