Opinion

UK must not waver in its euro tests

Anarticle in the Financial Times by Martin Wolf says for the UK government to win a referendum on the euro it must persuade the public of the economic benefits and be seen to approach the question with an open mind.

CentralBankNet Monday Special Feature

SPECIAL FEATURE - In this week's Special Feature CentralBankNet presents extracts from an exclusive interview with Professor Manfred Neumann of the University of Bonn. In the interview Professor Neumann spoke to Central Banking journal's Editor Robert…

IMF calls for transparency on inflation

The IMF's chief economist Kenneth Rogoff questions the long-term inflation objectives of the Fed, ECB and Bank of Japan asking why they are so reluctant to speak about the subject in an article in the Financial Times. Would a bit more transparency hurt,…

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…

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…

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…

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