Central Banking
Bank of Sudan - Annual Report 2004
According to the Bank of Sudan's Annual Report 2004, the real GDP growth rate increased from 6.0% in 2003 to 7.2% in 2004, due to the increase in the growth rate of most sectors of the economy.
Bank of England appoints Finance Director
The Bank of England announced on Wednesday 2 August that Warwick Jones has been appointed Finance Director of the Bank of England from 1 October. Mr Jones will be an Executive Director of the Bank and a member of the Executive Team.
Paper on term structure models and exchange rates
The Bank of Canada Working Paper "Can affine term structure models help us predict exchange rates?" proposes an arbitrage-free model of the joint behaviour of interest and exchange rates.
Simon Brooks appointed Vice-President of the EIB
Simon Brooks, a former Director in the Macroeconomic Policy and International Finance Directorate of the UK Treasury, has joined the European Investment Bank (EIB) as Vice-President.
Ghana's Acquah says economy is resilient
Dr. Paul Acquah, governor of the Bank of Ghana, said the real sector of the economy in the first half of the year was robust in spite of the rising petroleum prices and the effect on domestic fuel prices.
Israel's Fischer: conflict costing economy
Israel's conflict with Hizbollah is costing the economy up to 1 billion shekels a week and will push up the budget deficit by 0.6 percent this year, Bank of Israel governor Stanley Fischer said on Wednesday 3 August.
Surprise as Bank of England tightens early
The Bank of England raised interest rates by a quarter-point on Thursday 3 August, bringing the official bank rate to 4.75% after a year on hold.
Paper on European and US sovereign bond markets
The Research Technical Paper "An empirical analysis of transparency-related characteristics of European and US sovereign bond markets" from the Central Bank & Financial Services Authority of Ireland examines transparency-related characteristics of…
ECB's Opinion on National Bank of Poland law
The European Central Bank on Thursday 3 August published an Opinion in which it expressed concern over proposed amendments to National Bank of Poland statutes which relate to changes in the composition of the Banking Supervision Commission.
IMF's Rato says Japan's deflation almost over
International Monetary Fund Managing Director Rodrigo de Rato said Thursday 3 August that "deflation has, by most measures, ended" in Japan.
Report says BOJ expenses overcharged
Bank of Japan employees allegedly padded travel costs by 100 million yen (US$870,000; euro680,000), Kyodo News agency reported.
Comment: BoE brightens silly season slumber
The Bank of England surprised practically everyone on 3 August by raising rates by 25 basis points. The Bank's next Inflation Report, to be released on 9 August, and the minutes from the August meeting will make intriguing reading. The move will also the…
Monetary conservatism and fiscal policy
This European Central Bank Working Paper, published 27 July, asks whether an inflation conservative central bank remains desirable in a setting with endogenous fiscal policy.
Central Bank of Solomon Islands - Annual Report 05
According to the Central Bank of Solomon Islands' Annual Report 2005, the domestic economy grew in 2005 as a result of buoyant private sector activities, upbeat investor confidence and strong donor assistance.
IMF paper on lending resumption after default
The IMF Working Paper "Lending resumption after default: Lessons from capital markets during the 19th century" mines the experience of capital markets during the 19th century to propose an alternative way of interpreting international default episodes.
Revised Bank Secrecy Act Manual
A revised "Bank Secrecy Act/Anti-Money Laundering (BSA/AML) Examination Manual" has been issued. The manual, effective 1 August, provides current and consistent risk-based guidance for banking organizations to comply with the BSA and safeguard operations…
Reddy on banks and service to the common person
In the speech 'Banks and service to the common person' given on 1 July Y V Reddy of the Reserve Bank of India said the Reserve Bank has taken several regulatory initiatives including issuance of guidelines to banks on various customer-related issues.
The Old Lady can afford to be patient
According to this article by the Financial Times, published on Wednesday 2 August, there is a big difference between the predictability of the ECB's plans on Thursday, and the uncertainty surrounding the Bank of England's decision the same day.
BoJ will raise rates at slow pace
Bank of Japan policy board member Atsushi Mizuno said Wednesday 2 August that the central bank will raise short-term interest rates at a "slow" pace while cautiously watching economic and price situations.
Report says PBOC shifts focus to yuan defense
State media reported that the People's Bank of China is to change the way that it sells sterilization bills into the market, indicating a policy shift towards defense of the exchange rate.
Counterfeiters finally crack the Euro note
According to this article published on The New Zealand Herald's website on Wednesday 2 August, the amount of counterfeit currency discovered in the 12 euroland countries is now running at 600,000 notes a year - roughly the same as before the single…
Paulson says appreciation would benefit China
U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson joined Chinese officials on Tuesday 1 August in asking for faster gains to cool economic growth.
Gono's monetary policy unsound and ineffective
According to this article published by the NewZimbabwe website on Tuesday 1 August, the Zimbabwean economic meltdown is rooted in a crisis of political governance and legitimacy.
Malaysia appoints three new assistant governors
Bank Negara Malaysia announced Wednesday 2 August the appointment of three additional Assistant Governors, Dato' Mohd Nor bin Mashor , Puan Lillian Leong Bee Lian and Encik Gopala Krishnan Sundaram, effective immediately.