Central Banks
Colombia cbank sees 01 inflation 7.6% vs 8.0% goal
Colombia's central bank projects inflation to fall to 7.6% this year and 6.9% in 2002, according to the body's December 2000 inflation report, released on Jan. 26, 2001. The 2001 figure is down from the official goal of 8.0% and year 2000 final result of…
Greenspan-quicker Fed transcripts undesirable
Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said on Jan. 25 the U.S. central bank should not be forced to more quickly release full transcripts of its monetary policy deliberations. The Fed currently releases the transcripts of Federal Open Market Committee…
Low inflation, US rates led to Brazil rate cut
Falling U.S. rates and confidence that inflation will fall to established targets this year prompted Brazil's central bank to cut interest rates for the second month running on Jan. 17, according to the minutes of the bank's policy meeting released Jan…
Kuwait helps defend Lebanese pound with $100m
Kuwait has decided to deposit $100 million with Lebanon's central bank to help defend the Lebanese pound and raise depleted foreign reserves, the office of Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri said on Jan. 25.Hariri's office said that the Kuwaiti Fund for Arab…
IMF welcomes Sri Lankan rupee free float
The International Monetary Fund Jan. 24 welcomed Sri Lanka's free float of the local currency, saying the exchange rate could now be determined more freely by market forces. "The new exchange rate arrangement is in keeping with the broader reform agenda…
Lithuanian cbank considers litas law draft
Lithuania's central bank said on Jan. 24 its board would consider draft amendments to a law on Jan. 25 aimed at clearing the path for a shift in the litas currency's peg to the euro from the dollar. The Bank of Lithuania is looking to shift the peg on or…
Bank of Israel posts $1.6bn excess expense in 2000
The Bank of Israel said on Jan. 24 its expenses exceeded income by 6.7 billion shekels ($1.6 billion) in 2000 compared with an 8.7 billion shekel deficit in 1999. "This was the result of two main factors: The first, an excess of 3 billion shekels in…
Uganda c.bank sells $5m to support the shilling
The Central Bank of Uganda on Jan. 24, 2001, sold $5m to an interbank market already well supplied with dollars in an attempt to strengthen the shilling, dealers said. The shilling closed the day marginally up at 1,810/55 from a morning opening of 1,835…
UK's MPC voted 5-4 to leave rates steady in Jan
Britain's central bank was split almost down the middle over whether to cut interest rates this month, with five of the nine members voting to leave rates steady at 6.0 percent while four wanted to lower borrowing costs. The Bank of England's chief…
Jakarta says FX rules allow for interest rate cuts
Indonesia's chief economics minister said on Jan.24 the central bank's new forex rules would ease inflationary pressure, which would give room for the bank to cut interest rates. "Pressure from imported inflation should ease. This should allow (the…
RBNZ sees reduced inflation risk
New Zealand debt markets ended strongly on Jan. 24 after the Reserve Bank's comments on the inflation outlook were interpreted as having a dovish tone for rates. The central bank, in leaving its official cash rate unchanged at 6.50 percent, said it saw a…
MTS sees JGB volume soaring with electronic deals
The start of an electronic inter-dealer brokerage system for Japanese government bonds (JGBs) will bring a huge increase in trading volumes, MTS Japan Securities CEO William Campbell said in an interview.
Irish economy 'inconsistent' with rest of EU
The European Union's economic and monetary affairs commissioner, Pedro Solbes, said the Irish economy is "inconsistent" with that of the other member states. The commissioner has warned in the past that inflation is too high in Ireland and that the…
Zimbabwe inflation surges to 70%
Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe governor Leonard Tsumba said in Jan 2001 averageinflation is expected to rise to about 70 percent in 2001 from 55,7percent in 2000, further threatening the fragile economy.
UAE tightens up on forex
The UAE central bank has issued new directives raising the minimum capital for a new exchange house with limited liability to $13.6m, and the same sum for an existing exchange house to change its status to limited liability. In addition this capital must…
Differing views -Swedish participation in the euro
Although Sweden, unlike the United Kingdom and Denmark, does not have an opt-out authorising it to remain outside the Euro zone even if it were to meet all the convergence criteria, the country's Minister for External Trade, Leif Pagrotsky, has insisted…
ECB has achieved price stability - Duisenberg
The European Central Bank (ECB) has achieved its overriding goal of achieving price stability in the euro area, reflecting a "substantial accomplishment," ECB President Wim Duisenberg said Jan. 24, 2001. The main focus of the ECB's monetary policy in the…
Slovenia should insist on IMF formula
There are no sound reasons for changing the IMF formula to divide the assets which used to belong to the former Yugoslavia and are currently deposited in the Bank for International Settlements (BIS), said the parliamentary finance committee on Jan. 24.
Croatia:HNB expects positive economic developments
The Croatian National Bank (HNB) expects positive changes in the economy to resume this year so that the GDP rate could grow by 4% and the export rate by 9%, HNB Governor Zeljko Rohatinski told the parliament on Jan. 24, 2001.