Economics
Wellink warns against protectionism over China
Dutch central bank President and ECB Governing Council member Nout Wellink said Monday 3 September that European countries shouldn't resort to protectionism as a response to increased competition from China.
BoJ's Haru sees chance to lift super-loose policy
Hidehiko Haru, one of the Bank of Japan's nine policy board members said the BoJ sees the possibility of lifting its four-and-half-year long ultra-loose monetary policy in early 2006, but cautioned that the move would not be rushed.
IMF official calls for BOJ to 'be cautious'
A senior International Monetary Fund official on Monday 3 September urged the Bank of Japan to "be cautious" about ending its quantitative credit easing policy.
Bank of England rejects BCCI settlement offer
The Bank of England said on Tuesday 4 October that it had rejected a recent approach to settle a £1 billion lawsuit involving the collapse of Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI).
Comment: Roach slates Greenspan
Do Alan Greenspan's recent comments regarding the relationship between asset prices, monetary policy and macroeconomic stability present an about-face on some of his most controversial views? If so, what does this mean for the person who is to succeed…
Financial de-dollarization: Is it for real?
De facto (unofficial) dollarization, defined as the holding by residents of assets and liabilities denominated in a foreign currency, is a policy concern in an increasing number of developing economies, according to this IMF Working Paper published on…
Bank of Japan Annual Review 2005
According to the Bank of Japan's Annual Review 2005, the economy continued a recovery trend in fiscal 2004, although there seemed to be somewhat weak movements in production, particularly in IT-related sectors, in the second half of the fiscal year.
OCC says US derivatives volume tops $96 trillion
Derivatives held by U.S. commercial banks increased by $5.1 trillion in the second quarter of 2005, to $96.2 trillion, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency reported on Friday 30 September in its quarterly Bank Derivatives Report.
Wrong time to cut funds target says BOJ's Nakahara
Bank of Japan policy board member Shin Nakahara said in a speech on Monday 3 October that it would be inappropriate to lower the BOJ's funds target now, and that the threshold for ending its superloose policy framework was not low.
BOJ's Fukui sees 'fully sustainable' recovery
Bank of Japan Governor Toshihiko Fukui said on Monday 3 October that Japan's economic recovery seems "fully sustainable," though it is very subdued.
Comment: IMF under fire again
Writing in the Financial Times yesterday eminent economist, Michael Mussa, who served as economic counsellor and director of the department of research at the International Monetary Fund from 1991-2001, joined the chorus of voices arguing that the Fund…
Central Bank of Swaziland Annual Report 2004-2005
The Central Bank of Swaziland has published its Annual Report for 2004-2005.
Sir John Gieve's Biography
John Gieve has been Permanent Secretary of the Home Office since April 2001. It is one of the biggest and most complex departments in government which is responsible for expenditure of some £20 billion a year and employs more than 70,000 people.
Fazio, humiliated, still fails to take the hint
The Economist magazine gave its opinion on the Fazio Affair in this article published on Monday 26 September. Mr Fazio's behaviour has wrecked the reputation of the central bank, hitherto one of the country's few internationally respected institutions,…
Greenspan farewell party set for December
Finance ministers and central bank presidents from the G7 nations have ensured Alan Greenspan's departure will not go unnoticed with a special session scheduled for December in London as a farewell party.
Former Bank of Japan executive director dies
Toshihiko Yoshino, a former Bank of Japan executive director and a noted economic critic, died of pneumonia at a Tokyo hospital on 12 August, the Asahi Shimbun and Nihon Keizai Shimbun newspapers reported this week. He was 90.
Fazio becomes butt of Tremonti's jokes
Antonio Fazio became the butt of jokes from new economy minister Giulio Tremonti recently, when he poked fun at Fazio and imitated his voice.
Statement by Lars Heikensten on his resignation
Following his decision to resign after being nominated by the Swedish Government as the Swedish member of the European Court of Auditors, Sveriges Riksbank governor Lars Heikensten made the following statement on Thursday 29 September.
Riksbank's General Council on Heikensten decision
The General Council will now together begin the work to find a successor for the position as Riksbank Governor, Chairman of the Riksbank's General Council Jan Bergqvist and Vice Chairman Johan Gernandt said in a joint statement Thursday.
Fed's Kohn on inflation modeling
In the speech 'Inflation modeling: A policymaker's perspective' given on 29 September Donald Kohn of the Federal Reserve said the low level of US inflation may reflect luck and structural economic change, not just good monetary policy.
International Journal of Central Banking, Sep 05
The September 2005 issue of the International Journal of Central Banking has been published. The latest edition contains five article including 'Liquidity, risk taking, and the lender of last resort,' and 'Dollar shortages and crises'.
ECB's power over market inflation outlook queried
According to this article published on Friday 30 September, the European Central Bank may have less control over financial markets' inflation expectations than it thinks, despite its increased rhetoric about the importance of keeping them under control.
High time for a single GCC currency
This article published on Thursday 29 September notes that there has been a fair amount of scepticism towards the proposed Gulf single currency, and says that for the currency union to be effective, there will need to be a single independent central bank…
Banco de Mexico goes live with new software
OpenLink, a provider of trading and risk management software solutions, announced on Friday 30 September that Banco de Mexico, the second largest central bank in the Americas, has gone live with OpenLink's latest front-through-back- office, fully…