Central Banking
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.
Iraq seeking $40bn GCC debt relief
Iraq's central bank chief has said he hopes the Gulf GCC countries will follow the example of other states and give Iraq 'generous treatment' over debt cancellation.
SNB see profit fall on gold price, US $
The Swiss National Bank (SNB) has reported an annual net profit of 12.8 bln sfr for the full year 2005, compared to 21.6 bln sfr a year earlier due to the sharp rise in both the gold price and the US dollar.
National Reserve Bank of Tonga - Ann Rep 2004-05
According to the National Reserve Bank of Tonga's Annual Report 2004-05, economic growth is estimated to have picked up from the slowdown in 2003/04, underpinned by a broad-based recovery in most sectors.
RBNZ's Bollard on major global developments
In the speech 'Major global developments in the new millennium' given on 27 January Alan Bollard of the RBNZ said New Zealand has been growing strongly over the last decade, driven by improved efficiency, high participation and stronger terms of trade.
So much forex reserve, is it a blessing?
After recent figures showed China is not far behind Japan, the world's largest holder of foreign exchange reserves, this article published on Thursday 26 January asks: is it a blessing to have such an enormous forex reserve?
Bank of Canada Monetary Policy Report Update
The Bank of Canada released its January 2006 Monetary Policy Report Update on 26 January. The Canadian and world economies are evolving essentially in line with the Bank's expectations, and the outlook for growth and inflation in Canada is similar to…
RBI's Reddy on the role of accountants
In the speech 'Role of accountants in fostering economic growth' given on 19 January Dr YV Reddy of the Reserve Bank of India said the relationship between the RBI and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India has been mutually reinforcing, where…
Comment: Greenspan's legacy
As the curtains are drawn on the Alan Greenspan era at the Federal Reserve, the debate over whether or not the Fed should have increased interest rates to curb asset bubbles rages on. This debate misses the extent to which the Fed's actions may have…
Greenspan receives Dept of Defense medal
Outgoing Federal Reserve chairman, Alan Greenspan, was presented with the Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service by US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld on Monday 23 January.
Report says CB gold sales won't meet quota
HSBC analyst Alan Williamson told Dow Jones on Friday 27 January that European central banks are highly unlikely to sell the total 2,500 tons of gold allowed under the current agreement.
Takeuchi to join BOJ board - report
World Bank economist Sawako Takeuchi has been named as the likely replacement for Miyako Suda on the Bank of Japan's board.