Central Banking
Key appointments made as SARB restructures
As part of a restructuring process, two key appointments were announced by the South African Reserve Bank on Tuesday 31 January.
Bank of Tanzania - Annual Report 2004-05
According to the Bank of Tanzania's Annual Report 2004-05, the economy registered a robust growth rate of 6.7 percent in 2004.
Norway's Bergo on monetary policy
In the speech 'Projections, uncertainty and choice of interest rate assumption in monetary policy' given on 27 January Jarle Bergo of Norges Bank said assessing uncertainty is an important part of the central bank's communication strategy.
Greenspan critics are off base on his legacy
As Alan Greenspan prepares to relinquish the Federal Reserve chairmanship on Tuesday 31 January, a cottage industry has sprung up questioning the strength of his legacy. Most of the criticism is off base, according to this article published on Monday.
Bernanke - Be tough, independent, raise rates
As Ben Bernanke takes over the reins at the Federal Reserve after his all-but-certain confirmation on Tuesday 31 January , Washington is bracing itself, according to this article published Monday, for the kind of noisy Fed transition it hasn't…
BoE's Nickell on monetary policy
In the speech 'Monetary policy, demand and inflation' given on 31 January Stephen Nickell of the Bank of England set out his reasons for wanting an interest rate cut this month and last.
RBNZ to raise settlement cash level temporarily
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand will temporarily raise the Settlement Cash Level (SCL) from its current level of $20 million to $500 million, for value date 2 February 2006.
IMF approves US$10.2m for Central African Republic
The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund said on Monday 30 January that it has approved a credit of SDR 6.962 million (about US$10.2 million) in Emergency Post-Conflict Assistance for the Central African Republic.
Arrests follow attack on Soludo's father
Police in Nigeria have arrested two men following an attack on the father of the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria.
PBOC chief urges social security reforms
The People's Bank of China's Governor, Zhou Xiaochuan, has called for reformation of the country's social security system in order to reduce savings.
Bush to nominate Lazear to head CEA
US President George W. Bush has picked a business school professor, Edward Lazear, to be the chairman of his Council of Economic Advisers, the White House announced late Monday 30 January.
Senate votes on Bernanke, FOMC meets
The US Senate is aiming for a midday vote on the nomination of White House adviser Ben Bernanke to be chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve, Senate leadership aides were quoted by Reuters as saying on Tuesday 31 January.
Bank of England given BCCI payout
The liquidator of Bank of Credit and Commerce International made an initial £73m payment to the Bank of England on Monday 30 January for legal costs incurred in its successful defence against the abandoned "misfeasance" claim in the High Court.
Comment: Nigeria's CB wins praise
In the statement accompanying its BB minus long-term credit rating for Nigeria, the rating agency Fitch this week applauded policymakers' "strong commitment to economic reform", including "measures to rationalise the banking system" implemented by the…
Bank of Thailand - Annual Report 2004
The Thai economy grew by 6.1 percent in 2004, decelerating slightly from 6.9 percent growth in 2003, due to the slowdown in domestic demand especially in private consumption and private investment, according to the Bank of Thailand's Annual Report 2004.
Fed will raise rates as Bernanke waits
The pending change in the chairmanship of the Federal Reserve won't stop the FOMC raising US interest rates by a quarter point when they meet on 31 Jan for the 14th consecutive meeting, according to this article published on Tuesday 24 January.
Barbados's Williams on foreign exchange reserves
In the speech 'Foreign exchange reserves - how much is enough?' given on 2 November Marion Williams of the Central Bank of Barbados said we need to develop new measures of foreign exchange adequacy, with some urgency, before we can draw conclusions as to…
Comment: Talking points in January
January has been an eventful month in central banking circles. Debate intensified at the Federal Reserve and the Bank of Japan over their monetary policy frameworks, while the Bank of Italy and the State Bank of Pakistan saw new governors taking office…
IMF's Rajan on perspectives on global imbalances
In the speech 'Perspectives on global imbalances' given on 23 January Raghuram Rajan of the IMF called on the US to cut its fiscal deficit to help counteract global imbalances.
Central Bank of Ireland, Quarterly Bulletin 1/2006
The Central Bank and Financial Services Authority of Ireland published its First Quarterly Bulletin for 2006 on 27 January. The Bulletin reports that the outlook for the Irish economy remains good.
Russia-Belarus to have common currency from 2008
Russia and Belarus will have a common currency starting from 1 January 2008, representatives of the Interbank Currency Council said on Friday.
Trichet renews call for eurozone reforms
Jean-Claude Trichet, president of the European Central Bank, urged euro zone governments to speed up structural reforms of their labour markets and welfare systems, telling a conference in Davos on Saturday that it was the best way to ensure economic…
Buba's Weber says ECB 'ready to act' on rates
The European Central Bank is ready to act again any time if necessary on interest rates in the eurozone, Bundesbank chief Axel Weber said in a newspaper interview.
Barker: BoE's growth forecast may be optimistic
Monetary Policy Committee member Kate Barker has warned that UK economic growth may fall short of the Bank of England's forecasts, UK daily the Guardian reported.