Central Banks
Thai Baht crisis - 'Losses were typing error'
THAILAND - A committee set up to investigate the 1997 defence of the baht by the Bank of Thailand has amended its report which could potentially clear central bank officials of actions leading to the loss of tens of billions of baht.
NZ Finance Minister rejects Svenson recommendation
NEW ZEALAND - The New Zealand finance minister, Michael Cullen, has rejected a report which claimed Don Brash, Reserve Bank governor, should have his powers curbed.
Speech by Bank of England Governor
SPEECH - The Governor of the Bank of England, Edward George, has spoken at the Oesterreichische Nationalbank Economics Conference in Vienna.
Support for the European Central Bank
SPEECH - Edward George, the Governor of the Bank of England, has defended the ECB in a speech to Japanese businessmen at the JiJi Press London Top Seminar, The Savoy Hotel, London on 30 May 2001.
Public finances in a small developing economy
BOOK - The Governor of Central Bank of Barbados, Marion V. Williams, has written a book titled Managing Public Finances in a Small Developing Economy - The case of Barbados.
Second Thailand monetary policy board member quits
THAILAND - Chalongphob Sussangkarn, a member of the Bank of Thailand's Monetary Policy Board, said on 31 May he had submitted his resignation. He cited uncertainty over monetary policy following the ousting of governor Chatu Mongol Sonakul earlier this…
SE Asian central bank governors begin meeting
SINGAPORE - The annual conference of Governors of the South-East Asian Central Banks (SEACEN) needs to focus on ways to maintain its relevance amid a proliferation of regional and international forums, a Singapore government minister said on 31 May.
Armenia to put 50, 000 bank notes into circulation
ARMENIA - The Central Bank of Armenia is putting 50,000 drams bank-notes into circulation beginning on 4 June.
Brazil Central Bank blames prices for rates hike
BRAZIL - Brazil's Central Bank raised interest rates in May for the third consecutive month to head off inflationary pressures and the potential impact of the country's energy crisis on consumer prices, according to the minutes of the May meeting of the…
Polish MPC blamed for keeping interest rates high
POLAND - The Polish central bank came under heavy fire from officials and analysts on 31 May for holding interest rates steady despite saying there was little demand-side price pressure in the economy.
ECB chief predicts success for euro notes launch
EUROPE - Wim Duisenberg, president of the European Central Bank, has insisted that the changeover to euro notes and coins on January 1 2002 would be a success, rejecting pleas for small denomination euro notes to be distributed to the public in advance.
Euro is a safeguard for UK
ARTICLE - Soon to depart Bank of England MPC member DeAnne Julius sees the euro as a safeguard for UK industry. Speaking recently she considers her own future, Britain's European prospects and the set-up at the ECB.
System approach for measuring the Euro area NAIRU
RESEARCH - This working paper from the ECB is co-written by Silvia Fabiani and Ricardo Mestre. The paper attempts to extend the analysis of a euro area-wide measure of the NAIRU, using time-series techniques rather than more structural approaches.
Canada lowers key interest rate
CANADA - Canada's central bank trimmed its key overnight interest rate on 29 May by 25 basis points to 4.5 per cent, stating that while US demand for Canadian products had slowed during the first part of the year, the domestic economy continued to show…
"Wise man" calls for half-point ECB rate cut
GERMANY - One of Germany's senior economic advisers has said that the European Central Bank should cut interest rates by half a percentage point to help boost the economy.
SE Asian ctrl bankers to meet in Singapore Jun 1-2
SINGAPORE - Southeast Asian central bankers will gather in Singapore for a two-day meeting starting on Friday 1 June to discuss developments in the financial markets, the Monetary Authority of Singapore, the meeting's host, said.
Rebuke for UK chancellors ECB reform calls
UK - Gordon Brown has come under criticism from Ernst Welteke, who was speaking yesterday (29 May), for urging the ECB to improve its openness after just three years of operation.
Philippine government plans to raise its PNB stake
Philippines - The Philippine National Bank has said the government planned to increase its stake in the ailing bank, but wasn't keen on taking a majority shareholding.
Central Bank of Norway Financial Stability Report
REPORT - The Central Bank of Norway, Norges Bank, has published its Financial Stability report, May 2001.
African bank hit by protests
SPAIN - The African Development Bank (ADB), which works to reduce poverty and help struggling economies, has become a target of anti-capitalist protestors, despite its popularity amongst poor people in Africa.
Nigerian bank begins reforms next week
NIGERIA - A restructuring exercise that will reposition the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for greater efficiency will begin next week, 4 June.
Thai government sacks central bank boss
THAILAND - The Thai government has sacked the governor of the Central Bank, Chatu Mongol Sonakul, following a dispute over monetary policy. Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said he was not satisfied with the bank's policy of keeping interest rates low.
Thai PM says central bank is free to set rates
THAILAND - Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said on 25 May that the Bank of Thailand (BOT) had the freedom to set the country's interest rate policy and his government's views only reflected its concern on the issue.
IMF deal forbids Russian bank gold sales
RUSSIA - Russia's deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) would forbid Moscow from selling gold from central bank reserves, even to help in emergencies, a government source said on 25 May.