Central Banking
Wim's wait
FEATURE - The European Central Bank is extending its "wait and see" policy from interest rates to the equally delicate matter of high-level appointments, reported Friday's FT in London.
New BOJ policy members tread conventional lines
JAPAN - The Bank of Japan's newly appointed board members adopted a conventional line on monetary policy in their debut public appearance on Friday, in stark contrast to a maverick pro-easing member whom they replaced.
Fed's Broaddus - Fed committed to price stability
US - US Federal Reserve policymakers aren't "resting on our laurels" with regard to their primary goal of price stability, said Alfred Broaddus, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond.
Agency under attack over bad debts in Japan
JAPAN - Japan has been too slow to clear up the bad debt problem plaguing its banking sector, Masajuro Shiokawa, finance minister, has said.
Speech by Svein Gjedrem of Norges Bank, 20 Mar
SPEECH - "The effects of the global downturn on the activity level in Norway have been limited," Svein Gjedrem said in a speech prepared for ambassadors stationed in Norway. The speech was titled 'The inflation target and the floating krone: The…
Speech by J Alfred Broaddus, Richmond Fed, 4 Apr
SPEECH - Richmond Federal Reserve President Alfred Broaddus said in a speech titled 'Comments on the Changing Economic Outlook' on Thursday the U.S. economic outlook is "considerably" better than six months ago, but that final demand is crucial for…
Taiwan has third largest currency reserve in world
TAIWAN - Taiwan's currency reserves continue to accumulate and at the end of March they reached the historic level of $128.03 billion, the island's Central Bank announced on Friday.
Deputies to G-7 finance chiefs to meet in London
UK - The deputies to the Group of Seven industrial nations' finance ministers will meet in London Thursday, sources told Jiji Press Saturday.
Polish PM scales back anti-central bank rhetoric
POLAND - Polish Prime Minister Leszek Miller softened hostile rhetoric against the country's central bank on Sunday but kept intact the message that bankers should stop damaging the limp economy with high interest rates.
WGC responds to speculation on Buba gold reserves
GERMANY - The World Gold Council has responded to speculation arising out of recent statements made by the President of Germany's Bundesbank and others by giving its reasons why the Deutsche Bundesbank should continue to hold its gold reserves.
Poland's c bank intends to cut mandatory reserves
POLAND - Poland's central bank NBP intends to decrease the level of mandatory reserves to 2% from the current 4.5% with the aim of adjusting the Polish system in line with EU standards, according to the NBP's task schedule for 2002-2004.
Speech by Fed Reserve Governor Ed Gramlich, 8 Apr
SPEECH - 'Lenders and community developers have made great strides in revitalizing economically disadvantaged communities and improving the financial well-being of lower-income households,' Gramlich said in a speech titled 'CRA at Twenty-Five'.
Chicago Fed National Activity Index
REPORT - The Chicago Fed National Activity Index (CFNAI) rose to +0.04 in February, moving out of negative territory for the first time since June 2000. The three-month moving average index, CFNAI-MA3, also improved in February, increasing to -0.28, its…
Speech by L Heikensten, Sveriges Riksbank, 2 Apr
SPEECH - Heikensten said in a speech titled 'Growth effects of the new stabilisation policy regime' that Sweden's recent policy of pursuing low and stable inflation and steady economic policies has been important for improving the conditions for economic…
Bank of England News Release
NEWS RELEASE - Appointments at the Bank of England, 4 April.
Speech by William Poole, St Louis Fed Bank, 4 Apr
SPEECH - In the speech titled 'Dynamics of the Recession and the Recovery' Poole said that last year's tax cuts and interest rate reductions have provided an underpinning for a solid U.S. economic recovery that could see "upside surprises" ahead.
Reserve Bank of New Zealand Bulletin, March 2002
REPORT - The Reserve Bank has released the March 2002 issue of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand Bulletin, 5 April.
Speech by U Backstrom of Sveriges Riksbank, 19 Mar
SPEECH - "If resource utilization is more strained than the Riksbank now assumes or if potential growth has been overestimated, there is a risk of future inflation being higher than in the main scenario," Backstrom said in a speech following the release…
Speech by Dr Reddy, Reserve Bank of India, 21 Mar
SPEECH - "Establishment of a Gold Exchange would help in efficient price discovery and emergence of healthy and transparent practices in the market," RBI's Deputy Governor Y V Reddy said in a speech at a conference organised by the World Gold Council.
IRAQ - Monetary analysis
IRAQ - The Central Bank of Iraq operates directly under the instruction of the government. As its activities are rather opaque, any analysis of policy is somewhat speculative, reports Quest Economics Database 27 March.
The recession that almost was
FEATURE - It is easy to dismiss the recent global downturn as a false alarm but policymakers should learn from it, says Kenneth Rogoff in Friday's Financial Times.
Summer changes expected on Bank's MPC committee
UK - Ian Plenderleith, a member of the Bank of England's monetary policy committee since its first meeting in June 1997, is to retire when his term finishes at the end of May.
Central bank of Gambia to introduce new bank notes
GAMBIA - The Central Bank of The Gambia (CBG) is to discontinue the practice of exchanging bank notes that are fit for reissue for new uncirculated bank notes to members of the public effective 15 April.
Norway c bank governor points to debt risk
NORWAY - Norway's central bank governor Svein Gjedrem reiterated on Friday that high credit growth posed a risk to the Norwegian oil-backed economy.