Economics
Mexico's Ortiz on emerging economies
In the speech 'The participation of international banks in emerging economies' given on 5 October Guillermo Ortiz of the Bank of Mexico said there seems to be ample agreement about the benefits of globalization as well as the challenges that this new…
IMF paper on a Pacific Island common currency
The IMF Working Paper "Pacific Island countries - Possible common currency arrangement" paper examines the potential advantages and disadvantages of adopting a common currency arrangement among the six IMF member Pacific island countries that have their…
BoE's Bean on globalisation and inflation
In the speech 'Globalisation and inflation' given on 24 October Charles Bean of the Bank of England said downplayed the impact on inflation from lower oil prices and warned that policy-makers have to be extra careful not to allow above-target inflation…
France's Breton hopes for ECB rate pause
French finance minister Thierry Breton said in an interview published Wednesday 25 October he hopes for a halt to interest rate hikes by the European Central Bank next year.
Ex-PBoC advisor calls for more yuan flexibility
Yu Yongding, a former People's Bank of China adviser said in a speech to investors at a Credit Suisse investment conference on Wednesday 25 October China should introduce more flexibility in the yuan exchange rate to help reduce imbalances in the economy.
Labour productivity developments in the euro area
This European Central Bank Occasional Paper provides a description and a discussion of some important aspects relating to recent productivity developments in the euro area.
Mboweni on the SARB and academia
In the speech 'The relationship between the South African Reserve Bank and academia' given on 23 October Tito Mboweni of the South African Reserve Bank said that the country's widening current account deficit posed a risk to the exchange rate of the rand.
Liikanen on Finland, the EMU and the euro
In the speech 'Finland, the EMU and the introduction of the euro' given on 20 October Erkki Liikanen of the Bank of Finland said many of the asymmetric shocks feared by the opponents to Finland's adoption of the euro have already been realised over this…
Sterling sits pretty as volatility vanishes
According to this article from the Financial Times, published Tuesday 24 October, the UK's fiscal rules are superior to the eurozone's Stability and Growth Pact and the Treasury's opposition to joining the euro has been vindicated.
IMF's Rato proposes Murilo Portugal as deputy
Rodrigo de Rato, managing director of the International Monetary Fund proposed the appointment of Murilo Portugal to the position of deputy managing director on Monday 23 October.
Turkey's Yilmaz on necessity of stable prices
"Nothing is possible without price stability. If price stability is settled, economic growth and employment will be assured," Central Bank of Turkey president Durmus Yilmaz told reporters after a meeting he attended in Ankara Chamber of Industry (ASO) on…
BOK chief sees 2007 growth below 5 percent
Bank of Korea (BOK) governor Lee Seong-tae said Monday 23 October the country's economic growth will fall short of 5 percent next year due to the slowing global economy and sluggish domestic demand.
China plots next steps in key financial reforms
China mapped out its next steps in crucial financial reforms on Tuesday 24 October, saying that it would look to make the yuan more flexible and free up interest rates.
Belgium's Quaden on price and wage rigidities
In the speech 'Price and wage rigidities in an open economy' given on 12 October Guy Quaden of the National Bank of Belgium said understanding how prices and wages are determined and how they fluctuate over the business cycle is of course a crucial issue…
IMF paper on currency unions
Against the background of the theory of optimum currency areas, the IMF paper "Beauty queens and wallflowers - Currency unions in the Middle East and Central Asia" analyzes possible sequences for establishing a currency union (CU) in the Middle East and…
Croatian National Bank - Annual Report 2005
According to the Croatian National Bank's Annual Report 2005, macroeconomic developments in 2005 were characterised by an acceleration of economic growth.
Gono: Zimbabwe losing inflation battle
Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe governor Gideon Gono said in an interview published Monday 23 October there were several factors that were outside the central bank's control, which made it difficult to control inflation.
PBOC's Su says China to seek more yuan flexibility
The People's Bank of China (PBoC) will continue to seek greater flexibility in the country's foreign exchange regime and seek to increase domestic hedging mechanisms against forex risk, central bank vice governor Su Ning told a conference in Suzhou on…
Bank of Canada Monetary Policy Report, Oct 2006
The Bank of Canada released its October 2006 Monetary Policy Report on 19 October. The latest report says the Canadian economy is judged to be operating just above its production capacity.
BoE's Clark on risk management
In the speech 'Prudential regulation, risk management and systemic stability' given on 20 October Alastair Clark of the Bank of England said risk identification, risk measurement and risk management have become increasing challenges in an ever more…
Nobel winner Phelps sees Fed transparency risk
Edmund Phelps, awarded the Nobel Prize for economics last week, told Bloomberg in an interview published Wednesday 18 October that Federal Reserve policy makers must make sure that they are no so open with the public that their ability to make decisions…
Bahrain says Gulf to keep dollar peg after union
A common currency for the GCC Gulf Arab states will at first be pegged to the US dollar although the peg may be reviewed later, Bahrain's central bank governor said Thursday 20 October.
Interview with Central Bank of Kuwait's al-Sabah
According to this recent interview published on the IHT's website, the governor of the Central Bank of Kuwait, Sheik Salem Abdul Aziz al-Sabah, is known by other central bankers as the "big survivor" and an "intelligent and balanced man."
Deutsche Bundesbank Monthly Report, September 2006
The Deutsche Bundesbank published the English version of its September 2006 Monthly Report on 17 October. The report said German banks may not be able to match 2005 profit levels this year in the wake of rising uncertainties in the capital markets.