Central Banking
Alan Greenspan in memoir talks
According to Reuters, Alan Greenspan is in talks with major publishers about writing a memoir and bidding has already hit $5 million.
Report says China to set up reserve centre
The People's Bank of China will set up a foreign reserve operations center in Shanghai, the China Business News has reported.
Comment: Indonesia and the IMF
The Indonesian finance minister, Sri Mulyani Indrawati, has indicated that the country is considering the early repayment of its outstanding debt to the IMF. The prospect of early repayment raises some interesting questions and policymakers are likely to…
Stark formally nominated for ECB job
Austrian finance minister Karl-Heinz Grasser said EU finance ministers formally nominated Bundesbank vice-president Juergen Stark as Otmar Issing's successor at the European Central Bank.
Bank of Spain - Annual Report 2004
According to the Bank of Spain's Annual Report 2004, the Spanish economy departed, for another year, from the pattern of behaviour of the euro area, with its activity running at a brisker pace and firmer continuity in its growth pattern.
The role of central banks in banking crises
According to this article published on 2 February, central banks should not supervise the banking system. When asked to do so, central banks are really asked to draw criticism on their past performance, their policies and their vigilance in the past, it…
Why the Bank of Japan should just shut up
According to this article published on Monday 13 February, until the consumer price index and other inflation measures turn positive and stay there for six months or even longer, Bank of Japan officials should keep their heads down and their mouths…
RBA Statement on Monetary Policy, February 2006
The Reserve Bank of Australia published its February 2006 Statement on Monetary Policy on 13 February. Global economic conditions are continuing to provide a favourable environment for the Australian economy, according to the report.
Bank of Japan Monthly Report, February 2006
The Bank of Japan published the English version of its February 2006 monthly report on 13 February. In the report the BOJ said Japan's economy is expected to continue to recover steadily.
BIS plans to deepen its involvement in Asia
The Bank for International Settlements on Monday announced initiatives to deepen its relationship with its Asian shareholders.
Fed announces Michelle Smith to stay on
The Federal Reserve Board on Friday announced that Michelle A. Smith will continue in her position as Assistant to the Board and Director of the Office of Board Members. The Board had previously announced that she would be leaving to work for former…
Central banks invest in riskier assets
Just under half of the central banks responding to a recent survey have increased their investments in "new" asset classes in the past year.
Former Polish minister against super regulator
In an interview for the Parkiet daily, the former head of the Polish Securities and Exchange Commission (KPWiG) and treasury minister in Marek Belka's government, Jacek Socha, assessed the Polish financial market as not mature enough to introduce…
Riksbank reshuffles division of work
The Executive Board of Sweden's Riksbank made a decision on 2 February on the division of work between the members of the Board.
BOJ's Mizuno cautions on asset bubble risk
Bank of Japan policy board member Atsushi Mizuno has said that the BOJ's super-easy monetary policy may help produce an asset bubble in Japan, the Jiji Press news agency reported.
Snow says G8 shares responsibility for imbalances
Group of Eight finance ministers believed global growth prospects remained strong but they shared a responsibility to reduce imbalances which threaten the outlook, U.S. Treasury Secretary John Snow said Saturday.
GCC common monetary council expected
The GCC has said it is likely to set up a common monetary council in the Gulf by the end of this year.
Comment: BIS looks east
The Bank for International Settlements (BIS) on Monday announced its intention to "deepen its relationship" with Asian central banks. The most interesting and challenging aspect of the initiative is the proposed "extension of banking services in the…
Central Bank of Sri Lanka - Annual Report 2004
According to the Central Bank of Sri Lanka's Annual Report 2004, Sri Lanka's economy registered an annual growth of 5.4 per cent in the real Gross Domestic Product in 2004.
'Greatest central banker ever' comes down a peg
This article published on Thursday 9 February looks at recent comments by ex Fed chief Alan Greenspan. It was his comments on the likely future course of interest rates that will tarnish his legacy as ``the greatest central banker who ever lived,'' it…
Developing corporate bond markets in Asia
Thirty participants including high-level officials from central banks in Asia and the Pacific, the European Central Bank and the BIS took part in the BIS/PBC seminar held in Kunming, China on 17-18 November 2005.
ECB Monthly Bulletin, February 2006
The European Central Bank published its February 2006 Monthly Bulletin on Thursday. In the report the ECB said it sees tentative signs that the euro zone housing market is becoming overvalued following recent sharp price rises in some countries.
Chicago Fed's Moskow on the US economic outlook
In the speech 'US economic outlook' given on 9 February Michael Moskow of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago said U.S. interest rates are at a neutral level, but further increases - even preemptive ones - may be needed depending on how inflation…
Warsh's Fed nomination draws criticism, confusion
President Bush's nomination of the 35-year-old White House aide Kevin Warsh for a seat on the Federal Reserve's board has been greeted with criticism and bewilderment by some former Fed officials and economists, according to this article published on…