Central Banking
ECB policy 'appropriate' according to Tietmeyer
Former Bundesbank President Hans Tietmeyer said in an interview with Bloomberg television the European Central Bank's interest rates were at the right level and called on countries to respect for the European Union's rules on budget deficits.
IMF's Rajan says Europe needs 'balanced' Pact
Europe needs balanced budget rules to boost economic growth, the IMF's Chief Economist Raghuram Rajan said in an interview published on Wednesday 23 February, referring to recent plans to revamp the European Union's Stability and Growth Pact.
South Korea's central bank denies dollar sale plan
The Bank of Korea denied on Wednesday 23 February that it planned to offload its US dollar assets after media speculation it was about to do so sent the US currency falling.
SNB's Hildebrand on the hedge fund industry
In a speech on 'Developments in the Hedge Fund industry' given on 4 February, Philipp Hildebrand of the Swiss National Bank said hedge funds have been an important source of innovation in the asset management industry. They have rendered financial…
Hurley: Ireland's & Europe's economic performance
In the speech 'Some perspectives on Ireland's and Europe's economic performance' given on 28 January, John Hurley of the Central Bank and Financial Services Authority of Ireland warned about competitiveness threats to both the Irish and European…
Bank of Japan Minutes, 18 and 19 January
The Bank of Japan's minutes from its 18 and 19 January monetary policy meeting published on Tuesday 22 February revealed that board members discussed lowering the central bank's liquidity target as a response to improved financial stability.
Phil Fed's Survey of Professional Forecasters
The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia has published its First Quarter 2005 Survey of Professional Forecasters. Economic growth in the first half of 2005 looks stronger now than it did three months ago, according to 36 forecasters surveyed.
BIS's Sleeper: How cbs manage their finances
In a speech 'How central banks manage their finances' given on 18 February, Robert Sleeper of the BIS said the fact that central banks are increasingly taking risks in an attempt to improve the return on their reserves raises the question of whether or…
Bundesbank's Weber visits Riksbank
The President of the Deutsche Bundesbank, Professor Axel A Weber, was due to visit the Sveriges Riksbank on Tuesday 22 February.
Colombia to sell $1 billion in foreign reserves
Colombia's central bank will sell the government at least $1 billion in foreign reserves to help prepay debt, according to the Finance Minister, Bloomberg reported.
Rating agency positive on Lebanon reserves
Leading international rating agency Standard & Poor's said on Monday 21 February that Lebanon's central bank foreign currency reserves will not be affected in the short term by the murder of former Premier Rafik Hariri.
BoE's Barker says uncertainty prevented rate rise
Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee member Kate Barker was reported as saying in an interview that the uncertain short-term outlook for the UK economy prevented the nine-member MPC from raising interest rates in February.
Bank of Korea plans to diversify reserves
South Korea's central bank has said it plans to diversify its reserves, which are the world's fourth largest, into a greater variety of currencies. It's reserves have traditionally been held in U.S. Treasuries and agency debt.
Bank of Japan Monthly Report, February 2005
The Bank of Japan published the English version of its January 2005 monthly report on 21 February. In the report the BoJ said the economy continues to recover, leaving its view unchanged for a third consecutive month.
Sweden's Persson: monetary policy in low inflation
In a speech on 'Monetary policy in a low-inflation economy' given on 18 February, Kristina Persson of the Sveriges Riksbank said international economic activity is expected to continue to strengthen and resource utilisation in the world economy to become…
IMF's Rato on Latin America in the global economy
In a speech on 'Latin America in the global economy - Challenges and opportunities' given on 4 February, Rodrigo de Rato of the International Monetary Fund said global growth should remain robust in 2005 although at a slightly slower pace than a year…
Fazio on outlook for the global economy and Italy
In a speech on 'The outlook for the global economy and Italy' given on 12 February, Antonio Fazio of the Bank of Italy said the ECB has left interest rates at two per cent "given the expectation of inflation returning below 2pc and the still uncertain…
Fed's Pianalto relaxed on US inflation
Cleveland Federal Reserve President Sandra Pianalto said on Monday 21 February that US inflationary pressures remain muted despite a surge in January wholesale prices.
Bundesbank report optimistic on economy
The Bundesbank expressed cautious optimism on the outlook for German growth this year in its February report released on Monday 21 February, despite the surprise contraction in gross domestic product in the final quarter of 2004.
ECB's Wellink: Inflation expectations 'contained'
European Central Bank council member Nout Wellink said in an interview that inflation is under control and does not pose a threat to the eurozone economy.
UAE central bank, Isle of Man sign cooperation MOU
The UAE central bank signed a memorandum of understanding with the Isle of Man Financial Supervision Commission (IOMFSC) on Monday 21 February.
UK, China plan cooperation on global economy
Britain and China agreed on Monday 21 February to work together to address the macroeconomic and structural challenges of the global economy.
ECB's new version of 'General Documentation'
The European Central Bank (ECB) published on Monday 21 February a revised version of the document entitled "The implementation of monetary policy in the euro area: General documentation on Eurosystem monetary policy instruments and procedures" (generally…
Interview with ECB's Papademos
In an interview published this week European Central Bank Vice-President Lucas Papademos told Handelsblatt that whenever possible, central banks should try to prevent the evolution of asset price bubbles. "In principle, prevention is better than cure."