Central Banking
Bernanke to testify on Fed policy mid Feb
Federal Reserve Chairman-nominee Ben Bernanke is likely to visit Capitol Hill in mid-February to deliver the Fed's semiannual monetary policy report.
RBNZ releases outsourcing policy for banks
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand on Wednesday published its finalised policy on the requirements which will apply to large New Zealand banks that have entered into outsourcing arrangements.
ECB's Tumpel-Gugerell optimistic on growth
European Central Bank executive board member Gertrude Tumpel-Gugerell said on Tuesday 17 January prospects for economic growth across the eurozone are improving.
Comment: Are mortgage markets too complex?
A report published this week by the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) suggests that households may no longer "completely understand their mortgage contracts". Not surprisingly, the authors contend that recent changes in housing finance systems…
Tokyo SE halts trading as system folds
The reputation of the Tokyo Stock Exchange, the world's second largest by market capitalisation after New York, took a dent on Wednesday 18 January when it was forced to close 20 minutes early because its trading system was on the verge of collapsing.
NBS chief defends ex deputy
Serbian National Bank Governor Radovan Jelasic has told B92 TV that he does not want to believe that ex deputy governor Dejan Simic received bribes.
BOT may get new responsibility under new bill
If approved by parliament, the new Bank of Thailand (BOT) bill will widen the authority of the central bank in managing international reserves.
Reserve Bank of Vanuatu - Annual Report 2003
In the Foreword to the Reserve Bank of Vanuatu's Annual Report 2003 governor Odo Tevi said the twelve months to December 2003 was a challenging time for the RBV.
Eventually, Soludo is the solution
According to this article, Saturday 31 December 2005 marked the triumph of Central Bank of Nigeria governor Prof. Charles Soludo's vision over preponderant pessimism, the haranguing of hired hecklers and the legal ambush of vested interests.
Britain's fiscal rule is more leaden than golden
Lectures to Britain from the European Union on fiscal discipline are hypocritical and pointless, according to this article published on Monday 16 January. However, the UK government's "golden rule" has masked an escalating deficit on state spending that…
BoE's King on the UK economy
In a speech given on 16 January Mervyn King of the Bank of England said the fall in long-term interest rates was one of the three key "signposts" for central banks - the others being the fall in manufactured goods prices and the surge in oil costs.
St Louis Fed's Central Banker, Winter 2005
The St. Louis Fed has published the Winter 2005 edition of its Central Banker magazine. The article "How is the payment business likely to change?" says that while financial institutions and others continue to invent and offer various payment "whiz-bang"…
Draghi joins ECB council,marking changing of guard
A new generation is taking the levers of power at the ECB. This article published on Monday 16 January says the new breed of central banker could bring a heightened pragmatism to ECB decision-making, one less shaped by ideology as the centre of gravity…
Japan's Tanigaki urges caution on deflation call
Japanese Finance Minister Sadakazu Tanigaki on Tuesday 17 January urged the Bank of Japan to be cautious in determining when deflation is over, saying a "cautious assessment" was required.
ECB says forgers favouring 20-euro notes
The European Central Bank has reported the number of forged bank notes traced in 2005 fell 2.5 percent, but the number of 20-euro notes rose sharply in the second half of the year.
Serbian central bank deputy fired
The National Bank of Serbia on Monday 16 January dismissed a deputy governor who was arrested last week for allegedly taking a bribe.
Fed's Guynn sees less clear policy outlook
Atlanta Fed President Jack Guynn on Monday 16 January said the US central bank's interest rate policy outlook is becoming less clear and more tied to the economy.
Draghi: Bank of Italy will affirm its authority
The Bank of Italy's new governor, Mario Draghi, said Tuesday 17 January that the central bank retains its authority and will help shape Europe's monetary policy.
Comment: Botswana's challenge
After decades of expansion, Botswana's central bank now faces a battle to restore economic stability and its own credibility.
RBI plans RTGS cover for 5000 branches
The Reserve Bank of India said it plans to bring another 5,000 bank branches under the Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) system mechanism by June 2006.
Sweden's Rosenberg on monetary policy and economy
In the speech 'Monetary policy and the economy' given on 13 January Irma Rosenberg of the Sveriges Riksbank said the Swedish economy is growing stronger than expected in the last Inflation Report published in early December.
Former Fed governors expect change
According to the article "As Bernanke era begins, former Fed governors expect change" published Wednesday 11 January, Ben Bernanke will arrive at the Fed without the clout either of his predecessors carried on Wall Street or in Washington. Only time will…
ECB's Trichet on European financial integration
In the speech 'The process of European financial integration: where do we stand?' given on 13 January Jean-Claude Trichet of the ECB said as regards the further integration of securities (i.e. bonds and equity) markets, a prominent role should be…
Central Bank of Yemen - Annual Report 2004
According to the Central Bank of Yemen's Annual Report 2004, real economic growth strengthened from 3.9% in 2002 to 4.2% in 2003.