Central Banking
Bulgarian c bank launch redesigned website 15 Mar
BULGARIA - Bulgarian Central Bank (BNB) will launch its redesigned website on 15 March.
Japanese hoarding gold as economic anxiety persist
FEATURE - While Japan has had the world's fastest-growing major stock market this year and the yen has jumped nearly 3 percent against the dollar in the last month, a small but growing number of Japanese investors are preparing for the worst and hoarding…
Hong Kong tightens markets regulations
HONG KONG - Hong Kong legislators yesterday passed into law long-awaited legislation aimed at significantly tightening regulation of the territory's capital markets.
EMU: The End of the Beginning
RESEARCH - 'Hot topics' from the Dallas Fed. This provides a look at the European economic and monetary union so far and covers the introduction of the euro banknotes and coins. Also looks at what the future may hold for EMU.
Indonesia court convicts c bank gov of graft
INDONESIA - An Indonesian court on Wednesday sentenced central bank governor Sjahril Sabirin to three years in jail for corruption over a long-running banking scandal, Reuters reports.
Indonesia c bank gov still in post despite verdict
INDONESIA - Indonesian central bank governor Sjahril Sabirin is still in charge of the institution despite being convicted on Wednesday of graft, as an appeal process has yet to take place, a senior official said. Sabirin was not taken into custody.
Central bank independence should be preserved-IMF
UK - The IMF on Wednesday criticised moves in Israel and Poland to limit the independence of their central banks.
ECB's Noyer questions strong dlr after US tariffs
FRANCE - European Central Bank Vice President Christian Noyer on Wednesday said the U.S. dollar was over valued against the euro and suggested new U.S. steel tariffs were the latest evidence of this.
China raises gold prices in unscheduled move
CHINA - China's central People's Bank of China (PBOC) raised domestic buying and selling prices of 99.99 percent pure gold by an average of 1.42 percent on Wednesday, an unscheduled move outside its regular weekly fixing.
RBA's Macfarlane to give speech on 22 March
AUSTRALIA - Reserve Bank of Australia Governor Ian Macfarlane has two speeches scheduled in coming weeks, his first public outings since December.
Chile central bank cuts rates 75 bp to 4.75%
CHILE - Chile's Central Bank lowered its benchmark monetary policy lending rate 75 basis points to a nominal 4.75% at a monthly policy making meeting Tuesday.
Arthur Grimes appointed to NZ c bank board
NEW ZEALAND - New Zealand's Finance Minister Michael Cullen said Wednesday that Arthur Grimes, one of the country's leading monetary policy specialists, had been appointed as a non-executive director of the Reserve Bank for a term of five years.
Speech by Yutaka Yamaguchi, Bank of Japan, 7 Mar
JAPAN - In the speech Yamaguchi offers his views on systemic risk conceding that he may have raised more questions than provided answers for central banks. He stresses that central banks must continue to pursue these issues to discharge their…
Speech by William Poole, St Louis Fed Bank, 8 Mar
SPEECH - In the speech titled 'The Role of Finance in the Investment Bust of 2001' Poole likens the current recession to the coldness of space and the planet pluto in particular. Are we in "the pluto recession"? "The astronomers argue about whether Pluto…
Are we in recession? No we're on the planet Pluto
US - Amid the was it or wasn't it debate about the U.S. recession, a senior Federal Reserve official has coined a new phrase for the economic downturn that began last March, dubbing it: "the Pluto recession."
James Tobin, Keynesian economist of first rank
OBITUARY - James Tobin, the most influential Keynesian theorist of his generation, who became famous for his proposed tax on currency trading, has died aged 84.
Tokyo sees light at end of tunnel
JAPAN - Japan's longest recession since 1993 may be slowly coming to an end as inventories are run down and companies gear up for a faster-than-expected US and European recovery, according to Heizo Takenaka, economics minister.
Speech by T Latter, Deputy Chief Exec HKMA, 12 Mar
SPEECH - In the speech titled 'Why blame the peg?' Latter defended Hong Kong's association with the US dollar saying that the Hong Kong dollar's peg to the U.S. currency was "the most appropriate monetary anchor for Hong Kong."
ECB Working Paper Series
RESEARCH - Non-standard central bank loss functions, skewed risks, and certainty equivalence, by Ali al-Nowaihi and Livio Stracca, March 2002.
Speech by David Dodge of Bank of Canada, 12 Mar
SPEECH - Dodge said in the speech titled 'Monetary Policy Choices: The Canadian Experience' that the worst of the economic downturn was over, and said that the bank was accelerating its timetable for forecast economic recovery.
Bank of Canada Press Release
PRESS RELEASE - Bank of Canada Governor Reviews Canadian Monetary Policy Choices, 12 March.
Speech by Fed Reserve Governor Mark Olson, 12 Mar
SPEECH - In the speech titled 'Current Industry Issues' Olson agreed with views many central bankers have expressed recently when he said that "for the past few months we have seen clear indication that economic conditions are improving and we are either…
Review of a new book on Monetary Policy
BOOK REVIEW - Monetary Policy Goals, Institutions, Strategies, and Instruments by Peter Bofinger published by Oxford University Press.
Olson - US economy at or near end of down phase
US - Federal Reserve Governor Mark Olson said on Tuesday recent reports over the past few months show the downturn that hit the U.S. economy last year has likely bottomed out.