Central Banking
Report says Argentina to relax forex controls
The Argentine central bank will try gradually to lift controls imposed on foreign exchange transactions, daily La Nacion reported, without naming sources.
Putin positive on Russian economic situation
Russian President Vladimir Putin is positive about the economic situation in Russia. Interfax in Moscow quoted Putin as saying the economy was developing "very energetically".
Sveriges Riksbank alters management forms
At its meeting on 13 October, the Executive Board of the Sveriges Riksbank decided to make certain changes in the way the bank is managed. Responsibility of members of the Executive Board for preparing matters from the departments will be replaced by a…
Danmarks Nationalbank appoints head of Secretariat
As of 1 November, Karsten Biltoft, Head of Division, is appointed Head of Danmarks Nationalbank's Secretariat which, among other things, is responsible for external and internal communication.
Interview with Dr YV Reddy, Governor of the RBI
This interview was given to Emerging Markets on the occasion of the magazine presenting Dr YV Reddy of the Reserve Bank of India the Best Central Bank Governor of the year award. Issues considered for such nominations include "strong track record,…
Interview with Philadelphia Fed's Santomero
In an interview published last Friday, 22 October, Philadelphia Fed President Anthony Santomero said that the Federal Reserve will be able to slow down the pace of interest rate rises if the economy grows less rapidly than it expects.
Federal Reserve appoints regional Fed chairmen
The Federal Reserve Board on Wednesday 27 October announced the appointment of the chairmen and deputy chairmen of the twelve Federal Reserve Banks for 2005. Each Reserve Bank has a nine-member board of directors. The Board of Governors in Washington…
Former Bank of Italy governor gets pacemaker
Italian President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, who was governor of the Bank of Italy between 1979 and 1993, underwent surgery to install a pacemaker last week, his office said.
Yushchenko went from central bank to politics
Viktor Yushchenko, who was governor of the National Bank of Ukraine through most of the 1990s, goes into Sunday's presidential election in the Ukraine as the main opposition candidate. This article assesses his chances, and also takes a look at his…
China's 'Father of the Euro' university to open
It was announced on Thursday 28 October that the recently established Mundell International University of Entrepreneurship will open in November.
Report claims Israel's Klein asks for second term
A report by Haaretz Daily this week claimed Bank of Israel governor David Klein asked about his chances of being appointed for a second term at the central bank during a meeting with Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Trichet's concluding remarks to ECB conference
In concluding remarks to the Third ECB Central Bank conference on 22 October Jean-Claude Trichet of the ECB said that a stable macroeconomic environment and progress in structural and fiscal reforms are essential to take full advantage of the benefits of…
Issing on EU enlargement and monetary integration
In a speech on 'EU enlargement and monetary integration' given on 22 October, Otmar Issing of the ECB said that the 10 countries that joined European Union in May should not rush to join the euro or the European Exchange Rate Mechanism II until they were…
Remsperger on the Bundesbank's view of the outlook
In a speech on 'The Bundesbank's view of the economic outlook and economic policy challenges' given on 25 October, Hermann Remsperger of the Deutsche Bundesbank said the German economy remains vulnerable to a slowdown in global economic activity. This is…
BoE paper on monetary policy rules
This Bank of England Working Paper evaluates the performance of three popular monetary policy rules where the central bank is learning about the parameter values of a simple New Keynesian model. The paper argues that adopting integral representations of…
Issues paper for ECB conference on 10 Nov
In preparation for an internal conference on e-payments, the ECB has produced an issues paper entitled "E-payments without frontiers". The paper covers observations on innovation in retail payments, challenges to be faced before a mature and integrated…
China rate rise 'not necessarily' yuan-related
An unnamed IMF official was quoted on Friday 29 October as saying that China's interest rate increase on Thursday 28 October did "not necessarily" mean a shift in the country's fixed exchange rate regime.
Jarai says central bank changes still unlawful
Zsigmond Jarai, president of the Hungarian central bank, told a conference on Thursday 28 October that despite minor adjustments submitted to planned modifications to Hungary's Central Bank Act, the intentions driving the changes are still "wrong,…
Brazil says oil threatens 'gradual' rate rises
Minutes from Brazil's central bank interest rate setting COPOM committee showed that the bank expects to maintain a policy of "gradual" interest rate increases while holding out the possibility that increasing oil prices and worsening inflation…
BOJ maintains policy, sees slight inflation
The Bank of Japan kept its ultra-loose monetary policy on Friday 29 October to support the economy and forecast there could be a slight rise in inflation next year, although that would not necessarily mean a change in its stance on interest rates, it…
NY Fed study warns on central bank asset buying
The New York Federal Reserve warned in a report on Thursday that U.S. interest rates would rise and the dollar would fall if Asian central banks slowed their recent heavy purchases of U.S. assets.
RBNZ increases OCR to 6.50 per cent
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand announced on Thursday 28 October that it has increased the Official Cash Rate from 6.25 per cent to 6.50 per cent.
Why the Bank of Japan keeps on doing nothing
For pretty much all of 2004, the Bank of Japan has done nothing. And looking ahead to 2005, it's not expected to do a whole lot more, this article suggests. That the BOJ isn't having a serious discussion of deflation ending anytime soon throws cold water…
HKMA's Yam on the challenges of an emerging Asia
In a speech on 'The financial stability challenges of an emerging Asia' given on 25 October, Joseph Yam of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority gave one of the most high-profile endorsements of an Asian monetary union, saying countries in the region should…