Central Banks
Yugoslav Dinkic explains priorities to parliament
Mladjan Dinkic, the newly-appointed governor of the Yugoslavia's central bank, has told the Federal Assembly that one of the bank's top priorities will be the full convertibility of the dinar, which will eliminate the black foreign exchange market.
Montenegro won't let Yugo c.bank resume control
Montenegro said on Wednesday it would not allow the Yugoslav central bank to resume control over the coastal republic's monetary policy now that it was firm in its aim to gain independence and international recognition.
Bank of Greece sees lower inflation, wants reforms
Greece's central bank said on Wednesday inflation should drop below 3% in the second half of 2001 but called for faster structural reforms to improve competitiveness once the country enters the Eurozone.
Belgium growth at 3.1% in 3Q down on 2Q
The Belgian economy grew 3.1% on the year in the third quarter, down from 4.6% in the second quarter and from 3.5% in the third quarter of 1999, the Belgian National Bank said Wednesday.
Malaysia can keep lid on interest rates - Zeti
Malaysia can keep a lid on interest rates because of its low inflation and monetary policy is likely to remain accomodative to growth, Bank Negara governor Zeti Akhtar Aziz said on Wednesday.
Thai c.bank says dlr/baht market back to normal
The Bank of Thailand said on Wednesday the dollar/baht market had returned to normal after gridlock over the past week as onshore banks scrambled to pare credits to offshore counterparties and funding costs soared.
Bbk Zeitler: Continue reforms to reverse weak euro
The euro's current weakness is "completely surmountable" if national governments in the 11-nation euro area continue to press ahead with structural reforms, Bundesbank council member Franz-Christoph Zeitler said Wednesday.
Sarkissian: Price stability will be maintained
The head of Armenia's central bank said that stability in the financial markets will be maintained when the government spends 8 bln drams from the privatisation fund in order to cover social expenses and other financial inflows in December 2000.
Romanian c.bank to cut min. reserve rates-bankers
Romanian commercial bankers said on Wednesday the central bank was expected to gradually cut the rate on minimum reserve requirements starting this year.
Belarus c.bank to cut key rate to 80% 1 December
Belarus's central bank said on Wednesday it would lower its key refinancing rate to 80% annually from 85 percent, effective December 1.
Gold as part of diversified investment plan
Including gold in a diversified portfolio can improve investment performance and make the investment better able to cope with shocks to the system. World Gold Council institutional investment head Dr Robert Weinberg said gold can improve investment…
RBNZ wants words to talk louder than numbers
New Zealand's Reserve Bank Wednesday announced changes to the format of its quarterly monetary policy statements, underscoring its desire to shift public focus of its monetary policy away from the short to the medium term.
BSP chief sees November inflation at 5%-5.5%
November inflation is expected to come in at between 5% and 5.5% due to a weaker peso, the Bangko Sentral Philippines yesterday said.
Banks await RBI governor speech at forex meeting
Indian foreign exchange market players are eagerly waiting to see if the Reserve Bank of India makes any direct or indirect comments on the foreign exchange markets and interest rates at the 21st Asia-Pacific Forex Congress.
Power strike won't affect payment systems-BOK
Money transfers and financial settlements will be unaffected by a strike threatened by Korea Electric Power Corp.'s union on Thursday, according to the Bank of Korea.
ECB has own idea of optimal fx reserves-Issing
European Central Bank (ECB) member Otmar Issing said he felt the amount of foreign reserves held in the Eurozone was well within the range of estimates, but was evasive on whether this constituted an optimal level.
Bank of England warns on tax cuts
The Bank of England, the UK central bank, has warned that it is premature to rule out further interest rate rises and threatened an immediate response if the government makes big pre-election tax cuts.
Venezuela cenbank director sees boom on horizon
Venezuela is "on the edge of an economic boom," predicts central bank director Armando Leon.
El Salvador move to dollars seen risky but viable
El Salvador must keep a tight rein on government spending to succeed with a controversial plan to introduce the US dollar into general use and jump-start its economy, economic analysts say.
ECB to mull raising M3 target to 5%
Bundesbank President Ernst Welteke said on Tuesday that the European Central Bank would discuss raising the reference value for M3 monetary growth to 5% from 4.5% at its December 14 meeting.
Riksbank says rate hike will come sooner or later
Villy Bergstroem, deputy governor of Sweden's central bank, the Riksbank, Tuesday reiterated earlier Riksbank statements that an interest rate hike will come sooner or later.
Euro more likely to recover than weaken-BoE's King
Europe's single currency was more likely to recover against other key currencies than to fall further, Mervyn King, deputy governor of the Bank of England, said on Tuesday.
Fed's Poole says preemptive Fed action crucial
St. Louis Federal Reserve President William Poole said on Tuesday the US central bank should monitor underlying causes of inflation such as money supply growth to help prevent price pressures from flaring up.
Central Bank of Nigeria slashes minimum rediscount
For the third time this year, the Central Bank of Nigeria has slashed the minimum rediscount rate from 16% to 14%, in a bid to encourage banks to reduce their lending rates.