Central Banking
Federal Reserve's Monetary Policy Report, Jul 2005
The Federal Reserve published its July 2005 Monetary Policy Report to the Congress on Wednesday 20 July. The U.S. economy continued to expand at a solid pace over the first half of 2005 despite the restraint imposed on aggregate demand by a further rise…
People's Bank of China: Statement on exchange rate
The People's Bank of China released a statement on Thursday 21 July following the announcement that it is revaluing its currency and scraping the yuan's decade-old peg to the dollar in favour of a basket of currencies.
Japan welcomes China yuan decision
Japan welcomed China's decision on Thursday 21 July to end its currency's peg to the U.S. dollar and other Asian officials said they were closely watching developments.
Malaysia scraps ringgit peg to the dollar
Bank Negara Malaysia announced Thursday 21 July that it is scrapping the ringgit's seven-year old peg to the dollar and moving to a managed float against a basket of currencies with immediate effect.
OECD Secretary-General pleased by China move
OECD Secretary-General Donald Johnston made a statement in reaction to China's announcement Thursday 21 July to remove its currency's fixed peg to the US dollar.
China repegs yuan to basket of currencies
The People's Bank of China (PBoC) said on Thursday 21 July that it has scrapped the yuan peg to the US dollar and repegged the Chinese unit to a basket of trade-weighted currencies.
CBI begins 45th annual general assembly
The 45th annual general assembly of the Central Bank of Iran (CBI) commenced in Tehran on Thursday 21 July with President Mohammad Khatami presiding over the session.
SARB's Mboweni on a land of hope and opportunity
In the speech 'South Africa: A land of hope and opportunity' given on 22 June, Tito Mboweni of the South African Reserve Bank said central bank governors have to demonstrate at all times their commitment to the independence of central banks from…
Liebscher on financial services in Austria
In the speech 'Overview of financial services in Austria' given on 17 June, Klaus Liebscher of the Austrian National Bank said Basel II is regarded a necessary instrument to meet the fundamental changes in the banking industry.
Albania's Fullani on the fight v. money laundering
In the speech 'The fight against money laundering' given on 22 June, Ardian Fullani of the Bank of Albania said the Bank of Albania as the supervisory institution of its licensees will promote a stronger contribution by banks in Anti Money Laundering…
Bank of England MPC Minutes, 6 & 7 July
The minutes from the 6 & 7 July meeting of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee published on Wednesday 20 July showed policy makers voted 5-4 to leave its benchmark interest rate unchanged at 4.75%.
Bank of Estonia - Annual Report 2004
The Bank of Estonia has published its Annual Report for the year ended 2004. The main factors affecting the global economy over the year were highly volatile oil prices, which repeatedly reached historic highs, and continued extensive imbalance in major…
Greenspan signals more rate rises ahead
Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said on Wednesday 20 July that the U.S. growth outlook was solid and the Fed should keep raising interest rates.
RBI technical committee holds first meeting
The first meeting of the Technical Advisory Committee on Monetary Policy was held on Tuesday 19 July at the Reserve Bank of India, Central Office, Mumbai.
Zimbabwe rules out flexible exchange rate
Zimbabwe's central bank governor Gideon Gono said on Wednesday 20 July that the country will not liberalise the exchange rate soon because of widespread indiscipline in the economy.
China's central bank sees controlled forex reform
The People's Bank of China has said in a statement that reform of the yuan exchange rate will be a controlled and gradual process to be carried out by China alone.
Venezuela passes foreign reserves reform bill
Venezuela's Congress on Tuesday 19 July approved a reform bill giving the government access to $6 billion of the nation's international reserves.
Deutsche Bundesbank Monthly Report, June 2005
The Deutsche Bundesbank published the English version of its June 2005 Monthly Report on 18 July. The report said trade restrictions imposed against China could not be the right answer, as industrial countries derive large advantages from such trade.
Bank of Japan Policy Board Minutes
The Bank of Japan published the minutes from its 14 and 15 June Monetary Policy Meeting on 18 July. The minutes showed the board voted down in mid-June two proposals to cut its liquidity target, including one proposal to reduce it to just 25 trln yen.
BIS's Knight on the year 2004-05 in review
In the speech 'Activities of the Bank: the year 2004-05 in review' given on 27 June, Malcolm Knight of the BIS said the legacy of 75 years of central bank cooperation is remarkably strong.
Minneapolis Fed's Stern on payments system issues
In the speech 'Payments system issues and challenges' given on 15 June, Gary Stern of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis said there is no doubt that payments system change continues apace.
SARB's Guma on the outlook for monetary policy
In the speech 'The outlook for monetary policy' given on 22 June, Dr XP Guma of the South African Reserve Bank said as the formulator and transmitter of monetary policy the central bank needs to communicate its basic objectives, its strategy for…
PBOC official suggests monetary easing idea
A senior Chinese central bank official has said that commercial lenders should ensure that funds continued to flow to healthy companies.
EU regulator warns bank chiefs over consolidation
One of the European Union's most senior banking supervisors has warned against interference in the consolidation of the continent's banking industry.