Central Banking
Memorandum of Understanding on financial stability
HM Treasury, the Bank of England and the Financial Services Authority on Wednesday 22 March jointly published an updated Memorandum of Understanding for Financial Stability.
Bank of England voted 8-1 to hold rates
Bank of England policymakers voted 8-1 to leave UK interest rates unchanged at their most recent meeting. Stephen Nickell remained the only member of the Monetary Policy Committee to vote for a cut in the cost of borrowing in March, the minutes released…
Fazio could face extra charges - report
According to a report by Il Sole 24 Ore, Milan prosecutors have gathered together enough evidence to charge the former governor of Banca d'Italia, Antonio Fazio, with market-rigging.
Comment: The 'yield conundrum' revisited
Fed chairman, Ben Bernanke, made it clear in a speech earlier this week that he is no closer than his predecessor, Alan Greenspan, to making sense of the 'yield conundrum'.
Park Seung says BOK needs more independence
Outgoing Bank of Korea governor Park Seung said on Tuesday 21 March the central bank has gained a greater level of independence during his reign but more still needs to be done.
Argentine central bank to increase oversight
Argentina's central bank intends to step up oversight over foreign exchange trading, according to a report.
Canada may lower inflation target
David Dodge, governor of the Bank of Canada, said Tuesday 21 March that it could be time to lower the BoC's two percent inflation target.
Bernanke qualifies message in the yield curve
According to this article published Wednesday 22 March, Fed chairman Ben Bernanke would not have been pleased with the press reports which followed his address to the Economic Club of New York on Monday night.
Reserve Bank of Malawi - Annual Report 2004
According to the Reserve Bank of Malawi's Annual Report 2004, real output for 2004 grew by 4.6 percent from 3.9 percent reported in 2003.
SF Fed's Yellen on the U.S economy in 2006
In the speech 'The U.S economy in 2006' given on 15 March, Janet Yellen of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco said the Federal Reserve Board's monetary policy is expected to be determined by economic data outcomes in the near term.
Establishing credibility at the ECB
The IIIS Discussion Paper "Establishing credibility: Evolving perceptions of the European Central Bank" looks at the first years of the ECB to consider whether, and how, central bank credibility evolves.
Norges Bank Inflation Report, March 2006
Norges Bank published its First Inflation Report for March 2006 on Thursday 16 March. The overall assessment in the Inflation Report is in line with the strategy in the previous Report.
Fed's Spillenkothen to retire
Rich Spillenkothen, the director of the Division of Banking Supervision and Regulation, will retire on June 30 after thirty years of service with the Federal Reserve Board, including nearly fifteen years as the director of the division.
Bernanke on the yield curve and monetary policy
In the speech 'Reflections on the yield curve and monetary policy' given on 20 March Ben Bernanke of the Federal Reserve said the recent inversion of the yield curve is not a signal of a coming period of economic weakness.
G. William Miller led Fed in Carter years
According to this obituary published on Monday 20 March, former Federal Reserve chairman G. William Miller helped transform textiles company Textron Inc. into a global force, and was also active in civic life and political organisations.
IMF managing director to travel to Mexico
Rodrigo de Rato, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, will travel to Mexico, March 22-25, to participate in a meeting of the Capital Markets Consultative Group (CMCG) in Mexico City.
BoJ's Mizuno sees rate rise 'any time'
Bank of Japan policy board member Atsushi Mizuno said in a speech on Monday 20 March that he expects an increase in interest rates from around zero pct at "any time."
RBI appoints committee on rupee float
In consultation with the Government of India, the Reserve Bank of India on Monday 20 March appointed a committee to set out the framework for fuller Capital Account Convertibility.
Bundesbank reports increased profits
The Bundesbank reported a net profit of 2.86 bln eur in 2005 on Tuesday 21 March, up from 676 mln a year earlier.
NBP's Balcerowicz warns of political risks
Leszek Balcerowicz, president of the National Bank of Poland, has warned that the creation of an investigative committee for banking supervision will result in an increase in political risk.
New BOK chief to be named this week
This article published on Tuesday 21 March looks at the changes that will be seen in the Bank of Korea's ranks soon. As well as a new governor, there will also be a significant change in the line-up of the bank's seven-member monetary policy committee,…
Comment: Relaxing capital constraints
Indian policymakers surprised analysts and market participants alike this week by announcing their intention to ease capital restrictions and make the rupee fully convertible. The Indian experience with capital and exchange rate liberalisation bears some…
Deutsche Bundesbank Monthly Report, February 2006
The Deutsche Bundesbank published the English version of its February 2006 Monthly Report on 17 March. The report said Germany's economy will probably return to growth in the first quarter of this year.
Maldives Monetary Authority - Annual Report 2004
According to the Maldives Monetary Authority's Annual Report 2004, economic activity during the year 2004 was very robust up until the last week of the year when the Tsunami disaster struck the islands of the Maldives.