Central Banks
Turkey explains October hold
The Central Bank of Turkey's rate-setting committee in October decided to keep rates on hold as the intensification of the financial turmoil called for a cautious approach, the minutes of the meeting reveal.
Inflation targets flexible and resilient
Inflation targeting has proved fairly flexible and resilient, research from the Boston Federal Reserve states.
Korea asks China for dollar-swap deal
The Bank of Korea on Tuesday confirmed that it had asked the People's Bank of China for a dollar-swap line after reports emerged on the proposed facility.
SARB "distinctly dovish" in latest policy review
South African Reserve Bank on Tuesday adopted a dovish tone in its latest Monetary Policy Review, saying inflation was likely to fall sharply towards the 3%-6% target range in the new year.
RBA slashes rates to five-year low
The Reserve Bank of Australia on Tuesday shocked markets with a sharper-than-expected rate cut of 75 basis points.
Bank of Canada restructures to enhance stability
The Bank of Canada on Monday reorganised its senior management structure to better safeguard stability and improve its research capability.
Bernanke: we must support mortgage securitisation
The government has a role in supporting mortgage securitisation during periods of high financial stress, said Ben Bernanke, the chairman of the Federal Reserve.
Lira's decline won't trigger inflation
The recent depreciation of the Turkish lira will be largely offset by the disinflationary impact of the fall in food and energy prices and weakening domestic demand, states the latest Inflation Report of the Central Bank of Turkey.
Czech currency protects economy - CNB's Singer
The Czech koruna cossets the economy from financial turmoil elsewhere, said Miroslav Singer, a vice governor of the Czech National Bank.
Ex-PBoC deputy questions policy after Beijing cut
Wu Xiaoling, a former deputy governor at the People's Bank of China, has said the central bank should not loosen monetary policy further after the institution cut rates and relaxed loan conditions last week.
India acts on stability fears
The Reserve Bank of India has cut rates for the second time in a fortnight and introduced a raft of liquidity measures to shore up financial stability.
Oil price plunge prompts Iraqi cut
The Central Bank of Iraq has cut its benchmark rate by a full percentage point to 15% days after the governor warned that the dismal global outlook and the slump in oil prices could drag the country into recession.
IMF: crisis calls for new statistics
Understanding the crisis may require out-of-the-box thinking on data, said Adelheid Burgi-Schmelz, the new director of the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) statistics department.
Turkey's Yilmaz: FX liquidity support in place
The central bank put into effect measures to support foreign exchange liquidity in the domestic banking system, said Durmus Yilmaz, the governor of the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey.
US: debit cards and electronic payments rising
Electronic methods of cheque clearing are rapidly replacing traditional paper methods, reports a new paper from the Federal Reserve Board.
Norges's Qvigstad - central banks are changing
Liquidity policy is now at the forefront of the monetary policy scene, said Jan Qvigstad, the deputy governor of the Norges Bank.
Bank of Japan split on rate cut
Bank of Japan policymakers were divided in making the first cut in more than seven years on Friday. The central bank lowered its overnight lending rate from 0.5% to 0.3% due to a "severe" adjustment in the world economy.
Banks' social role key to new rules: ex-FSA head
The revision of the social contract between banks and government should be central to the debate about how to legislate against future crises, Britain's former chief regulator has said.
Interbank rates improve
Beyond the gyrations of the stock markets, there were continued signs that conditions in the interbank markets were on the mend.
Fed hikes cheque processing costs by 41%
In a bid to encourage the move to electronic processing of cheques, the Federal Reserve will increase its charges for the processing of paper by 41% in 2009.
Blanchflower: I told you so on rate cut
David Blanchflower, an external member of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), criticised his fellow committee members for not taking a forward-looking approach, which meant rates had stayed too high too long.
Mauritius cuts after special meeting
The Bank of Mauritius has cut its benchmark interest rate by 50 basis points to 7.75% during a specially convened meeting on Friday.
IMF relaxes lending conditions for quick fixes
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has offered to provide no-strings-attached loans in days to select countries facing liquidity problems.