Central Banking
Bank of France denies euro printing problems
The Bank of France on Mar 5, 2001 denied a senior politician's claim that France might not print its full quota of euro banknotes by the time the single currency goes into circulation on January 1, 2002.
BOJ minutes-board votes 8-1 to keep policy-Jan 19
The Bank of Japan policy board members voted 8-1 to keep monetary policy unchanged at their Jan. 19 meeting, but a majority of the members said risks posed to Japan's economy from developments in overseas economies and domestic and foreign capital…
Duisenberg says euro zone not hit by U.S. slowdown
European Central Bank President Wim Duisenberg said on Mar 5, 2001 there were no firm signs that the U.S. economic slowdown was spilling over to the euro zone and that there was little likelihood of a near term change in interest rates.
Currency boards: More than a quick fix?-journal
In the latest issue of the journal Economic Policy, Atish R. Ghosh and Anne-Marie Gulde from the International Monetary Fund, and Holger C. Wolf of George Washington University and NBER have written a paper "Currency boards: More than a quick fix?" This…
Central bank independence in transition economies
In the latest issue of the journal The Economics of Transition Wojciech S. Maliszewski from the London School of Economics has written a paper about "Central bank independence in transition economies". The paper discusses recent changes in central bank…
ECB mulls voting change due to EU enlargement
European Central Bank President Wim Duisenberg admitted for the first time on Mar 5, 2001 that European Union expansion could blunt the effectiveness of ECB policy-making and the bank's structure may need to adapt.
Fed governor Roger Ferguson reappointed until 2014
Roger Ferguson, the Federal Reserve vice-chair whose future has been put on ice by Capitol Hill Republicans since 1999, received a major vote of confidence from the Bush administration on Mar 5, 2001.
Canada gold sale said part of established program
Canada's sale of 20,000 ounces of gold in Feb 2001 was made as part of an established program to sell all of the precious metal held by the central bank, a finance ministry official said on Mar 5, 2001.
S&P monitors impact of Malaysian financial plan
The Financial Sector Masterplan recently announced by Malaysia's central bank is expected to improve the global competitiveness of the country's financial services sector, but its benefits are unlikely to be immediate, said a Standard & Poor's press…
Bank watchdog quits as Turkey brings in outsider
The head of Turkey's banking watchdog resigned suddenly on Mar 3, 2001, casting a shadow over the appointment of an economic "superminister" to solve Turkey's woes.
Information technology and central banking-papers
Bank of Japan and EMEAP held a high-level workshop on development of information technology and central banking from October 2-3, 2000. As well as looking at the impact of IT on the economy as a whole, the executive director of the Bank of Japan,…
Singapore's Exchange Rate Policy - paper
This paper examines Singapore's experience with the exchange-rate based monetary policy system since its adoption in the early 1980s. It discusses the movements in the Singapore dollar exchange rate over the past two decades, and considers how the system…
Using credit risk models for regulatory capital
The Federal Reserve Bank of New York has a highly topical article in its forthcoming Economic Policy Review called "Using Credit Risk Models for Regulatory Capital: Issues and Options," by Beverly J. Hirtle, Mark Levonian, Marc Saidenberg, Stefan Walter,…
The EMS crisis in retrospect-Eichengreen
This Centre for Economic and Policy Research discussion paper by Barry Eichengreen reconsiders the 1992/3 crisis in the European Monetary System in light of its emerging market successors. That episode was a predecessor of the Mexican and Asian crises in…
Fabius cool to idea of ECB counterweight - paper
French Finance Minister Laurent Fabius has distanced himself from suggestions there should be an "economic government" for the euro zone to form a counterweight to the European Central Bank, according to a newspaper interview published on Mar 2, 2001.
Labuan IOFC to be further developed-Bank Negara
Bank Negara Malasyia, the Malaysian central bank, in its Financial Sector Masterplan has made recommendations to further develop the Labuan International Offshore Financial Centre (IOFC) in three main areas of activity.
Dublin ECB date in doubt on foot-and-mouth fears
The likelihood of a planned European Central Bank meeting taking place in Dublin later this month was thrown into doubt on Mar 2, 2001 as Ireland stepped up measures against the risk of foot-and-mouth disease
Turkey to name deputy c.banker as governor-sources
Turkey will name central bank deputy governor Sureyya Serdengecti as governor of the bank after the resignation of Gazi Ercel over a financial crisis that slashed the value of the lira, government sources said on Mar 2, 2001.
Argentine cbank head called 'lax on control'
Argentine Central Bank President Pedro Pou opened the door for widespread money laundering with derelict financial controls, a member of a congressional committee investigating whether the banker should be dismissed said on Mar 2, 2001.
BOK reports 1.5 trillion won in profits for 2000
The Bank of Korea has reported after-tax profits of 1,483 billion won in 2000, down 1,696 billion won from 1999.
US 'debt free' by 2030 - Alan Greenspan
Testifying on Mar 2, 2001 before the Committee on the Budget of the US House of Representatives, Fed chairman, Alan Greenspan, outlined the implications of the US goverment's extraordinaryly healthy fiscal position.
US think-tank to study cross-border settlement
The Group of Thirty, the private Washington-based think-tank, is to undertake a new study of securities clearing and settlement arrangements in global capital markets, with a particular emphasis on cross-border activity.
Venezuelan cbank to introduce interbank ref rates
The Central Bank of Venezuela is planning to introduce a new electronic interbank trading system that should result in the creation of interbank rates of reference and greater efficiencies in interbank lending.
Financial Markets on the Mainland-HKMA Joseph Yam
Joseph Yam, chief executive of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, in his weekly viewpoint column published on the HKMA website, says that financial markets in emerging markets need careful sequencing in reforms. Recent developments suggest that the…