Central Banking
BoJ: Outlook for Economic Activity & Prices Apr 05
The Bank of Japan has published the English version of its April 2005 Outlook for Economic Activity and Prices report. The report says Japan's economy remains on a recovery trend, despite a recent pause due partly to adjustments in production and…
Federal Reserve raises rates to 3%
The Federal Open Market Committee decided on Tuesday 3 May to raise its target for the federal funds rate by 25 basis points to 3 per cent. In its statement the FOMC said monetary policy remained "accommodative" and that it expected to continue removing…
IMF Working Paper on international reserves
The IMF Working Paper "A fiscal price tag for international reserves" examines the (quasi-)fiscal impact of the (opportunity) cost of international reserves. The paper suggests that while most countries made money on their reserves during 1990-2001, most…
Fischer on Israel's economy and challenges ahead
In the speech 'A brief look at Israel's economy and the challenges ahead' given on 1 May, Stanley Fischer of the Bank of Israel said the right economic policy is essential for the economy's ability to grow rapidly. There are, however, other factors…
Thailand's Nijathaworn on developing bond market
In a speech on 'Developing the bond market - a central bank perspective' given on 29 March (published 28 April), Bandid Nijathaworn of the Bank of Thailand said we have been tasked with the responsibility to develop an active secondary market. The Bank…
Asian central banks set to gather for ACU meeting
Heads and representatives of central banks from ten countries, including India, will visit Pakistan later this month to attend an annual meeting of the Asian Clearing Union, an official of the State Bank of Pakistan said on Tuesday 3 May.
BSP likely to hold rates steady, says Tetangco
The Philippines central bank will likely keep its benchmark overnight interest rates unchanged during its policy meeting on Thursday 5 May , despite the quarter percentage point hike in US interest rates, deputy governor and officer-in-charge Amando…
Bank of Italy rejects criticism in bank takeover
The Bank of Italy launched a counter-attack on Wednesday 4 May against EU regulators, analysts and press reports that claim the Italian central bank and its governor, Antonio Fazio, have favoured Banca Popolare di Lodi in a banking takeover.
ECB rate cut still not an option says Trichet
European Central Bank president Jean-Claude Trichet ruled out a cut in ECB interest rates on Wednesday 4 May in response to the recent slowdown in euro zone growth. Trichet was speaking at the ECB's press conference after euro zone interest rates were…
Danmarks Nationalbank, Monetary Review 1st Q 2005
The Danmarks Nationalbank's Monetary Review for the First Quarter 2005 includes the articles: Risks on settlement of large payments, The 10-year yield spread between Denmark and Germany, Relations between stock prices and bond yields and Hedge funds in…
Norges Bank, Economic Bulletin, April 2005
Norges Bank, the central bank of Norway, has published its April 2005 Economic Bulletin. The Bulletin includes the address "Economic perspectives" by Governor Svein Gjedrem, and the articles "Evaluation of Norges Bank's projections for 2004", "What…
New book challenges role of the Bank of Japan
A new controversial theory that could transform the world of economics has been drawn up by a University of Southampton academic in a book described by Professor Charles Goodhart as "both a powerful and important book".
IMF paper on central bank transparency
The IMF Working Paper "Transparency in central bank financial statement disclosures" looks at the disclosure requirements for central banks under International Financial Reporting Standards and provides practical guidance for those responsible for…
Cyprus, Malta, Latvia included in the ERM II
At request, the ministers of the euro area Member States of the European Union, the President of the ECB and the ministers and the central bank governors of Denmark, Estonia, Lithuania, Slovenia and the relevant central bank decided to include the Cyprus…
RBNZ reinforces last week's statement
Reserve Bank of New Zealand governor Alan Bollard on Tuesday 3 May reinforced his statement of 28 April that economic data suggests that underlying demand and inflation pressures remain strong and that, in this environment, further policy tightening…
Fed expected to raise rates again
Faced with conflicting forces, the Federal Reserve was expected to increase interest rates by a moderate quarter-point at the conclusion of its FOMC meeting on Tuesday, the eighth such increase since last June.
Rato says 'premature' to rule out ECB rate cut
International Monetary Fund managing director Rodrigo Rato said it would be "premature" to exclude interest rate cuts by the European Central Bank while the eurozone economy remains in "a soft patch".
ADB: Malaysian ringgit peg reform long overdue
The Asian Development Bank's top economist said on Tuesday 3 May that it is time for Malaysia to relax its currency peg and strong economic fundamentals will allow the country to adopt a more flexible exchange rate fairly smoothly.
OECD chief says dollar fall is no shock
OECD Secretary General Donald Johnston said on Monday 2 May there was no reason to be shocked by the fall of the dollar against the euro and that developed countries had failed to prepare for a surge in Chinese textile exports.
IMF appoints new director of evaluation office
The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund has offered Thomas Bernes of Canada the position of Director of the IMF's Independent Evaluation Office, and he has accepted the Board's offer, the IMF said on Monday 25 April.
Bank of PNG appoints deputy governor
The Bank of Papua New Guinea recently announced the appointment of Mr Loi Martin Bakani to the position of Deputy Governor Policy and Regulations. His term is for five years.
HKMA appoints deputy chief executive
The Hong Kong Monetary Authority announced on Tuesday 26 April that the Financial Secretary has approved the appointment of Mr Y. K. Choi as Deputy Chief Executive of the HKMA. Two other appointments were also made, which will all take effect on 1 June.
Deutsche Bundesbank Monthly Report, March 2005
The Deutsche Bundesbank has published the English version of its March 2005 Monthly Report. Real GDP in the fourth quarter of 2004 was down 0.2% on the figure for the preceding three-months.
Sveriges Riksbank Economic Review 1st Quarter 2005
The Sveriges Riksbank has published its Economic Review for the 1st Quarter 2005. This year's first issue contains four articles: on the relationship between monetary policy and employment, on the inflation target, on the upswing in productivity growth…