Central Banking
Bundesbank to decide on gold reserves next year
Germany's Bundesbank will decide next year whether to dispose of its gold reserves, the Financial Times Deutschland reported.
Senate approves former regulator to Chile cen bank
Chile's senate has approved the appointment of former banking regulator Enrique Marshall as the new central bank director for the next 10 years, local press reported.
Padoa-Schioppa to join IASB
Paul Volcker is to be replaced by Tommaso Padoa-Schioppa as head of the trustees who oversee international accounting standards.
White House moving quickly on Fed vacancies
White House Spokesman Scott McClellan has said that the administration is moving "as quickly as we can" to fill the two current vacancies on the Federal Reserve Board of Governors.
Germany nominates Stark for ECB Board
The German government has nominated Bundesbank Vice-President Juergen Stark to join the European Central Bank's Executive Board when its chief economist, Otmar Issing, retires next year.
IMF Paper: Debt overhang or debt irrelevance?
The IMF Working Paper 'Debt overhang or debt irrelevance? Revisiting the debt growth link' published December 2005 asks whether Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPCs) suffer from a debt overhang. Is debt relief going to improve their growth rates, it…
Canada's Dodge on protecting economic integrity
In a speech given on 25 October, and published 20 December, David Dodge of the Bank of Canada said Canada is at risk of becoming a safe haven for white collar crime.
BOJ's monetary policy
This article published on Tuesday 20 December addresses the question of when the Bank of Japan should end its exceptionally easy credit policy which, it says, is stirring a bitter debate among policy-makers.
Richmond's Lacker on the economic outlook for 2006
In the speech 'The economic outlook for 2006' given on 21 December Jeffrey Lacker of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond said the US economy appears set for a soft economic landing in which growth is solid, inflation low, and workers and businesses…
Central Bank of Ireland, Quarterly Bulletin 4/2005
The Central Bank and Financial Services Authority of Ireland has published its Fourth Quarterly Bulletin for 2005. In its latest Bulletin the central bank said that the broad picture for the Irish economy is generally good, despite a high degree of…
Fukui sees strong chance of core CPI rising
Bank of Japan governor Toshihiko Fukui said in a speech on Thursday 22 December that there is a good chance that Japan's core consumer price index will increase steadily as the world's second-largest economy starts beating deflation.
Trichet defends ECB's rate rise
European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet told Der Spiegel magazine that the ECB's recent decision to increase interest rates would increase confidence and encourage investment in the eurozone.
Argentina to pay off IMF debts at start of 2006
Argentine President Nestor Kirchner said on Wednesday 21 December that his country will clear its debt with the International Monetary Fund on 2 January next year, instead of the previously announced next Thursday.
Deloitte awarded contract at Irish central bank
Deloitte and Touche has been awarded a contract to carry out an external audit at the Irish central bank.
Thailand to speed up adoption of e-payment
The Bank of Thailand plans to accelerate the adoption of electronic payment in place of cash and cheque settlement to cut financial costs and ensure efficient and quick services.
Comment: The benefits of Basel II's colleges
How efforts to implement the new Basel accord are yielding unexpected benefits, with supervisors finding that through their meetings in "colleges", they are learning more about each other's business, how they approach their work and what they need from…
Fed breaks pattern, signals replace promises
According to this recent article, the Federal Reserve's latest FOMC statement marks the end to an extraordinary 18-month period during which they telegraphed exactly what they were going to do at their next policy-making meeting.
HKMA Quarterly Bulletin, December 2005
The Hong Kong Monetary Authority published the December 2005 issue of its Quarterly Bulletin on 14 December. This issue contains the regular Half-Yearly Monetary and Financial Stability Report, which analyses recent external and domestic influences on…
USAID works to strengthen Central Bank of Iraq
This article published on Monday 19 December reports on technical assistance being provided to assist capacity building and institutional strengthening at the Central Bank of Iraq. Historically the CBI has found it difficult to implement monetary policy,…
Reserve Bank of New Zealand Bulletin, Dec 2005
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand published the December 2005 issue of its Bulletin on 20 December. The latest issue includes an article which looks at the importance of oil to the New Zealand economy and the various ways in which oil prices may affect…
Sweden's Nyberg on house price developments
In the speech 'House price developments and monetary policy' given on 19 December, Lars Nyberg of the Sveriges Riksbank warned of the possibility of falling house prices in the country.
Bank of England voted 8-1 to hold rates
Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee members voted 8- 1 to keep interest rates unchanged this month, the first split vote since August, minutes released on Wednesday 21 December showed.
Two BOJ dissenters unite, minutes show
Minutes from the Bank of Japan's November board meeting released on Wednesday 21 December showed two members united in calling for a cut in the target for excess funds in the financial system, consolidating their previously separate proposals into one.
PBOC vows to keep stable yuan
China's central bank has released a report saying it will keep the yuan stable at a 'balanced and reasonable level' but that it also sees increasing flexibility in the exchange rate.