Central Banking
Central bank research paper by Alain Durre
RESEARCH - Would it be optimal for central banks to include asset prices in their loss function? by Alain Durre, Universite Catholique de Louvain, Institut de Recherches Economiques et Sociales (IRES).
Vietnam c bank governor has no bank account-media
VIETNAM - Vietnam's central bank Governor Le Duc Thuy, who is leading a campaign to reduce the country's reliance on cash transactions, has admitted he does not have a credit card, or a personal bank account.
Watch the Fed for clues to rise in gold sector
FEATURE - Gold has broken out and there is no shortage of theories as to why and where it's going from here. But, according to Chad Williams, investors should pay no attention to outlooks based on supply and demand, hedging, central bank sales or even…
Dutch c bank issues credit derivatives guidelines
NETHERLANDS - The Dutch central bank said Friday that it has issued guidelines to the Dutch financial sector on the use of credit derivatives to spread risks.
Riksbank's general council backs extra dividend
SWEDEN - The General Council of Sweden's Riksbank Friday presented a proposal to the Swedish parliament recommending that an additional SEK20 billion of the central bank's net income for 2001 be transferred to the Treasury.
Niedermayer to CNB board with effect from 27 Feb
CZECH REPUBLIC - President Vaclav Havel today re-appointed central bank CNB vice-governor Ludek Niedermayer to the Bank Board for another six-year term, with effect from 27 February.
Polish bank cautious about economic plan
POLAND - Two weeks after Poland's government issued an ambitious five-year strategy to kick-start slumping economic growth, the National Bank of Poland has maintained a stony silence.
Fed ready to raise rates this year - Guynn
US - The Federal Reserve may start reversing its series of 11 interest rate cuts if a stronger-than-expected recovery this year rekindles inflation concerns, says Jack Guynn, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta.
Australian Reserve Bank's credit-card plan slated
AUSTRALIA - MasterCard said it will consider scaling back its Australian operations if the central bank proceeds with its plan to cut credit-card fees and open the credit-card system to new participants.
Latvian parliament approves bank's vice president
LATVIA - The Latvian parliament Thursday almost unanimously approved as central bank vice-president Andris Ruselis, recommended for the office by Bank of Latvia president.
Barclays chief hits out at watchdogs
UK - The head of banking giant Barclays has warned City watchdogs against imposing overzealous regulation, or risk seeing financial services business lost abroad.
Gold bugs should not get too excited
AUSTRALIA - Predictions of a sustained increase in gold prices are not expected to be realised. The reason for the lack of a sustained revival is the poor business foundations of the gold industry.
Some EU countries already vying for No. 2 ECB spot
EUROPE - Just days after Wim Duisenberg announced he would resign next year as president of the European Central Bank, some countries began suggesting they would like one of their own in the central bank's No. 2 seat, which opens up at the end of May…
Czech central banker opposes ERM
CZECH REPUBLIC - The Czech Republic should spend as little time as possible in an exchange-rate mechanism prior to adoption of the euro, said the central bank's governor, Zdenek Tuma.
Speech by William Poole of the St. Louis Fed Bank
SPEECH - In the speech titled 'The Role of Anecdotal Information in Fed Policymaking' Poole said that with formal data giving an incomplete and often delayed picture of the economy, including in the key areas of growth and inflation, anecdotal…
St Louis Fed's Poole - Markets must understand Fed
US - St. Louis Federal Reserve President William Poole said on Wednesday that it was important financial markets understand the goals and plans of monetary policymakers.
Speech by Christian Noyer of the ECB
SPEECH - Noyer called the speech 'Success factors of the euro and the ECB' and said the euro is undervalued against the dollar, but added it was "very difficult" to tell when the euro would rebound, 13 February.
ECB Monthly Bulletin, February 2002
REPORT - The European Central Bank has published its latest Monthly Report for February 2002.
Venezuela's currency in freefall
VENEZUELA - Venezuela's currency has plummeted 25% against the US dollar after the government scrapped five-year-old exchange rate controls.
ECB Press Release
PRESS RELEASE - Annual hard copy publication of the: List of Monetary Financial Institutions and institutions subject to minimum reserves as at the end of December 2001, 14 February.
Succession scramble at ECB
FEATURE - For those few who enjoy the subtleties of central banking politics, a glacial but important semantic change has occurred over the past couple of years.
Gay online bank shuts down
US - The first online bank aimed at the gay and lesbian community in the US is to close after admitting it could not make a profit in the current economic climate.
Argentine peso strengthens
ARGENTINA - It is now three days since Argentina allowed its currency, the peso, to float freely for the first time in more than a decade and so far the peso has held its own, contrary to many experts' predictions.
New US stock market rules unveiled
US - The US stock market regulator has proposed new rules for faster corporate disclosures, in the first reform taken in the wake of the Enron scandal.