Central Banking
Interview with Bank of England's Walton
Speaking in an interview published on Wednesday 30 November, the most recent member of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee, David Walton, said the Bank of England should not rush to move interest rates until it has a clearer idea of whether…
State Bank of Pakistan governor retires
The governor of the State Bank of Pakistan, Dr Ishrat Husain, retired on Thursday 1 December. Tawfiq A. Husain was appointed as acting governor with effect from Friday and till the appointment of a regular governor.
Interview with Brandon Davies on risk management
In an interview published on Thursday 1 December, Brandon Davies, managing director of the Global Association of Risk Professionals, speaks about the implementation of Bank Indonesia's five year training program to raise risk management standards.
Yuan is still pegged to the dollar
According to this article published Tuesday 29 November, there's a good chance that 2005 will be remembered in the financial markets as the year in which China blinked and made the yuan more flexible. This misconception should be snuffed out fast, it…
BoE's Large on monetary policy
In the speech 'Monetary policy: Significant issues of today' given on 1 December Andrew Large of the Bank of England said wage pressures in the UK could still get stoked up by the rapid rise in the price of oil even though there is currently very little…
Sveriges Riksbank Inflation Report, No. 4, 2005
Sweden's central bank, the Sveriges Riksbank, published its Fourth Inflation Report for 2005 on Friday 2 December. After a temporary slowdown at the beginning of the year, growth has picked up again, both in Sweden and in the world economy as a whole,…
BoJ's Fukui on Japan's economy
In a speech given on 18 October (published 21 November) Toshihiko Fukui of the Bank of Japan said Japan's economy has emerged from its temporary pause and continues to recover.
Fed's Greenspan on budget policy
In the speech 'Budget policy' given on 2 December Alan Greenspan of the Federal Reserve said good short-term prospects for the U.S. economy should not distract from huge looming fiscal strains that pose "significant" economic risks.
Proposal for BOJ's next-generation RTGS project
The Bank of Japan has released a consultation document on the proposal for the next generation of the BOJ-NET Funds Transfer System.
MAS says regulatory framework fundamentally sound
The Monetary Authority of Singapore has defended Singapore's regulatory framework, saying that it is fundamentally sound.
BoT should regulate payments, says committee
According to a government committee on electronic transactions, the Bank of Thailand should have the authority to regulate the electronic payment business.
Buba, BaFin, Bank of Italy sign agreement
The Bundesbank, Germany's financial watchdog BaFin and Italy's central bank Banca d'Italia have signed an agreement to cooperate in the regulation of Unicredito Italiano SpA following its takeover of HVB Group, according to a statement published by BaFin.
Trichet tight-lipped on future of ECB rates
European Central Bank president Jean-Claude Trichet declined to comment on Friday 2 December on the possibility of further rises in euro zone interest rates.
ECB Council Members back rate decision
European Central Bank council members Christian Noyer, Axel Weber, and Klaus Liebscher came out in defense of Thursday's decision to raise eurozone interest rates, saying it won't hurt economic growth.
RBA's Gerard resigns from Board
Australian businessman Robert Gerard resigned from the Reserve Bank of Australia's interest rate setting Board on Friday 2 December, four days after reports he had to pay $150 million ($111 million) to settle a tax dispute.
Comment: IMF criticises ECB's move
The decision by the ECB to increase interest rates by 25 basis points has come in for a fair amount of criticism in the press and from market analysts. On Thursday 1 December the eurozone's central bank received another stinging blow.
Yuan reform takes time
According to this article published on Monday 28 November, it's likely that China will permit further appreciation of its currency. What's certain, it says, is that Beijing won't allow itself to be seen as bowing to pressure.
Regulators may never police hedge fund conflicts
The US Securities and Exchange Commission is trying hard not to look incompetent in advance of its hedge-fund registration deadline in February, according to this article published on Monday 28 November.
Trichet on growth potential & structural reforms
In the speech 'Growth potential, labour productivity and structural reforms in Europe' given on 10 November Jean-Claude Trichet of the ECB said we need structural reforms to make sure that the soil is fertile enough for the seeds of technological…
Federal Reserve Board - Beige Book, November 2005
The Federal Reserve published its November 2005 Beige Book survey on 30 November. US economic activity increased across the country through mid-November but the housing market has cooled and high energy prices have raised concern about consumer spending…
Fed's Bies on developments in regulatory capital
In the speech 'Recent developments in regulatory capital' given on 30 November Susan Bies of the Federal Reserve said concerns raised by a US study of the effects of proposed Basel II bank capital standards may have delayed US implementation of the rules…
ECB raises rates, but says no series planned
The European Central Bank raised its main interest rate, for the first time in five years, by 0.25% to 2.25% on Thursday 1 December in a move that had been widely expected.
Mizuno says BOJ should shorten policy debate
Bank of Japan board member Atsushi Mizuno said in a speech the BOJ should not spend too much time debating over policy with the government or financial markets to avoid being "late" in shifting policy.
Document shows plan to shake up EU payments system
The European Union's payments system is set for a wide-ranging overhaul to cut down on the cost of cross-border transactions and save up to 100 billion euros ($117.7 billion), a European Commission document quoted by Reuters showed on Thursday 1 December.