News/Monetary Policy
Eurozone growth slows to a crawl
EUROPE - Growth in the eurozone has slowed to a crawl, with the likelihood of a sustained slowdown heightened by this week's terrorist attacks on the US, gurus have warned.
Has economic crisis been avoided?
FEATURE - If the reaction of markets so far is anything to go by, the world has avoided the worst case scenario of a global economic meltdown after the terrorist attacks on the US.
Yugoslavia outlines plans for euro swapover
YUGOSLAVIA - Yugoslavia's central bank said on 13 September it had ordered a euro equivalent of 540 million German marks from the Bundesbank in a first step to reshaping its forex reserves ahead of the launch of euro notes and coins.
Euro sceptic wins UK Conservative vote
UK - Iain Duncan Smith has been elected leader of the Conservative Party. He has beaten off the challenge of former cabinet minister Ken Clarke after a fiercely fought and at times bitterly divisive three month battle.
IMF and World Bank to review meetings
UNITED STATES - The International Monetary Fund and the World Bank are reviewing plans for their annual meetings, due to take place in the US later this month.
McDonough:NY Fed - Every Effort At Normal Business
US - Federal Reserve Bank of New York President William McDonough said Tuesday that the central bank will do everything possible to conduct normal business in the wake of the terrorist attacks in Manhattan.
Banks in Fed talks over extended closure of market
US - Stock markets in the US will be closed today in the wake of the terrorist attacks which sent stock prices elsewhere in the world plunging and investors rushing for the safe havens of gold and government bonds.
Central banks ease fears of global gridlock
WORLD - Central banks worldwide took swift action on Wednesday 12 Sep to keep financial markets working, pumping in additional money where needed. The Bank of Japan reacted quickly to soothe fears of a global gridlock, and was swiftly followed by other…
Capitalist system cranks into gear after assault
US - The destruction of the World Trade Center in New York yesterday effectively paralysed the U.S. financial system but today, Wednesday 12 Sep, the rest of the global capitalist system fought huge headaches and carried on.
Japan fin, econ authorities setting up task forces
JAPAN - Japanese financial and economic authorities set up task forces early Wednesday 12 Sep to ease effects on the markets in the wake of suspected terrorist attacks in Washington and New York.
ECB confirms council meeting Thursday as planned
GERMANY - The European Central Bank confirmed on Wednesday 12 Sep that its policymaking Governing Council will meet as planned here on Thursday for its regular fortnightly policy review.
Business chiefs fail to banish the gloom
EUROPE - Pessimism about Europe's economy was prevalent at a mini-Davos meeting of top bankers and industrialists.
Kohler says IMF may look again at 'Tobin tax'
GERMANY - Horst Kohler, the International Monetary Fund's managing director, on Monday acknowledged recent calls by political leaders in Germany and France for more detailed discussions on how better to control international capital markets.
US jobless rate jumps to 4.9%
US - The US unemployment rate rose sharply to 4.9% in August, official data has showed.
Economist group sees slower growth ahead this year
US - The National Association for Business Economics has revised down its estimates of U.S. growth for both this year and next.
Japan heads towards recession
JAPAN - Japan's battered economy has tipped yet closer to recession, as new figures show it contracted 0.8% in the second quarter of the year.
Global econ slowdown at or near bottom
SWITZERLAND - While the global economy remains in a slump, conditions at least appear to have stabilized, suggesting that the slowdown is at or near its turning point, Bank of England Governor Eddie George said Monday 10 Sep after a regular meeting of…
Turkish c bank to publish inflation report in Oct
TURKEY - Turkey's central bank plans to announce next month future inflation estimates and details of the monetary policy that will back a plan to cut stubbornly high inflation, a senior central banker said on Monday 10 Sep.
Economic stabilisation hq proposed in Japan
JAPAN - A Japanese think tank on Monday 10 Sep called for creating an economic stabilisation headquarters to work out key strategies for the slumping Japanese economy.
Is Chavez talking Venezuela into currency crisis?
VENEZUELA - Venezuela is enjoying high oil prices and one of Latin America's healthiest growth rates, but outspoken President Hugo Chavez may be literally talking his country into a currency crisis, economists said on Friday 7 Sep.
Welteke: Signs pointing to recovery in 2nd half
IRELAND - Deutsche Bundesbank President Ernst Welteke Tuesday 4 Sep expressed hopes that Germany's economic growth rate will begin to pick up later this year.
Trichet unveils Bank of France euro info campaign
FRANCE - Bank of France Governor Jean-Claude Trichet Wednesday 5 Sep unveiled the French leg of a euro-zone-wide campaign to publicise the switchover to euro notes and coins at the beginning of 2002.
UK interest rates kept on hold
UK - The Bank of England has left interest rates unchanged at 5% today, Thursday 6 Sep.
Likelihood of recession very low - Fed's McDonough
UK - Federal Reserve Bank of New York President William McDonough said on Thursday 6 Sep that the U.S. was unlikely to go into recession. "The likelihood of recession is very low," McDonough said.