Central Banking
Brazil hikes rates to permit future cuts
The Brazilian central bank has pushed up interest rates to 15.75% protraying this as a defensive more, designed to allow future rate cuts
Russian bankers to participate in symposium
A delegation of Russian bankers and economists will participate in a three day symposium in India beginning on Mar 22, 2001.
Propping up the rupiah was 'right move'-deputy gov
Bank Indonesia has made the right move in propping up the rupiah, BI Deputy Governor Miranda S Goeltom said on Mar 22, 2001.
Swiss franc falls following SNB loosening
Following the SNB's rate cut yesterday the swiss franc has dropped on forex markets.
Predictable Uncertainty in Econ Forecasting-US Fed
RESEARCH PAPER - Neil R. Ericsson has written an paper titled "Predictable Uncertainty in Economic Forecasting" for the US Federal Reserve's series of International Finance Discussion Papers. This paper provides an introduction to predictable forecast…
S'pore sets new rules for bank private investments
SPEECH - Singapore's central bank said on Mar 21, 2001 it was proposing new rules for bank investments in private equity and venture capital that will allow flexibility while maintaining prudent standards. Ravi Menon, executive director of the Monetary…
The New Economy: Myths and Realities-Wadhwani
SPEECH - In his Travers Lecture at the London Guildhall University on Mar 20, 2001, Sushil Wadhwani, an external member of the Bank of England monetary policy committee, argues it is possible that measurement issues have led forecasters to overestimate…
Turkish cbank to adopt monetary policy committee
SPEECH - In his first speech as governor of the Central Bank of Turkey on Mar 19, 2001, Sureyya Serdengecti discusses the continuing liquidity problems faced the the country's state bank and how this is hampering the implementation of monetary policy. He…
Financial competition, risk and accountability
BOOK - A new book has just been published by Palgrave "Financial Competition, Risk and Accountability: British and German Experiences" edited by Frowen and McHugh. Recent decades have seen a sharp increase in financial competition and excessive risk…
Economic impact of regulatory reform - ECB paper
RESEARCH REPORT - Over the past couple of years, the European Union has embarked on an ambitious regulatory reform programme covering a number of network industries. Experts from the European Central Bank have prepared a report which analyses the…
ECB's Liebscher calls for c.bank supervisory role
SPEECH - ECB council member Klaus Liebscher called for Europe's national central banks to continue to play a key role in banking supervision, saying their close contact with commercial banks helped to prevent crises.
Fed disappoints markets with 50 bp rate cut
The US Federal Reserve cut interest rates on Mar 20, 2001 by half a percentage point to 5.0%, continuing its aggressive effort to resuscitate the faltering economy but disappointing investors who had hoped for more.
China c.bank chief urges banks to curb bad loans
China's central bank chief Dai Xianglong urged state-owned banks to reduce bad loans and repeated a ban on loans being funnelled to stock speculation, the official Financial News said on Mar 21, 2001.
RBNZ monetary policy review recommendations
Responding to an independent inquiry into monetary policy, New Zealand Treasury Department officials said on Mar 21, 2001 they will issue recommendations by month's end to Finance Minister Michael Cullen.
BOJ's Yamaguchi to visit Washington to attend FSF
BOJ deputy governor Yutaka Yamaguchi will visit Washington from Mar 22, 2001 to attend a meeting of the Financial Stability Forum, the central bank said in a statement on Mar 21, 2001.
IMF praises Croatia's economic programme
Croatia's authorities deserve to be praised for their three-year economic programme, the IMF's Stanley Fischer said on Mar 19, 2001 after the IMF approved a 14-month stand-by credit for $255 million for Croatia.
BoE ready to cut UK rates if necessary-minutes
Britain's central bank is ready to lower borrowing costs if the global economic outlook worsens or British consumer spending starts to ease, minutes of the Bank's last policy meeting showed on Mar 21, 2001.
Credit-card reform goes to the RBA
AUSTRALIA - On Mar 20, 2001, the Australian competition regulator handed the job of reforming Australia's credit-card system to Australia's central bank.
Philippines engages PWC to create PNB rehab plan
The Phillipines government has hired PriceWaterhouse Coopers to draw up a plan to rehabilitate partly state-owned Philippine National Bank in preparation for the sale of an 83% stake in the loss-making bank, Central Bank Governor Rafael Buenaventura said…
Thorpe leaves UK's Financial Services Authority
Phillip Thorpe is stepping down as managing director of the UK's Financial Services Authority and will be taking on a new role as president of the Futures Industry Institute based in Washington, DC.
BoJ switches to target monetary base
As expected, the Bank of Japan has reinstated its zero interest rate policy, but it has done this by switching its operational target to expand the money supply.
Indian Reserve Bank demands risk data
The RBI, responding to fears over the effects of market volatility on cooperative banks, has demanded information about their stock market exposures.
Bank of Finland Board Member under fire
Finnish newspaper reports parliamentarians' unhappiness with Bank of Finland board member, Sinikka Salo.
ECB tight-lipped on banking supervision
A confidential ECB report arguing that eurozone central banks should continue to perform banking supervision has been leaked to German daily paper Boersen Zeitung.