Central Banking
With Bernanke at bat, Fed will target inflation
According to this recent article, Ben Bernanke will devote significant staff resources to further study on issues he has spoken and written about, when he takes over at the Fed. And the advantages of his approach will become overwhelming enough in the…
Former World Bank chief moves to Citigroup
Citigroup said this week that James D. Wolfensohn, 71, who left as president of the World Bank last spring after 10 years at the helm, would serve as a global strategy adviser to senior management and clients.
Further rapid fx reserve rise undesirable - PBOC
A further rapid increase in Chinese foreign exchange reserves is undesirable, an official with the People's Bank of China told Market News.
Kosovo to establish central bank by end of 2006
The Banking and Payment Authority of Kosova will be transformed into the Central Bank of Kosovo by the end of next year, the BPK and the Ministry of Economy and Finance were quoted as saying by KosovaLive.
Dallas Fed's Fisher wants smooth transition
Dallas Fed president Richard Fisher said on Thursday 3 November that the Federal Reserve should ensure it has a smooth changeover in its chairmanship before it starts debating issues like inflation targeting.
Markets well prepared for rate hike says Stark
Bundesbank Vice-President Juergen Stark said in an interview on Friday 4 November financial markets are well prepared to digest an interest rate hike by the European Central Bank.
Greenspan questions gold holding, notes usefulness
In testimony to Congress on Thursday 3 November Alan Greenspan said why the Fed holds gold is a very interesting question and it's one that has been debated at length on rare occasions within government.
New deputy governor appointed to ECCB
Trevor Brathwaite, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Finance, International Financial Services and Economic Affairs, St Lucia, was appointed Deputy Governor of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) this week.
Comment: Who's to blame for global imbalances?
The issue of the global economic imbalances has become a very political one. Does the current system of largely floating exchange rates allow for a resolution based on careful economic analysis or are we destined for a prolonged series of political…
Estimating China's 'equilibrium' real ex rate
This IMF Working Paper looks at a sample of studies that have attempted to estimate the "equilibrium" real value of China's currency. It suggests the wide variation in such estimates can be explained by various factors including the different…
Fed may be on road to neutral monetary policy
The Federal Open Market Committee will make the 13th consecutive rate increase at its next meeting on 13 December, as it continues on its way to the so-called neutral level, according to this article published on Wednesday 2 November.
Fed Reserve Bank of St Louis Review, Nov/Dec 2005
The latest edition of the St Louis Fed's Review for Nov/Dec 2005 includes the article "An analysis of recent studies of the effect of foreign exchange intervention" which surveys recent empirical studies of the effect of foreign exchange intervention and…
Fed's Greenspan on the economic outlook
In testimony 'Economic outlook' given on 3 November Alan Greenspan of the Federal Reserve said the U.S. economy has good momentum, but cautioned that the prospects for keeping inflation under control were more problematic.
King seeks vengeance for 12-year siege
The governor of the Bank of England, Mervyn King, left no one in any doubt that he wanted vengeance against those who had pursued the Bank and 22 of its staff for 12 years, this article published Thursday 3 November notes.
BCCI v Bank of England - Court transcript
A transcript of the Court Session held on 2 November has been released following the collapse of the court case brought against the Bank of England by Deloitte as liquidators for BCCI. Nicholas Stadlen, the bank's lawyer, said the decision to drop the…
Trichet says ECB ready to raise rates when needed
European Central Bank president Jean-Claude Trichet said Thursday 3 November that the ECB stands ready to raise interest rates whenever this becomes necessary.
PBOC adviser calls for more yuan flexibility
China should allow greater flexibility in the yuan's exchange rate, an influential economist and adviser to China's central bank said in comments published on Wednesday 2 November.
China's current growth rate 'reasonable'
China's economy has already achieved its long-awaited landing and current growth rates around 9 percent are reasonable, the central bank's chief economist said on Wednesday 2 November.
RBNZ chief may raise rates until it 'hurts'
Reserve Bank of New Zealand governor Alan Bollard said in a radio interview he is willing to raise interest rates ``in a way that really hurts,'' to stop people thinking they can keep borrowing money to spend.
Russia's gold, fx reserves exceed foreign debt
The Central Bank of Russia's gold and foreign currency reserves considerably exceed the state foreign debt and total more than $150 billion, President Vladimir Putin has said.
Comment: Greenspan's parting shot
Alan Greenspan yesterday delivered his final Congressional testimony. Apart from an unsurprising, cautiously optimistic message on the short-run prospects for the U.S. economy, his parting shot came in the form of a stern warning to Congress that it…
Wellink on China's rise, impact on Western economy
In the speech 'China's rise and its impact on Western economies' given on 3 October Nout Wellink of the Netherlands Bank said the world economy is increasingly integrated. Therefore, China's rise transmits shock waves to Western economies as that country…
Minutes from the Sveriges Riksbank Meeting, 19 Oct
The Sveriges Riksbank published the minutes from its 19 October Executive Board meeting on 31 October. The slowdown in the Swedish economy at the beginning of the year was temporary and growth in private consumption had started to increase, the minutes…
CB of Ireland's Financial Stability Report 2005
The Central Bank of Ireland published its annual Financial Stability Report on Tuesday 1 November. The Report concludes that the Irish banking system is in a good state of health and is reasonably well placed to cope with adverse developments in the…