Central Banking
Thailand's Devakula: Central Banker of the Year
In a speech at the award for Central Banker of the Year - Asia 2006 given on 1 February M R Pridiyathorn Devakula of the Bank of Thailand said in a country where the functioning of financial market mechanism is not fully efficient, there is an important…
Reservations about reserves
According to this article published on Sunday19 February, a race is unfolding in Asia involving currency reserves. The favourite in this game of monetary one-upmanship is China, it says.
RBA's Stevens: Recent economic & financial trends
In the speech 'Some observations on recent economic and financial trends' given on 22 February Glenn Stevens of the RBA said inflation in Australia is well contained and inflationary risks are balanced, yet interest rates are still more likely to rise…
BoE voted 8-1 to hold rates
The Bank of England's policy-making Monetary Policy Committee voted 8-1 to keep UK interest rates unchanged this month, with Stephen Nickell again as the sole member calling for a reduction.
Fed can't rule out more rate rises
Minutes from the Federal Reserve's 31 January FOMC meeting released on Tuesday 21 February showed Fed officials felt a 14th straight increase in interest rates last month put borrowing costs near where they needed to be, but they could not rule out more…
Roger Ferguson resigns from Fed Board
In a surprise move, Roger Ferguson, Jr. submitted his resignationon Wednesday 22 February as Vice Chairman and as a member of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, effective April 28, 2006.
Bank of Korea chief to visit Japan
The governor of South Korea's central bank will visit Japan this week on a three-day trip to sign a cooperation agreement with the Bank of Japan.
Nigeria introduces new Forex system
Nigeria introduced the new wholesale Dutch Auction System (DAS) of foreign exchange allocation on Monday 20 February to replace the old retail DAS in a bid to further liberalise the country's Forex system.
Solomon Islands to repay central bank debt
The Solomon Islands government has signed a deal that will restructure and repay a part of its $US30 million debt with the country's central bank.
Dallas Fed's Fisher says Fed wary of energy prices
Dallas Federal Reserve President Richard Fisher said on Tuesday 21 February the U.S. economy was currently "very strong" and energy prices would be monitored by the Fed in weighing future policy.
BoJ to make 'appropriate' decision on policy shift
Bank of Japan deputy governor Toshiro Muto said Tuesday 21 February the central bank will make an "appropriate" decision on when to end its ultra-loose monetary policy.
Comment: Transparency and institutions
One of the most striking transformations in central banking over the last twenty years has been the idea that central banks should be transparent in their conduct of policy. While it is fair to say that the benefits of transparency have become …
Deutsche Bundesbank Monthly Report, January 2006
The Deutsche Bundesbank published the English version of its January 2006 Monthly Report on 16 February. The report issued a blunt warning against rushing the expansion of the eurozone currency bloc and criticised prospective member Estonia over the size…
Philadelphia Fed Business Outlook Survey, Feb 2006
According to the firms surveyed for the Philadelphia Fed's Business Outlook Survey, February 2006, the pace of activity in the region's manufacturing sector picked up in February. The general activity index improved notably this month, and indicators for…
Bank of Sierra Leone - Annual Report 2004
According to the Bank of Sierra Leone's Annual Report 2004, the improved business confidence in 2004 stimulated activity in the agriculture, mining, construction and service sectors.
Norway's Gjedrem on economic perspectives
In the speech 'Economic perspectives' given on 16 February Svein Gjedrem of Norges Bank said the Norwegian interest rate should be gradually - in small, not too frequent steps - brought up to a more normal level.
Macroeconomic challenges with EU accession
The IMF Working Paper "Macroeconomic challenges with EU accession in Southeastern Europe: An overview" published February 2006 reviews key macroeconomic challenges with EU accession in Southeastern Europe (SEE).
BoT Nijathaworn: Are there limits to transparency?
In the speech 'Are there limits to transparency?' given on 23 January Bandid Nijathaworn of the Bank of Thailand said transparency is not just a fad. It is something that will stay. And as organizations making public policy decisions, transparency is of…
Buba worried re cash supply after Heros insolvency
The Bundesbank has called on local branches to lengthen their operating hours after a money-transport company which accounts for around 50 per cent of the German money transport sector filed for insolvency.
OECD's Cotis worried over Europe's growth prospect
OECD Chief Economist Jean-Philippe Cotis said on Tuesday 21 February that European economic growth has been slowed by poor fiscal policies and weak channels of transmission for monetary policy.
Trichet calls Stark a 'remarkable person'
European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet described Bundesbank Vice President Juergen Stark as a remarkable candidate for the ECB's Executive Board on Monday 20 February .
ECB's Wellink sees 2% eurozone growth
Dutch central bank governor Nout Wellink told an audience in Toronto Monday that he was "mildly optimistic" for Europe's future and saw growth in the euro area in the next two years of about 2 per cent.
PBOC vows to maintain a prudent monetary policy
The People's Bank of China vowed on Tuesday 21 February to continue perfecting the managed float of the yuan and to introduce new financial products to help firms hedge new-found currency risk.
Hong Kong may build gold warehouse for China
Hong Kong may soon build a bonded warehouse at its airport to store gold and make the Chinese territory a regional trading hub while feeding rising demand from mainland China, industry officials were quoted as saying on Tuesday 21 February.