Central Banking
Australia leaves rates steady
AUSTRALIA - Australia's central bank left interest rates unchanged Wednesday, amid global volatility on the financial markets and warning signs about the strength of the U.S. economic recovery.
Norges Bank's press conference, 7 August
PRESS CONFERENCE - Monetary policy meeting of Norges Bank's Executive Board, 7 August.
Sveriges Riksbank Press Release
PRESS RELEASE - Stable Swedish financial sector according to the IMF, 7 August.
Defending the I.M.F.
NEWS BRIEF - A Letter to the Editor of The New Yorker By Graham Hacche, Deputy Director, External Relations Department, International Monetary Fund, 5 August.
Rogoff Critique Should be No Surprise
NEWS RELEASE - A Letter to the Editor, By Graham Hacche, Deputy Director, External Relations Department, International Monetary Fund, Submitted to The Times but not published, 9 July.
No interest rate change in Norway
NORWAY - Norway's central bank kept key interest rates on hold on Wednesday, as expected by analysts, with inflationary pressures in Norway's oil-backed economy offset by an international slowdown.
How much do you know about the Federal Reserve?
QUIZ - In a week that sees the Federal Reserve decide on interest rates and on the day that Alan Greenspan finds out he will receive a knighthood from the Queen of England, the Washington Post provides a short 10 question quiz on the Federal Reserve.
Russians stuff $80 billion under mattresses
RUSSIA - Russians have nearly $80 billion "stuffed under mattresses" - more cash than in US circulation - which is now trickling into stocks amid improved trust in corporate governance, Russia's securities watchdog chief said on Tuesday.
Knighthood for Fed's Greenspan
US - Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan will receive an honorary knighthood from Britain's Queen Elizabeth II. The honour recognises his "contribution global economic stability," the UK government said in announcing the knighthood.
Nigerian c bank tighten licensing law of new banks
NIGERIA - The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) may have soft-pedalled on the licensing of new banks which was put on hold almost three months ago.
Egypt central bank reports fall in bank liquidity
EGYPT - The central bank has revealed a continued downturn in commercial banks' performance over the past period. Rates of capital efficiency and of net profits and incomes have gone down. Also, the banks' liquidity crunch has worsened due to a decline…
'Fingerprint' card system test in Malaysia
MALAYSIA - MasterCard International is testing an antifraud system meant to detect counterfeit payment cards by reading the properties and orientation of the microscopic particles in a magnetic stripe.
Trinidad: ex-central bank governor helps party
TRINIDAD - Port of Spain, Trinidad: Former Central Bank Governor Winston Dookeran says he is assisting the main opposition United National Congress (UNC) to prepare its manifesto for the next general elections, widely-expected by October.
Bank of England downgrades inflation forecast
UK - The Bank of England said today it was ready to cut interest rates, reversing its position three months ago when it expected to put up the cost of borrowing.
Speech by Masaru Hayami, Bank of Japan, 24 July
SPEECH - In a speech titled 'The Challenges Facing Japan's Economy' Hayami said that the dollar's current weakness is not surprising given its history of volatility, though he hoped it will not fall further. He added that the dollar's recent weakness on…
Dollarization in Canada: The Buck Stops There
RESEARCH - In a Technical Report from the Bank of Canada published August 2002, John Murray and James Powell consider the debate in Canada concerning the potential benefits of formally adopting the U.S. dollar as the national currency.
Speech by Masaru Hayami, Bank of Japan, 19 July
SPEECH - In the speech, published 5 August, at the presentation of the Bank's Semi-annual Report on Currency and Monetary Control Hayami said Japan's economy is about to undergo its third cyclical recovery since 1990. He also talked of the Bank's hopes…
BIS Working Paper
RESEARCH - 'Asset prices, financial and monetary stability: exploring the nexus' by Claudio Borio and Philip Lowe, July 2002.
BIS Working Paper
RESEARCH - 'The link between default and recovery rates: effects on the procyclicality of regulatory capital ratios' by Edward I Altman, Andrea Resti and Andrea Sironi, July 2002.
Speech by Robert Parry, San Francisco Fed, 2 Aug
SPEECH - In a speech 'After the Recession: A Monetary Policymaker Looks Ahead' Parry said the decline in the U.S. dollar this year -- around 10 percent against the euro and the yen -- could help to boost growth by raising demand for U.S. goods. He also…
Economic Review from the Kansas City Fed Bank
PUBLICATION - Consumer Confidence After September 11 and The New Power of Regions: A Policy Focus for Rural America-A Conference Summary, Second Quarter 2002.
IMF Survey, 5 August
REPORT - IMF Survey, Topical coverage of the IMF's activities, policies, and research, 5 August. Includes Jack Boorman on the Argentina crisis and lessons to be learned from it.
Brazil's interbank clearinghouse to bring benefits
BRAZIL - Brazil's new interbank payment clearinghouse is expected to stimulate online transactions between banks once it becomes operational, Brazilian financial daily Valor Economico reported.
Kuwait gov't reviews action on money-laundering
KUWAIT - The Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of State for Cabinet and National Assembly Affairs, Mohammed Deifallah Sharar said, in a Cabinet statement, that the council followed up on steps aimed at combating money-laundering and examined a report,…