Economics
Bending the yield curve to fit current fashion
This article published on Tuesday 21 February looks at the refusal of long- term interest rates to follow short-term rates higher when the Fed began raising rates in June 2004.
Poland's Samoobrona calls for sackable NBP head
Poland's Self Defence (Samoobrona) party has presented amendments to its draft act on the National Bank of Poland (NBP).
Sweden's Riksbank raises interest rates
Sweden's Riksbank raised its interest rate, the repo rate, by 0.25 percentage points to 2% on Thursday 23 February.
Greenspan speaks on outlook for energy
Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan discussed the energy outlook and the U.S. housing market, among other topics, at a gathering hosted by ABN AMRO on Wednesday 22 February, an economist told Reuters.
BOJ's Muto says shift won't mean policy tightening
Bank of Japan Deputy Governor Toshiro Muto said on Thursday 23 February that an end to the BOJ's ultra-loose monetary policy framework will not signify an immediate credit tightening.
Fukui says BOJ will end policy when conditions met
The Bank of Japan is hoping to end its quantitative monetary policy as soon as all the conditions laid down for its removal are met, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun quoted BoJ Governor Toshihiko Fukui as telling upper house's financial affairs committee.
Comment: Ferguson bids Fed farewell
The vice chairman of the Federal Reserve, Roger Ferguson, will retire in two months time and he will not attend the Fed's next rate-setting meeting on March 27-28. Ferguson's departure underscores the idea of a Fed in flux.
Central Bank of Seychelles - Annual Report 2004
According to the Central Bank of Seychelles Annual Report 2004, strong recessionary conditions continued to persist in the domestic economy during 2004.
Thailand's Devakula: Central Banker of the Year
In a speech at the award for Central Banker of the Year - Asia 2006 given on 1 February M R Pridiyathorn Devakula of the Bank of Thailand said in a country where the functioning of financial market mechanism is not fully efficient, there is an important…
RBA's Stevens: Recent economic & financial trends
In the speech 'Some observations on recent economic and financial trends' given on 22 February Glenn Stevens of the RBA said inflation in Australia is well contained and inflationary risks are balanced, yet interest rates are still more likely to rise…
Roger Ferguson resigns from Fed Board
In a surprise move, Roger Ferguson, Jr. submitted his resignationon Wednesday 22 February as Vice Chairman and as a member of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, effective April 28, 2006.
Bank of Korea chief to visit Japan
The governor of South Korea's central bank will visit Japan this week on a three-day trip to sign a cooperation agreement with the Bank of Japan.
Dallas Fed's Fisher says Fed wary of energy prices
Dallas Federal Reserve President Richard Fisher said on Tuesday 21 February the U.S. economy was currently "very strong" and energy prices would be monitored by the Fed in weighing future policy.
BoJ to make 'appropriate' decision on policy shift
Bank of Japan deputy governor Toshiro Muto said Tuesday 21 February the central bank will make an "appropriate" decision on when to end its ultra-loose monetary policy.
Comment: Transparency and institutions
One of the most striking transformations in central banking over the last twenty years has been the idea that central banks should be transparent in their conduct of policy. While it is fair to say that the benefits of transparency have become …
Deutsche Bundesbank Monthly Report, January 2006
The Deutsche Bundesbank published the English version of its January 2006 Monthly Report on 16 February. The report issued a blunt warning against rushing the expansion of the eurozone currency bloc and criticised prospective member Estonia over the size…
Philadelphia Fed Business Outlook Survey, Feb 2006
According to the firms surveyed for the Philadelphia Fed's Business Outlook Survey, February 2006, the pace of activity in the region's manufacturing sector picked up in February. The general activity index improved notably this month, and indicators for…
Bank of Sierra Leone - Annual Report 2004
According to the Bank of Sierra Leone's Annual Report 2004, the improved business confidence in 2004 stimulated activity in the agriculture, mining, construction and service sectors.
Norway's Gjedrem on economic perspectives
In the speech 'Economic perspectives' given on 16 February Svein Gjedrem of Norges Bank said the Norwegian interest rate should be gradually - in small, not too frequent steps - brought up to a more normal level.
Macroeconomic challenges with EU accession
The IMF Working Paper "Macroeconomic challenges with EU accession in Southeastern Europe: An overview" published February 2006 reviews key macroeconomic challenges with EU accession in Southeastern Europe (SEE).
BoT Nijathaworn: Are there limits to transparency?
In the speech 'Are there limits to transparency?' given on 23 January Bandid Nijathaworn of the Bank of Thailand said transparency is not just a fad. It is something that will stay. And as organizations making public policy decisions, transparency is of…
OECD's Cotis worried over Europe's growth prospect
OECD Chief Economist Jean-Philippe Cotis said on Tuesday 21 February that European economic growth has been slowed by poor fiscal policies and weak channels of transmission for monetary policy.
Trichet calls Stark a 'remarkable person'
European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet described Bundesbank Vice President Juergen Stark as a remarkable candidate for the ECB's Executive Board on Monday 20 February .
ECB's Wellink sees 2% eurozone growth
Dutch central bank governor Nout Wellink told an audience in Toronto Monday that he was "mildly optimistic" for Europe's future and saw growth in the euro area in the next two years of about 2 per cent.