Central Banking
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.
China to pursue greater flexibility - report
China is succeeding in slowing the momentum of money and credit growth but cannot afford to drop its guard, the official Xinhua news agency on Wednesday 2 August quoted the central bank as saying.
Comment: What can we expect from Singapore
As the annual meetings of the IMF and the World Bank in Singapore approach, expectations are high for reform, particularly within the Fund. Top of the agenda will be how to make sense of the new multilateral surveillance role outlined at the spring…
SF's Yellen on prospects for the U.S. economy
In the speech 'Prospects for the U.S. economy' given on 31 July Janet Yellen of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco said the current federal funds rate is "in a vicinity" of the right level even though news on inflation has been "disappointing."
St Louis Fed's Poole on Chinese growth
In the speech 'Chinese growth: A source of U.S. export opportunities' given on 31 July William Poole of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis said the growth of the Chinese economy will provide U.S. firms with important export opportunities and U.S…
Words speak as loud as numbers for Bernanke's Fed
This article from Bloomberg, published Tuesday 1 August, notes that the Federal Reserve's 24-25 Oct FOMC meeting "will be expanded to two days to allow time for discussion of communications issues."
Greek banking sector "needs supervision"
According to the commentary 'Our banking sector needs supervision', published Saturday 29 July, by the Kathimerini, the Bank of Greece is shirking its supervision responsibility.
PBOC's Yi says China needs 'determination' on yuan
A senior People's Bank of China official has called for 'determination' on the part of the country to achieve its objective of making the yuan fully convertible.
ECB paper on fiscal policy in a monetary economy
The ECB Working Paper "Fiscal policy in a monetary economy with capital and finite lifetime" published 27 July develops a dynamic stochastic general equilibrium model with nominal rigidities, capital accumulation and finite lifetimes.
Bank of Slovenia - Annual Report 2005
According to the Bank of Slovenia's Annual Report 2005, economic activity was again sound in 2005, though growth was somewhat lower than the previous year.