Central Banking
Taiwan's cb fights SARS
The China Post in Taiwan has provided more details of the unusual cure Taiwan's central bank chief has proposed for the deadly disease Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).
Iraq conflict 'likely to hit global growth'
In a regular report the World Bank said the Iraq conflict will probably have about the same effect on the global economy as the September 11 attack the Financial Times reports. The report also said the huge accumulation of reserve assets means the…
Changes at the top in Kenyan central bank
Kenya's central bank has announced major changes to its senior staff job roles. Shifts include supervision, financial markets and the banking department, according to the daily Nation, Kenya.
Finnish central bank governor on medical leave
The governor of Finland's central bank Matti Vanhala will be on leave from the Bank until June. Mr Vanhala will be undergoing an operation.
Nauru passes legislation to axe offshore banks
Nauru's parliament has passed legislation which will abolish the country's controversial offshore banks.
Belgian central bank defends shareholder treatment
Guy Quaden, Belgium's central bank governor, has denied accusations made by shareholders at an annual meeting that the bank favours its main shareholder, the Belgian government.
RBA holds fire on interest rates
The Reserve Bank of Australia held interest rates steady at 4.75 per cent on Tuesday 1 April in a widely expected move, reported The Australian Financial Review.
CGFS report on institutional asset management
The latest report from the Committee on the Global Financial System (CGFS) has been published. The report "Incentive structures in institutional asset management and their implications for financial markets" was prepared by a working group comprising…
Riksbank's Heikensten in favour of ECB vote deal
Swedish central bank chief Lars Heikensten has come out in favour of the agreement to reform the European Central Bank's Governing Council, but he also wants more transparency from the institutions.
UK financial services regulation needs overhaul
An article in the Financial times suggests that financial regulation is a balancing act. On the one hand too tough an approach may reduce London's position as a major financial centre, but on the other hand a laissez faire attitude will bring criticism…
E.African c b bosses support monetary union study
A meeting of east African central bankers has called for a greater role for central banks in the conduct of monetary policy and supervision of the financial sector. The EAC also agreed to intensify cooperation and information sharing between the central…
Russia takes Latvia off currency control list
Russia's central bank has removed the tight currency controls which it had in place against Latvia. These are the last of the restrictions adopted by Russia's central bank regarding Latvia in 1998, according to a report from the baltic News Service.
Serb PM urges central bank to adapt exchange rate
Under a special law the National Bank of Serbia will soon be officially recognised, Serbian premier Zoran Zivkovic said on Tuesday 21 March, according to a report by the tanjug new agency. He also called for the central bank to listen to the market and…
OECD chief economist calls for ECB rate cut
A newspaper has quoted the OECD's top economist as saying "there is a clear-cut case" for a cut in the ECB's interest rate by a "significant" amount, according to Reuters.
Brazil real gains on central bank reform hopes
Increasing optimism that Brazil's central bank will gain greater independence pushed the real up against the dollar in trading, says the Financial Times. The legislation to be presented Wednesday is the first of a series of radical reforms designed to…
Richmond Fed's Broaddus on the economic outlook
In a speech on 'The Economic Outlook in a Turbulent Period' J. Alfred Broaddus of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond said economic recovery in the US will be strong enough to ride out the Iraq war. The economy should be "solid enough" to withstand…
Minehan on the U.S. Retail Payments System
In a speech on 'Technology and the U.S. Retail Payments System: Challenges and Opportunities' Cathy Minehan of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston said after September 11, no list of challenges can be complete without mention of the need to continually…
Taiwan's c bank chief touts herbs to fight SARS
With the deadly virus Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) spreading rapidly around the world, Reuters reported on Wednesday 2 April that Perng Fai-nan, governor of the central bank of China (Taiwan) has suggested a mixture of vinegar, crushed garlic…
Ex-BoJ Kanno expects action from Fukui
In an interview with Dow Jones, ex-Bank of Japan official Masaaki Kanno said rather than increase the BOJ's account balance target to shake-off deflation the BOJ's new governor Toshihiko Fukui will focus more on ways to make sure that money injected by…
BoE's Bean on asset prices and inflation targets
In a speech on 'Asset Prices, Financial Imbalances and Monetary Policy: Are Inflation Targets Enough?' Charles Bean of the Bank of England said yes, (flexible) inflation targets are enough. But more investigation is needed into understanding the way in…
Issing on monetary and financial stability
In a speech on 'Monetary and financial stability: Is there a trade-off?' Otmar Issing of the European Central Bank said the question whether there is a trade-off between monetary and financial stability has been one of the most interesting areas of…
EconSouth from the Atlanta Fed First Quarter 2003
The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta has published its regular online magazine, EconSouth, for the First Quarter 2003. The latest edition contains a feature "What's Different About This Recovery". The article looks at the concept of a "stealth recovery".
Central Bank of Brazil COPOM Minutes
The Banco Central Do Brasil has published the minutes of the 82nd meeting of the Monetary Policy Committee (COPOM), 18 and 19 March. The Copom decided to maintain the Selic rate at 26.5%. However, the committee said that there are considerable risks to…
Chile's central bank president Massad resigns
The president of the central bank of Chile, Carlos Massad, tendered his resignation on Monday March 31 , according to Reuters. The move comes two months after Mr Massad's secretary was arrested for selling market-sensitive information to Inverlink, a…