Opinion/Central Banks
Comment: Riksbank to turn the tide
Incoming Riksbank governor, Stefan Ingves, faces a challenge that few, if any, central bank governors have yet had to confront: making the case for a rate hike at a time when inflation is still below the inflation-targetting central bank's tolerance…
Enough said, Mr. Park
This Editorial published on Friday 13 January urges Bank of Korea Governor Park Seung not to cause any more losses to the country through his verbal mistakes. Following comments made Thursday by Mr Park, the won surged immediately, causing a big…
How long can BoU reserves go without aid?
This article published on Wednesday 11 January asks how big are the Bank of Uganda's reserves? And how far can the country run until the financial tank shows 'empty?'
Asian FX intervention may have less bite this time
Asian central banks have made it clear they are not happy with a surge in their currencies as 2006 gets under way, this article published on Friday 6 January notes.
USAID works to strengthen Central Bank of Iraq
This article published on Monday 19 December reports on technical assistance being provided to assist capacity building and institutional strengthening at the Central Bank of Iraq. Historically the CBI has found it difficult to implement monetary policy,…
Comment: Latin America spurns the Fund
Last week Brazil and Argentina surprised the international community by announcing that they both intend paying off all of their outstanding debt to the IMF before the end of the year.
Comment: Contagion threat still present
An increasing number of emerging market economies (EMEs) are finding that they are able to borrow money in international capital markets, and on historically favourable terms.
Comment: Brazil's surprise IMF settlement
Earlier this week Brazil announced that it plans to pay off its entire $15.5 billion in debt to the IMF by the end of the month. In doing so, the country will meet its outstanding IMF obligations two years ahead of schedule.
Gold is more than a hedge
According to this article published on Monday 12 December, the latest idea to grip the markets is that gold is poised to become the world's fourth major currency.
Comment: Fed signals end to rate cycle
The Fed this week increased interest rates by 25 basis points for the 13th consecutive time. While the move itself was a foregone conclusion, the removal of the word "accommodative" from the accompanying monetary policy statement, indicates that the…
Word junkies get ready for a fix from the Fed
According to this article published on Monday 12 December, while there is little doubt the Fed will raise the funds rate by another 25 basis points to 4.25 percent on Tuesday, the main issue is the language of the statement.
Comment: Gold soars
Gold prices soared to new highs on Monday 12 December, bringing this month's gain for the precious metal to 9%. Only a month ago gold traded at $470. What does the future hold for bullion and what role will central bankers play in this?
HKMA: Four pointers to financial stability
In a commentary published by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, HKMA Chief Executive Joseph Yam says open, medium-sized and sophisticated international financial centres are attractive to international fund flows, which are often volatile. The task of…
When will Asian central banks buy into gold?
This article published on Friday 2 December asks what would happen to the gold market if central banks in Asia decided to follow the recent trend and increase their gold reserves?
Comment: Turkey to target
Governor Sureyya Serdengecti's announcement on Monday 5 December that the Central Bank of Turkey will adopt formal inflation targets from January 2006 marks another step along the road of monetary policy reform that has seen Turkey shrug off its volatile…
Hedge funds bet Asia will boost gold reserves
According to this article published on Tuesday 29 November, hedge funds, after sending the gold price to an 18-year high, are looking to China and other Asian central banks as the next big drivers of the precious metal.
Banks' attitude 'key to gold's fortunes'
According to this article published on Friday 25 November, fresh impetus in the gold price and continued uncertainty about the outlook for the dollar could change central banks' attitude towards the gold reserves they have been inclined to sell off over…
Brown's gold sale losses pile up as price surges
According to this article published on Monday 28 November, the recent increase in the price of gold should be something of an embarrassment for UK Chancellor Gordon Brown with the Bank of England offloading 300 tonnes of gold at close to a 20-year low…
Comment: Russia's reserve management
At a time when Russia's official foreign reserves have risen sharply due largely to increased revenues from oil exports, the Central Bank of Russia (CBR) has been remarkably transparent how it manages these reserves.
Comment: Bold plan for FX reserves
Sometimes unique policy dilemmas require unorthodox policy responses. A recent IMF discussion paper offers a bold suggestion for central banks facing increasingly sharp trade-offs related to the management of their foreign exchange reserves.
Comment: Bernanke hits the ground running
While arguing that he will take his time in building the case for an inflation-targetting Fed, Ben Bernanke's remarks during his confirmation hearing yesterday before the US Senate Banking Committee made clear that he remains a proponent of the framework.
Why statistics matter
More care should be taken in presenting important statistics, says Steve Hanke, editorial adviser to Central Banking.
Comment: Activism the ECB way
Yesterday, 9 November, Jean-Claude Trichet explained how the ECB's decision to leave interest rates unchanged for more than two years should not be equated to non-activist monetary policy.