Central Banking
No need to change MNB council makeup says ECB
In a statement made on Tuesday 9 November, the ECB commented on planned changes to Hungary's Central Bank Act saying that "the current Monetary Council rules in force are compatible with central bank independence and provide an appropriate framework for…
Fed expected to raise rates on 10 November
The Federal Reserve was widely expected to raise US interest rates on Wednesday 10 November at the conclusion of its FOMC meeting after the unexpected boom in US job creation in October.
BOK issues report backing strong won
The Bank of Korea (BOK) has issued a report supporting the appreciation of the national currency as part of steps to promote balanced growth between domestic demand and exports.
Kennedy on the Canadian and American economies
In a speech on 'The Canadian and American Economies: Integration, Not Convergence' given on 4 November, Sheryl Kennedy of the Bank of Canada compares aspects of the Canadian and US economies, discussing their similarities and their differences. She…
S. Africa's Plenderleith on the gold market
In a speech on 'Developments in the gold market' given on 26 October, Ian Plenderleith of the South African Reserve Bank said with gold occupying such a powerful place in our emotions, I am confident that, provided we take advantage of the opportunities,…
Joint Forum report on credit risk transfer
The Joint Forum has released for consultation a report prepared by its working group on risk assessment and capital entitled Credit Risk Transfer. The report responds to a request by the Financial Stability Forum (FSF) to undertake a review of credit…
BIS's Knight on managing evolving financial risk
In a speech on 'Markets and institutions: Managing the evolving financial risk' given on 14 October, Malcolm Knight of the BIS said trends in the financial system have brought about a transformation in the nature of financial risk. These trends have put…
IMF's Rato urges Mexican structural reforms
International Monetary Fund Director Rodrigo Rato urged Mexico on Monday to carry out structural reforms, saying reforms will provide an opportunity for growth.
ECB board member warns on surging euro
Belgium's central bank chief and European Central Bank (ECB) board member Guy Quaden was quoted by daily De Tijd as agreeing that further increases in the value of the surging euro would not be desirable.
Cuba's new convertible currency introduced
The Cuban Convertible Peso, CUC, or "chavitos" as they have become known locally came into circulation on Monday 8 November, substituting the widely circulated US dollar, with the central bank saying the move would help the Cuban currency hold its value.
EU backs ECB warning on euro
The European Union's head office on Tuesday 9 November appeared to agree with comments by the European Central Bank president, warning that "excessive volatility" of the euro's exchange rate against the US dollar could damage economic growth in Europe.
UK Treasury's Brown sees recovery 'uncertainties'
UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown said in a speech that resilience of the global economic recovery is more uncertain in the face of rising oil prices and currency fluctuations.
Sveriges Riksbank Economic Review 3rd Quarter 2004
The Sveriges Riksbank published its Economic Review for the 3rd Quarter 2004 on 8 November. The latest issue contains three articles: How should the Riksbank's financial stability work develop?, Cash-supply efficiency and Inflation and relative-price…
Mexico on an upswing
Mexico's inflation has come down and the economy has recovered sharply, but can the central bank keep up the good work? Benedict Mander reports for CentralBankNet.
RBA Statement on Monetary Policy, November 2004
The Reserve Bank of Australia published its November 2004 Statement on Monetary Policy on 8 November. The Australian economy has continued to perform well during 2004, maintaining a solid pace of expansion and low inflation, the report said.
Fed's Bies on financial supervision issues
In a speech on 'Financial supervision issues' given on 5 November, Susan Schmidt Bies of the Federal Reserve said the US government budget has become a "cookie jar" for lawmakers over the past four years, with taxpayer funds spent in some cases for …
Chicago Fed's Moskow on community development
In a speech on 'Lessons for Community Development Financial Institutions' given on 5 November, Michael Moskow of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago said Community banks could learn from some of their competitors, such as check-cashing services, and…
Japan's Fukui watching forex market
Bank of Japan Governor Toshihiko Fukui said on Sunday 7 November that the Bank of Japan was watching currency markets warily after the dollar fell last week but did not think Washington was trying to guide the dollar lower.
Illarionov says Russia diversifying fx reserves
By selling US dollars, securities and assets denominated in the US currency, Russia is diversifying its currency reserves, which is in line with the policy pursued by the Central Bank of Russia, Andrei Illarionov, adviser to the Russian President on…
PBOC to take 'gradual and safe' approach on yuan
The People's Bank of China said on Saturday 6 November that it would take a "gradual and safe" approach to loosening the yuan-dollar peg, following International Monetary Fund calls to let the currency float in a wider margin.
Trichet says euro's record rise 'not welcome'
Economic growth "remains very steady," European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet said at a briefing after a meeting in Basel, Switzerland, of the G-10 group, which he chairs. "Perhaps we're going to a level that's more sustainable in the medium…
Iraqi central bank authorises hard currency loans
The Iraqi Central Bank has authorized the public and private banks to give loans in hard currency to citizens in accordance with the regulations and mechanisms approved by each bank's board of directors.
Securities and clearing settlement systems
This ECB occasional paper "Governance of securities clearing and settlement systems" provides a description of the existing general approaches to corporate governance. It then identifies determinants of the corporate governance structures and mechanisms…
Interview with Central Bank of Nigeria's Soludo
In a recent interview Central Bank of Nigeria governor Charles Soludo talked about his plan to increase banks' minimum capital requirement. Soludo gives his opinion on some of the most talked-about points of his plan.