Opinion
Decision looming on Iraqi currency
The Iraqi currency has collapsed along with the government. In an article published by Associated Press, Professor Steve Hanke says the currency issue is an urgent one and should be a high priority for Jay Garner and his team of U.S. administrators in…
UK tests for joining the euro
An article in the Financial Times suggests the UK government's assessment of whether the economic tests for membership of the euro have been passed will be important, even though it is widely expected that the tests will not have been passed. The…
Ukraine's Tyhypko sums up 100 days in office
The chairman of the National Bank of Ukraine, Serhiy Tyhypko, has spoken of his first 100 days in office, reports the Zerkalo Nedeliu website, Kiev. He said it was "difficult to give a definitive answer" when asked whether he would be involved in the…
The euro could help Iraq's economic recovery
In an article in the Financial Times Professor Steve Hanke says that to be successful, a currency reform plan in Iraq must be informed by the country's history, well crafted and available fast.
Value of Iraqi currency takes nose dive
An article from the Wall Street Journal asks What will happen to the Iraqi currency? The article suggests a lot of work has to be done, particularly as the 250 dinar note is now worth more than the 10,000 note due to the possible cancellation of notes…
CentralBankNet Monday Special Feature
SPECIAL FEATURE - Georgia, a small low-income economy dependent on exports to Turkey and Russia, burdened with the legacy of ethnic conflicts, high external debts and low economic literacy, has nevertheless made striking progress in one important…
Banking reform in Singapore
Singapore's deputy prime minister and finance minister Lee Hsien Loong talked about banking sector reform, capital raising and foreign competition in an interview with The Banker magazine published 10 April.
Are Asian central banks easing up on derivatives?
An article, first published by Reuters, looks at the relaxation of restrictions on credit derivatives in Asian markets by central banks. Although these countries have traditionally blocked such instruments for fear of harming their exchange rates looser…
ECB would benefit from fresh, intellectual honesty
A letter in the Financial Times supporting Paul de Grauwe's candidacy to replace Sirkka Hamalainen as a board member of the European Central Bank said "an intellectually honest academic with a strong sense of social duty" may be just what Frankfurt needs…
Inside the Central Bank of Iraq
A website ArchNet, intended for architects interested in the Islamic world, contains photographs of the Central Bank of Iraq. The site says "The bank is housed in a cubical building with few exterior openings, and is organised around an inner courtyard…
Ex-BoJ Nakagawa interview: BOJ wary of risky asset
In a recent interview published by Dow Jones Newswires, former Bank of Japan executive director Yukitsugu Nakagawa said that the BoJ wants to buy foreign bonds as part of its efforts to rid the country of deflation. But this move would be opposed by the…
CentralBankNet Monday Special Feature
SPECIAL FEATURE - CentralBankNet presents an exclusive interview with Grigori Marchenko, Chairman of the National Bank of Kazakhstan. Mr Marchenko discusses with CentralBankNet the current issues affecting the central bank, including the crisis in Iraq,…
Guess who's coming for dinars?
An article from Bloomberg News says that the Iraqi dinar is in great demand and that coalition success in the war is likely to boost its value considerably. Apparently investors are snapping up the Saddam Hussein decorated notes, with one Pakistan based…
RBA's McGauchie: dangers of weak foreign growth
In an interview published by Dow Jones Newswires, Reserve Bank of Australia board member Don McGauchie said that anaemic economic growth in Europe and Japan is of much greater concern than war in Iraq.
Svein Gjedrem - Monetary policy in 2002
In an article in Finansavisen on "Monetary policy in 2002" Norges Bank governor Svein Gjedrem said growth forecasts for the world economy deteriorated further from late autumn. The appreciation of the krone continued. At the same time the outlook for the…
IIF calls for economic policy co-ordination
An article in the Financial Times called on the ECB to cut interest rates "by at least 1 percentage point" at its meeting on Thursday 3 April. The ECB should take a decisive lead, it says, to put the global economy back on track. [The ECB declined to…
Taiwan's cb fights SARS
The China Post in Taiwan has provided more details of the unusual cure Taiwan's central bank chief has proposed for the deadly disease Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).
UK financial services regulation needs overhaul
An article in the Financial times suggests that financial regulation is a balancing act. On the one hand too tough an approach may reduce London's position as a major financial centre, but on the other hand a laissez faire attitude will bring criticism…
Ex-BoJ Kanno expects action from Fukui
In an interview with Dow Jones, ex-Bank of Japan official Masaaki Kanno said rather than increase the BOJ's account balance target to shake-off deflation the BOJ's new governor Toshihiko Fukui will focus more on ways to make sure that money injected by…
Complexities of Basle 2
An article in the Financial Times reports that the Basle bank capital accord is being stifled by complexity. Though central bankers and supervisors have worked hard on Basle 2, a US decision to apply the standard to a mere handful of banks has revived a…
Should central banks buy wider range of assets?
An article in the Financial Times on March 28 asks the question many have recently posed. Have central banks run out of ammunition? The fire power in question is of course interest rates as a monetary policy tool. Rates have hit the floor in Japan and…
Interview with Costa Rica's central bank chief
In an interview reported by Reuters, Costa Rica's central bank president Francisco de Paula Gutierrez said that cutting the country's fiscal deficit was a challenge, but he said he expected Costa Rica would meet a government deficit target of 3 percent…
Economic Consequences of The Iraq War
In this article David Hale looks at the economic consequences of the war in Iraq. He says that although markets will rally on positive news of the conflict, in the longer term how the US deals with large fiscal deficits and unprecedented current account…
CentralBankNet Monday Special Feature
SPECIAL FEATURE - Ernesto Savona, professor of law and criminology at the Catholic University of Sacro Cuore of Milan, recently gave an exclusive interview to The Financial Regulator journal. In the interview he said that a political decision to stamp…