Central Banking
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.
Zimbabwe's Gono no hero for removing zeroes
Protests and arrests accompanied the final day of Zimbabwe's currency exchange.
The benefits of Basel's Core Principles
A staff paper by Richard Podpiera of the IMF explores the relationship between banking sector performance and the quality of regulation and supervision as measured by compliance with the Basel Core Principles for Effective Banking Supervision (BCP).
Chicago Fed reviews explicit inflation targeting
The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago president and CEO, Michael Moskow, considers whether the Fed should now adopt explicit numerical guidelines or targets for inflation.
IMF report on US inflation dynamics
The latest issue of the IMF survey has a short article on what drives inflation dynamics in the US.
RBA paper on housing market equity flows
This discussion paper from the Reserve Bank of Australia looks at how equity is being withdrawn and injected in the housing market.
IMF paper on indebted monetary authorities
The paper examines two main aspects of the interaction between fiscal and monetary policy in emerging-market economies.
Zimbabwe currency swap hits deadline
Zimbabwe's old currency ceased to become legal tender at midnight on 21 August, as the deadline ran out for citizens to exchange their notes for new denominations with three less zeroes.
Canada cancels plan for C$200 banknote
The Bank of Canada has withdrawn a proposal to print a C$200 bill after a survey concluded that there is a significant current of opposition from retailers to its introduction.
Colombia raises rates to 21-month high
Colombia's central bank raised its key intervention rate on Friday to 6.75% from 6.5%. The move was expected by market observers as inflationary pressures have been building through high consumer spending, rapid growth in imports and a sharp increase in…
Vietnamese governor wants less cash, more plastic
The governor of Vietnam's central bank, Le Duc Thuy, has called for greater cooperation between commercial banks to expand bank card services.