Central Banking
Weber charts course for ECB rate rise
European Central Bank council member Axel Weber said in an interview published Tuesday 9 May that interest rates need to be increased by at least a quarter point to curb inflation in the eurozone.
Royal Monetary Authority of Bhutan - Ann Rep 04-05
According to the Royal Monetary Authority of Bhutan's Annual Report 2004-2005, the Bhutanese economy recorded a strong real growth during 2004 mainly due to impressive contribution from the construction sector.
Prerequisites of a single Gulf currency
According to this article published Monday 8 May, the issuance of a single currency by 2010 in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states will crown Gulf economic integration efforts.
A hands-off central banker?
According to the Working Paper "A hands-off central banker? Marriner S. Eccles and the Federal Reserve Policy, 1934-1951" published April 2006, the Federal Reserve after 1935 acquired new instruments to command monetary policy, but it did not change its…
Wages no bar to Fed pause after move tomorrow
There's no reason for Federal Reserve officials to stop thinking about a pause in raising interest rates after going to 5 percent when they meet tomorrow (Wednesday), according to this article published Tuesday 9 May.
Former Fed economist urges more transparency
There is cautious optimism that Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke will bring real transparency to the US central bank, this article published Monday 8 May says.
Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia Ann Rep 2005
The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia's annual report for 2005, 'Facing Change, Managing Risk,' was published on Friday 5 May. This year, the report includes messages from Bank executives about new trends in the payments system, the banking industry,…
ECB's Bini Smaghi on the growth of pension funds
In the speech 'The growth of pension funds and financial markets: Implications for central banks' given on 4 May (published 8 May) Lorenzo Bini Smaghi of the ECB said financial muscle of the world's pension funds may make it harder for central bank…
Bank of Israel publishes minutes
The Bank of Israel said on Monday 8 May it will publish the minutes of meetings in which interest rates are fixed each month from now on.
Bush sees no credibility problem for Bernanke
US President George Bush said in an interview on Friday 5 May that new Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke did not have a credibility problem.
Bangladesh Bank can do more on financial stability
The Bangladesh Bank should play its role as a facilitator to all the scheduled banks to overcome any sort of problem they are facing, this opinion piece published Tuesday 9 May says.
Richmond Fed names new first vice president
Sally Green was named first vice president and chief operating officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond on Tuesday 9 May, and will oversee the financial services and support areas of the Fifth District operations as of 1 August.
Japan discovers misprints in yen notes
Japan's high-tech money-printing bureau was embarrassed on Tuesday 9 May when 39,500 bills were found to be misprinted.
Comment: Weber reveals his monetary policy stance
Axel Weber set out his thinking on the role of monetary policy and interest rates in three recent speeches. This article explores his views.
El-Erian on global imbalances
Mohamed El-Erian discusses how a re-focused Fund can now tackle the big issues facing the global economy
Central banks should close the governance gap
Central banks seem reluctant to adopt private-sector “best practice” in governance, but there are benefits in doing so says Jeremy Foster
Bank of Botswana - Annual Report 2004
According to the Bank of Botswana's Annual Report 2004, in 2003/04 real gross domestic product (GDP) grew by a provisional 5.7 percent, lower than the revised 7.8 percent growth in 2002/03.
Kansas Fed's Payments system research briefing
The Kansas City Fed's Payments system research briefing for May 2006, examines the potential for fraud associated with various "traditional" payment methods and the protective measures that consumers should take when using them.
U.K. inflation targeting and the exchange rate
This St Louis Fed Working Paper, published May 2006, considers whether it is welfare-reducing to target inflation in the CPI rather than in a narrower index.
Joint Forum paper on liquidity risk management
The Joint Forum on Wednesday 3 May released a paper on funding liquidity risk management practices in use by conglomerates engaged in banking, securities and insurance activities.
G10 central bankers wary of inflation
Central bank chiefs from leading industrialised and developing countries called on Monday 8 May for "very special attention" to guard against ongoing global economic growth from becoming inflationary.
HKMA's Yam rejects calls to dump dollar peg
The Hong Kong Monetary Authority has said it would resist pressure to re-peg the Hong Kong dollar away from the U.S. dollar and onto the Chinese yuan.
PBOC trying to cool overheating sectors
The People's Bank of China is seeking to cool overheating economic sectors such as real estate as well as cut its huge foreign exchange reserves, a senior Chinese government official said.
Comment:Government debt offices gear up for change
Government debt offices play a vital role in managing the cost and risk of government borrowing and in the development of the domestic financial system, but they are frequently overlooked. A recent survey looks at the trends towards concentrated…