Economics
Is a price or inflation target best for stability?
A paper looking at the costs and benefits of price-level and inflation targeting as tools for stabilisation policy has been published by the Bank of Canada.
Sharia banking not "cosmetic" - Indonesia's Siti
"We don't want the sharia units to be mere 'cosmetic lipstick' for the banks, where they say they have such Islamic-based banking businesses but the fact is the units only have an inappropriately small market share," deputy governor of the Bank Indonesia…
Papua New Guinea - Annual Report 2006
The Bank of Papua New Guinea almost doubled its foreign currency investments in 2006, spending Kina 4.01 billion ($1.4 billion) in comparison with Kina 2.06 billion ($720 million) the previous year.
External rigidity is behind lumpy price adjustment
External rigidity, not infrequent price changes, is the reason for large adjustment costs, research published by the Banque de France finds.
Czech Republic breaks free of EBRD support
The Czech Republic has become the first country to opt out of funding from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the development bank set up to invest in the central and eastern European transition economies.
Netherlands Antilles - Annual Report 2006
The Netherlands Antilles economy grew by 1.5% in 2006, the same pace as in 2005.
IMF reform needs compromise to succeed: De Rato
Rodrigo de Rato, the outgoing managing director of the International Monetary Fund, stressed that if reform efforts were to be successful, a give-and-take spirit was needed.
Curacao needs reform for an ongoing recovery
Curacao, an island in the Caribbean belonging to the Netherland Antilles, must introduce fiscal and structural reforms if its recent economic recovery is to continue, Emsley Tromp, the governor of the Bank of the Netherlands Antilles, said.
Bank of Thailand - Annual Report 2006
Thailand's economic growth accelerated slightly in 2006. The agriculture industry performed particularly well, with farming income rising by 30.3%.
Commission's data on euro-area inflation misleads
The balance statistic, used by the European Commission to gauge inflation perceptions, is a poor measure of actual inflation, research published by the Bank of Portugal finds.
Policy solutions to crime and joblessness compared
Need to lower unemployment and crime? Then, according to the Cleveland Federal Reserve, the best policy is to introduce wage subsidies.
Georgian central bank dismisses abolition claims
The National Bank of Georgia said on Monday that rumours in the local media that the central bank was to close because it was on the verge of bankruptcy are groundless.
Dodge's comments lead to temporary loonie fall
The Canadian dollar fell against its US counterpart on Monday, after David Dodge, the governor of the Bank of Canada, said that domestic conditions were unrelated to the loonie's recent "abnormally quick" rise against the greenback.
Better tax rules would aid Italian growth: Draghi
Less tax for labour and firms would boost the potential growth rate of the economy, Mario Draghi, the governor of the Bank of Italy, told an audience in Rome.
Bank of Portugal - Annual Report 2006
Buoyed by exports and improvements in the labour market, Portugal's economic performance in 2006 was an improvement on recent years.
Educating consumers pays, says Serbia's Jelasic
Financial institutions should be aware that it is in their best medium and long-term interest to make information about their products transparent, accessible and understandable, said Radovan Jelasic, the governor of the National Bank of Serbia.
Define your mission, Paulson advises IMF and Bank
Hank Paulson, the US Treasury Secretary, said that international financial institutions need to better define their core missions, and align staff and other resources accordingly, if they are to remain relevant.
Superfund will hamper pricing, Greenspan warns
Alan Greenspan, the former chairman of the Federal Reserve, has said that the $75 billion mortgage securities superfund, backed by Citigroup, JP Morgan Chase and Bank of America, could do more harm than good.
IMF and World Bank issue joint action plan
The International Monetary Fund and the World Bank said on Friday that they are to launch a joint action management plan.
Central Bank of Sao Tome - Annual Report 2005
Sao Tome's economy grew by 3.8% in 2005, the same amount as in 2004.
Bank of Mexico - Annual Report 2006
The Mexican economy grew by 4.8% in 2006, its highest rate of expansion since 2000.
Canadian growth exceeds expectations
The Canadian economy has performed better than expected, according to the latest edition of the Bank of Canada's monetary policy report, published on Thursday.
India's Reddy on factors set to hamper growth
Y.V. Reddy, the governor of the Reserve Bank of India, said on Thursday that a skills shortage and inadequate infrastructure will curb India's impressive growth record.
Reserve Bank of Malawi - Annual Report 2006
Malawian growth picked up in 2006, after a poor economic performance in 2005.