Monetary Policy
Hungary's lower reserve rate seen positive
The National Bank of Hungary said it would cut its effective mandatory reserve rate to 7% from 11% as of 1 February. Analysts said that this would improve the competitiveness of the banking sector, boost growth and stimulate investment.
Bank of Israel cuts key rate 0.2% for December
The Bank of Israel said on Monday it would reduce its key lending rate by 0.2% point to 8.2% effective December 1, the eleventh rate cut in a year.
Polish MPC hits at budget, rate outlook unclear
Poland's monetary policy council raised doubts on Monday about its readiness to cut interest rates next year, when it said the government's plan for cutting the budget deficit relied on "unrealistic" targets.
Pakistan cenbank appoints seven primary dealers
Pakistan's central bank on Monday appointed seven banks as primary money market dealers for the government securities, five months after it announced plans for the new system.
New Czech central banker says sees no big changes
Incoming Czech central bank governor Zdenek Tuma does not expect to make any big changes when he takes over the CNB this week, the daily Mlada Fronta reported.
Sri Lankan economy records moderate growth
Sri Lanka's economy has recorded a moderate growth of some 4.5% during the first nine months of this year, according to the island country's central bank.
Kenya banks try to head off interest rate controls
Kenya's commercial banks have offered to reduce interest rates on their loans in a move aimed at persuading parliament not to introduce tight controls on lending rates.
Economic cooperation between Eurozone and Japan
Sakuya Fujiwara, deputy governor of the Bank of Japan, said at a conference that the Japanese economy was on its way to recovery, although significant structural reforms still needed to take place.
Issing says uncertainty over US economic outlook
European Central Bank member Otmar Issing said investors have become more cautious on the outlook for the dollar and that the U.S. economy is slowing faster than Europe's, an Italian financial paper reported on Saturday.
Euro weakness must be seen in context - Schioppa
European Central Bank council member Tommaso Padoa-Schioppa on Saturday said that the euro's current weakness needed to be judged in light of historical exaggerations in currency swings.
Greek banks to meet ECB reserve regulations
The Bank of Greece said on Friday that effective from 1 January 2001 Greek banks will have to meet European Central Bank regulations on their required reserves.
Polish central bank says no rate cut in Q1 2001
Polish central bank President Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz said on Friday she did not see scope for interest rate cuts in the first quarter of next year but hoped there was room for a cut by the end of the first half of 2001.
Economic integration in the Korean peninsula
Marcus Noland, senior fellow at the Institute for International Economics, has written a paper called "Economic Integration in Koreas: Prospect and Risks" for the ICAS autumn symposium 2000 in Washington, DC.
RBI governor says policy juggling is the best
Many central banks around the world target price inflation, but the RBI has multiple economic targets, says Alan Beattie from the Financial Times.
Japan FRC head urges BOJ broad view on easing
Japan's top financial regulator on Friday urged the Bank of Japan to take a broad view in deciding whether or not to ease monetary policy, implying he favoured an easing.
Intervention was to punish speculators -Duisenberg
European Central Bank President Wim Duisenberg said on Thursday recent ECB forays into foreign exchange markets were not aimed at pushing the euro to any level but at punishing those speculating against the currency.
El Salvador to use dollar as 'parallel currency'
El Salvador will allow the US dollar to circulate freely alongside its own currency in the new year under a monetary law sent to Congress by the president on Thursday.
Diusenberg says UK euro tests are irrevelant
European Central Bank chief Wim Duisenberg today dismissed Gordon Brown's five economic tests for joining the single currency as irrelevant and insisted that Britain would have to join the European exchange rate mechanism for two years before adopting…
ECB inflation above target for next 6 months
European Central Bank President Wim Duisenberg said on Thursday it could take six months for Eurozone inflation to fall back to the ECB's 2% goal.
South Korea economy heads for slowdown
South Korea posted a strong growth rate of 9.2% in the third quarter, but analysts warn that the economy could begin looking much weaker in the fourth quarter because of increased bankruptcies for debt-heavy companies and resulting job losses.
Trichet tempers optimism on world economic growth
French central bank governor Jean-Claude Trichet Thursday tempered optimistic forecasts for world growth, saying there remain uncertainties as to economic conditions.
Nigeria cenbank cuts lending rate to banks to 14%
The Central Bank of Nigeria announced on Thursday it had slashed its benchmark minimum rediscount rate (MRR) by 200 basis points to 14%, saying this reflected the low level of inflation in the West African country.
CNB board makes no policy change at meeting
The Czech central bank (CNB) said on Thursday its regular governing board meeting had ended and no monetary policy decisions had been taken.