Monetary Policy
Turkish cbank governor-no reason to devalue lira
Turkey has no reason to devalue its currency, as the central bank is firmly keeping monetary aggregates in line with the IMF-backed anti-inflation program, central bank Governor Gazi Ercel told the CNN Turk TV channel on Feb 19, 2001.
N Korea to take Chinese approach to development
Lim Dong-won, director of North Korea's National Intelligence Service said on Feb 20 that the communist government would pursue a Chinese-style policy of separating politics from economy to introduce a market economy, while maintaining the socialist…
Welteke - upside price risk diminished,not faded
Upside risks to price stability in the euro zone have diminished but the all-clear can't be given yet, Deutsche Bundesbank President Ernst Welteke said on Feb 20.
Turkish market opens 4.95 quadrillion lira short
The Turkish market opened a massive 4.95 quadrillion lira ($7 billion) short after banks rushed to foreign on Feb 19 draining nearly one fifth of the country's international reserves due to a row between the government and the president.
Nicaragua agrees with IMF to lower public spending
Nicaragua's government agreed with the International Monetary Fund to cut public spending as a step toward both financial stability and debt relief, the president of the Central American nation's Central Bank said on Feb 20.
Canada's Dodge upbeat on economy in first speech
Nortel Networks Corp, long the darling of the Canadian equities market, may have been grounded but it is unlikely that one company will drag down the rest of the economy, Bank of Canada Governor David Dodge said on Feb 20.
BoE pressed to publish dissent on forecasts
Pressure is mounting on the Bank of England to make its inflation forecasts more transparent despite recent attempts by the central bank to make public the divergent views of its policymakers. The Bank's quarterly inflation forecast is closely watched by…
Monetary Policy in a Cashless Society-P. de Grauwe
Paul De Grauwe and Claudia Costa have published in association with the Centre for Economic and Policy Research a discussion paper titled "Monetary Policy in a Cashless Society". Their main conclusion is that the central bank will lose its traditional…
Chile economy posts lowest growth of 2000 in Dec
Chile's economy expanded 2.4 percent in December 2000 from the year before, posting its lowest monthly growth in 2000, the central bank said on Feb 19, 2001.
Trichet confident consumers will buoy French econ
In an interview on national radio, Bank of France governor Jean-Claude Trichet painted an upbeat picture of the French economy Feb 19, insisting strong domestic demand and robust consumer spending will help protect it from a slowing U.S.
Greek cbank warns of inflationary pressures-paper
Greece's central bank believes the government's target of average 2.3 percent inflation in 2001 may be beyond reach if inflationary pressures in the domestic economy are not reined in, Greek newspaper To Vima reported on Feb 18, 2001. Citing sources, To…
Fraga says Brazil's economy is not overheating-pap
Brazil is not growing beyond its means, Central Bank President Arminio Fraga said in an interview published on Feb 18, 2001, just days after Latin America's biggest economy posted its fastest growth rate in five years. Official data released on Feb 14…
Bank of Uganda Mutebile warns on statistics
Uganda's central bank governor, Emmanuel Tumusiime Mutebile, has warned politicians against interfering with the compilation of statistics. He said independence of the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) is the only way correct indicators of the economy…
ECB'S Welteke assumes U.S. still wants strong dlr
European Central Bank council member Ernst Welteke said on Feb 17, 2001 that he could imagine the United States would remain interested in a strong dollar, according to a spokesman for the central banker. Welteke said a strong dollar policy would help…
BoE's George says may have to pen inflation letter
Bank of England Governor Sir Edward George said on Feb 17, 2001 it was possible inflation in Britain would stray a full point away from its target, meaning he would have to write to the government explaining why. UK inflation currently stands at its…
Duisenberg can draw satisfaction from G7 meeting
For European Central Bank President Wim Duisenberg, Feb 17 meeting with the G7 godfathers of global finance in Palermo must have been a thoroughly satisfying experience. None of the finance ministers from the Group of Seven leading industrial countries…
Dissent erupts between government, Bank of Japan
Simmering differences between the government and the Bank of Japan over how to revive the economy burst into the on Feb 16, 2001 on the eve of a high-profile meeting of finance ministers and central bankers of the world's seven richest nations. Finance…
Korea c.bank head warns of overheating treasuries
Central Bank of Korea Governor Chon Chol-hwan said on Feb 16, 2001 the local treasury market was showing signs of overheating, comments analysts saw as a bid to shift interest to flagging corporate bond issues. Chon said in a statement the treasury…
Mongolia January inflation jumps 5.5 pct from Dec
Mongolia said on Feb 16, 2001 its monthly inflation jumped 5.5 percent in January 2001 compared with December 2000, mainly because of a rise in food and energy prices. The central bank's Monthly Bulletin of Statistics said the rent and energy price index…
Philippine c.bank leaves rates unchanged
The Philippine central bank decided on Feb 16, 2001 to keep its benchmark overnight interest rates unchanged, saying it preferred to monitor U.S. Federal Reserve moves on rates in the next couple of weeks before acting. The key rates were last reduced by…
Zimbabwe reneges on pledge to limit RBZ overdraft
The Zimbabwe government, caught between the need to reduce the cost of its domestic borrowings and its insatiable appetite for funds to fund its recurrent expenditure, plans to waive the 20 percent limit on its overdraft facility at the central bank as…
New FRBNY research on exchange rates and wages
New research from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York by Linda Goldberg and Joseph Tracylooks at the effects of exchange rate fluctuations across the population - important in increasingly globalized economies. They offer an explanation of the…
British public see EMU membership as inevitable
According to a new poll reported by GrahamBishop.com, the British public sees EMU membership as inevitable by 2010 and the government is expected to take the lead on pushing for the benefits of EMU participation. The report also contends there has been a…
Indian industry cheers central bank's rate cuts
Indian industry cheered the central bank's decision on Feb 16, 2001 to lower interest rates, saying it would help ease the country's industrial slowdown. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said it was cutting its benchmark bank rate to 7.5 percent from 8.0…