Central Banking
Interview with the Japanese Finance Minister
Japanese Finance Minister Sadakazu Tanigaki told Reuters in an interview on Wednesday 12 July there was no need for the Bank of Japan to rush the ending of its zero interest rate policy.
Comment: Left out in the cold
While Slovenia celebrates its imminent entry to the eurozone, the Baltic aspirants can feel more than a little peeved by Brussels' handling of their efforts to join the club.
Bank of Lithuania - Annual Report 2005
According to the Bank of Lithuania's Annual Report 2005, after a short slackening at the beginning of 2005, the annual growth rate of real consumption expenditure gained momentum peaking at the end of the year.
SARB's Guma on the SA economy
In a speech given on 4 July X.P. Guma of the South African Reserve Bank said continued brisk expansion in final consumption expenditure by households has been underpinned by a steady increase in household disposable income.
Kato on crisis prevention and the IMF
In the speech 'Crisis prevention and the IMF' given on 10 July Takatoshi Kato of the IMF said the last few years have certainly seen a very strong global economy.
BMA's Al Sadah on Islamic financial services
In the speech 'Challenges facing the Islamic financial services industry' given on 11 June Anwar Khalifa Al Sadah of the Bahrain Monetary Agency said Islamic banking is dominated by small institutions.
A bond that insures against instability
According to this article published by the Financial Times on Monday 10 July, there has been increasing interest in creating bonds linked to the growth of a countrys' GDP.
Buba's Weber sees limited World Cup effect
The impact of the recent World Cup is unlikely to have a lasting effect on the German economy, Bundesbank president Axel Weber said in an interview published Tuesday 11 July.
RBNZ countdown to smaller lighter coins
On 31 July the current 50, 20, and 10 cent coins will be replaced with smaller and lighter coins, and the 5 cent coin will begin to be phased out, the Reserve Bank of New Zealand said on Monday 10 July.
Bank of Canada keeps rates unchanged
The Bank of Canada left interest rates unchanged at 4.25% on Tuesday 11 July and repeated a May statement that the seven prior increases are enough to return inflation to its 2 percent goal.
BOK maintains hawkish stance
Bank of Korea governor Lee Seong-tae said on Monday 10 July that the central bank will take preemptive action to curb increased pressure on inflation.
Paulson sworn in as US Treasury Secretary
Henry Paulson was sworn in as the 74th U.S. Treasury Secretary on Monday 10 July, saying he would build on the achievements of his predecessor, John Snow.
Trichet says financial integration 'major goal'
European Central Bank president Jean-Claude Trichet said Tuesday 11 July financial integration is a key goal for the ECB as it will help boost growth and absorb shocks.
Comment: Is the Fed's message getting clearer?
The chairman of the US Federal Reserve, Ben Bernanke, has received much criticism for allegedly failing to explain the Fed's view to markets clearly. Are there signs that after a shaky start, Bernanke is starting to get his message across more clearly?
Central Bank of Liberia - Annual Report 2004
According to the Central Bank of Liberia's Annual Report 2004, in 2004, Liberia made gradual progress in its march to economic recovery and political stability.
Inflation targeting in dollarized economies
According to this IMF Working Paper, the shift to inflation targeting has contributed to the relatively low inflation observed in some emerging market economies.
President of the Slovak Republic visits ECB
The President of the Slovak Republic, HE Ivan Gasparovic, visited the European Central Bank (ECB) on Monday 10 July.
Dutch central bank wants better payment system
The Dutch central bank has called for a more efficient payment system and is considering a set of measures to encourage people to pay more by electronic means, MarketWatch reported.
British pound passes yen in central bank reserves
According to this article by Bloomberg News published Monday 10 July, central banks around the world are increasing their holdings of British pounds.
Central bank's focus should be on growth
According to this opinion piece from The Jakarta Post, published Monday 10 July, Bank Indonesia should start concentrating on issues of how it is going to use its monetary policy to spur further economic growth.
Bomb explodes near Iraqi central bank
A bomb exploded near Iraq's central bank in central Baghdad on Monday 10 July, killing several people, Reuters reported.
Crisis prevention in emerging markets
In the run up to the IMF-World Bank Annual Meetings in September 2006, the IMF and the Singapore Government have organized a high-level seminar on Crisis Prevention in Emerging Market Economies on July 10-11, 2006 in Singapore.
Comment: Dutch banks lose on payments
A recent report by McKinsey, a consulting firm, finds that Dutch banks are losing money on processing payments. Moreover, the report suggests that margins will be under even greater pressure as banks have to implement a plethora of new regulations.
Japan ruling party backs ending BoJ rate policy
The Bank of Japan has received clear backing from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party on its plans to end the current zero interest rate policy.