Central Banking
S Korea economy strong but no rate rise says BoK
SOUTH KOREA - South Korea's economy roared ahead in the first quarter on soaring consumer demand, helping send its currency to 15-month highs, but Bank of Korea governor Park Seung ruled out any immediate policy moves to cool one of Asia's hottest…
Malaysia's cb governor says growth will continue
MALAYSIA - After two consecutive quarters of negative growth, the Malaysian economy turned around to record a healthy 1.1% growth in the first quarter of this year. Growth was driven by the strong consumption and improved external demand, said Bank…
Weak kwacha forces Zambian cb to trade in dollars
ZAMBIA - Zambians have begun trading in US dollars because of the instability of the kwacha, the local currency that has recently plunged against major currencies, the new central bank governor Caleb Fundanga said on Wednesday.
Speech by Fed Vice Chairman Roger Ferguson, 21 May
SPEECH - "It does appear that a turnaround is under way and the question obviously is how robust it is going to be for the rest of this year," Ferguson said in answer to a question after giving a speech titled 'Community and Regional Banks: Increasing…
Speech by Fed Reserve Governor Mark Olson, 21 May
SPEECH - Olson said in a speech titled 'A Look at the Banking Industry in 2002' that "We have just concluded more than ten years of economic prosperity, followed by slightly more than one year of recession - a recession that is now behind us," he also…
Press Release from Sweden's central bank
PRESS RELEASE - Governor Urban Backstrom resigns at year-end, 21 May.
Press Release from Sweden's central bank
PRESS RELEASE - Sven Hulterstrom comments on Urban Backstrom's decision, 21 May.
Bank of Japan Monthly Report May 2002
REPORT - Monthly Report of Recent Economic and Financial Developments from the Bank of Japan, May 2002, released 22 May.
Speech by Joseph Yam of the HKMA, 21 May
SPEECH - Opening Remarks by Mr Joseph Yam, Chief Executive, Hong Kong Monetary Authority, 21 May. HKMA Fifth Distinguished Lecture: "The Asian Crisis: Lessons for the Future".
Speech by Dr. Stanley Fischer at the HKMA, 21 May
SPEECH - Speech by Dr. Stanley Fischer, Vice Chairman, Citigroup, former First Deputy Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, 21 May. HKMA Fifth Distinguished Lecture: The Asian Crisis: Lessons for the Future.
Speech by Dr Stephen Grenville at the HKMA, 21 May
SPEECH - Speech by Dr. Stephen Grenville, Adjunct Professor, National Centre for Development Studies at the Australian National University, Canberra, former Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia, 21 May. HKMA Fifth Distinguished Lecture.
ECB Press Release
PRESS RELEASE - ECB Convergence Report 2002, released 22 May.
ECB Convergence Report 2002
REPORT - The European Central Bank (ECB) publishes today its Convergence Report 2002, which examines whether Sweden has achieved a high degree of sustainable convergence, as well as the compatibility of its national legislation with the Treaty…
Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee Minutes
MINUTES - Minutes from the Bank of England's MPC meeting 8 and 9 May, released 22 May.
Dutch bank warns budget controls needed
NETHERLANDS - The next Dutch government will have to impose budget curbs to keep state finances in surplus, the central bank warned on Wednesday.
Latent recovery fails to move Bank of Japan
JAPAN - The Bank of Japan announced a decision to leave monetary policy unchanged after a two-day Policy Board meeting which ended on Tuesday.
Swedish central bank governor resigns
SWEDEN - Sweden's central bank governor said Tuesday he will resign at the end of the year, two years before his term expires, as the Scandinavian country considers adopting Europe's common currency.
Argentina taking steps for IMF accord - President
ARGENTINA - An accord between the Argentine government and its provinces will be signed within the next 10 days paving the way for an agreement with the International Monetary Fund, Argentine President Eduardo Duhalde said in an interview published on…
Egypt's banks forced to achieve world standards
EGYPT - Governor of the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) Mahmoud Abul Oyoun announced yesterday that the government is studying new measures to encourage bank mergers to keep pace with world changes in this regard.
German economy grows slightly
GERMANY - Germany's economy grew slightly in the first quarter of 2002, pulling the country out of a mild recession, the country's central bank said Tuesday.
Bank of England hints at future rate rise
UK - May's decision by the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) to leave interest rates unchanged at 4% was unanimous for the third month in a row, the latest minutes of the MPC's meeting have shown.
IMF mail 'positive for anthrax'
US - The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has said mail it received in Washington has tested positive for the anthrax bacteria. This comes less than a month after we reported an anthrax scare at the Federal Reserve.
Britons hoard £1bn cash
FEATURE - British households are sitting on an estimated £945m cash pile, according to a new survey - and much of it can be found under sofa cushions.
Fed's Olson: Banking industry is sound
US - Federal Reserve governor Mark Olson on Tuesday said the U.S. banking system is sound, but cautioned that weaknesses could come to light now that the economy has pulled out of recession, the first in a decade.