Central Banking
ECB Working Paper Series
RESEARCH - "An estimated stochastic dynamic general equilibrium model of the euro area", by Frank Smet and Raf Wouters, August 2002. The paper concludes that there is a considerable degree of price and wage stickiness in the euro area. The paper also…
Speech by C Popa, National Bank of Romania, 16 May
SPEECH - In the speech titled 'Romania - Closer to the Euro' Cristian Popa, Vice-Governor of the National Bank of Romania, concluded that progress had been made in nominal and real convergence.
Romania c bank says inflation targeting off course
ROMANIA - Romania's National Bank (BNR) does not have all the necessary means to assume responsibility for attaining a clear inflation target, read the conclusion of a BNR study drafted by the bank's specialists, and coordinated by vice-governor Cristian…
Polish Statute questioned by Banking Supervisor
POLAND - Bank Gospodarki Zywnosciowej (BGZ) statute changes that would give the Polish state treasury a privileged position among shareholders have been challenged by the central bank president Leszek Balcerowicz, who also chairs the Banking Supervisory…
Brazil banks to gain with new central bank rule
BRAZIL - A new regulation that requires banks to increase their deposit reserves with the central bank is expected to cause a gain of nearly 900mn reals (US$291mn) a year for the financial system as a whole, Brazilian daily Folha de Sao Paulo reported.
CLS bank waits on Fed approval for FX settlement
UK - Settlement bank CLS, aiming to provide a global system to cut risk in settling currency deals, hopes for regulatory approval next month for a full commercial start in the last quarter of this year, Reuters reports a spokesman as saying.
Pakistan State Bank directs banks to set up ATM's
PAKISTAN - State Bank of Pakistan has directed all the domestic banks either to establish at least two auto-cash telling machine (ATMs) or join the existing Switch Network to ensure payment of salaries to government employees through ATM system.
Reports Krueger unhappy with Argentina plan untrue
US - The International Monetary Fund said on Monday a report in a Brazilian newspaper saying a top IMF official is unhappy with economic plans Argentina sent to the fund on Friday is "absolutely" untrue reports Reuters.
Belarusia gets currency union proposal from Russia
BELARUSIAN - The National Bank of Belarus has received proposals from the Russian government and the Central Bank of Russia for an accelerated introduction of the Russian rouble as the single currency of the Belarusian-Russian union state, the National…
Federal Reserve Board Press Release
PRESS RELEASE - Governor Gramlich to begin treatment for leukemia, 16 August.
ECB Working Paper Series
RESEARCH - 'The Industry Effects of Monetary Policy in the Euro Area' by Gert Peersman and Frank Smets, August 2002.
Minneapolis Fed Conferences and Events
CONFERENCES - The 17th Annual Electronic Payments Conference: "The e-Payments Revolution" will be held 17-18 September, 2002, at the Minneapolis Airport Marriott, Bloomington, Minn.
Economic Review from the Atlanta Fed Bank
PUBLICATION - Global Banks, Local Crises: Bad News from Argentina by Marco Del Negro and Stephen Kay, published in the Economic Review, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, Third Quarter 2002, Vol 87, No 3.
Financial Stability Review, 2002, from the NBB
ANNUAL REVIEW - Financial Stability Review, 2002 Issue 1, from the National Bank of Belgium. The review says that the diversity of topics covered in this first FSR illustrates that financial stability issues have to be studied from a wide variety of…
Central Bank of Brazil Working Paper Series
RESEARCH - Optimal Monetary Policy, Gains from Commitment, and inflation persistence by Andre Minella, Central Bank of Brazil, August 2002.
Fed's Gramlich starts treatment for cancer
US - Federal Reserve Governor Edward Gramlich will begin out-patient treatment for a form of leukemia next week and medical experts believe his prognosis is good, the Federal Reserve said on Friday in a press release.
Asia central banks could be gold buyers
SINGAPORE - Asia's reserve-rich central banks are potential buyers of gold to diversify their reserve assets, even as European central banks cut their holdings, a senior official of the World Gold Council said on Monday.
Fears over delay to naming Clementi successor
UK - The UK government may delay the announcement of a new deputy governor at the Bank of England.
South African fake central bank web site shut down
SOUTH AFRICA - A Nigerian syndicate has set up an elaborate fake South African Reserve Bank web site to pull off a so-called "419" advance-fee scam in which victims are promised millions in return for their assistance in moving vast amounts of money out…
Kazakhstan's foreign currency, gold reserves up
KAZAKHSTAN - Kazakhstan's foreign currency and gold reserves, including the National Fund's finances and the National Bank's gross foreign currency and gold reserves, have gone up by 1 per cent since the beginning of August, amounting to 4.58bn dollars.
Hong Kong's credit card problems surge
HONG KONG - Credit card write-offs in Hong Kong surged to a record annualised rate of 13.63 per cent in the second quarter of this year, reflecting the slowdown in the local economy and a rise in personal bankruptcies.
Hungary president blocks probe on secret services
HUNGARY - Hungary's state president and the head of the central bank have become embroiled in growing controversy over Communist-era links with the secret services.
Iran's c bank governor says economic growth steady
IRAN - The governor of the Central Bank of Iran has said the country's economy enjoys a steady growth and that the positive trend will continue.
Russia plans jewellery sale to pay debts
RUSSIA - Some of Russia's most valuable jewellery is to be sold as part of the country's desperate search for funds to repay its debts.