Central Banking
W. African Eco and Mon. Union summit ends in Mali
The fifth summit meeting of the West African Economic and Monetary Union [UEMOA] ended in Bamako this afternoon.
BoE article on oversight of payment systems
The Bank of England's paper on the oversight of payment systems is published in its latest Financial Stability Review.
Complete glossary of payment systems terminology
The Committee on Payment and Settlement Systems at the Bank for International Settlements has just published a comprehensive glossary of payment system terminology as a reference document for the standard terms used in connection with payment and…
ECB keeps M3 benchmark unchanged
The European Central Bank has decided to leave its yardstick for euro area money supply growth unchanged. After the governing council meeting today, the ECB said that the evidence continues to support the assumptions underlying the derivation of the…
New EU treaty paves way for ECB voting change
The European Union's Nice treaty calls for a review of how votes are taken on the ECB's governing council, but does not provide for amending its composition, a draft text obtained by journalists on Wednesday said.
BoE warns on telecoms debt
The Bank of England has joined the UK's financial regulators in warning banks of the risk of heavy lending to telecoms companies.
Interview with Nancy Stokey - The Region
Nancy Stokey and her University of Chicago colleague and partner, Nobel Laureate Robert E. Lucas Jr., chose to spend a semester's sabbatical at the Minneapolis Fed this autumn. Arthur Rolnick, the Minneapolis Fed's director of Research, took this…
When Genius Failed: The Rise and Fall of LTCM
This new book by Roger Lowenstein about Long-Term Capital Management suggests that the lenders were clueless as to the nature of the LTCM's assets and strategies and equally ignorant as to LTCM's total indebtedness. Rather, the banks relied on the brand…
Back From The Brink: The Greenspan Years
Journalist Steven Beckner, who has covered monetary policy since the beginning of the Greenspan years, has written a useful book that goes beyond the regular elliptical utterances of the Fed chairman. Reviewed by Kevin L. Kliesen, Economist, Federal…
Venezuela to slow bolivar depreciation in 2001
Venezuela's central bank will announce a slower depreciation rate of the bolivar currency and possibly a new central parity rate within the next two weeks, senior bank officials said Thursday.
Zimbabwe: Interest rates drop as inflation falls
This article is from Zimbabwe's Financial Gazette said that a surprise fall in Zimbabwe's inflation rate should be viewed a temporary. The subsequent reductions in interest rates by the central bank are therefore short-term, says the article.
Spanish inflation sticks at 5-yr high in November
Spanish inflation rose to 4.1% annually in November, stuck around a near five-year high amid fears of a price-wage spiral and a civil sector protest over loss of purchasing power.
E-commerce revitalise financial markets-Gemcard MD
Electronic commerce encourages active financial markets as financial markets are most vibrant when they can attract large and small investors, locally and globally, said Alex Nwuba from GemCard Nigeria.
S. Korea to end certain exchange controls in 2001
The South Korean government will end restrictions on the amount of foreign currency travellers can take out next year, but those who carry more than US$50,000 should first secure Bank of Korea approval, the finance and economy ministry said Thursday.
Economists agree-Bush should befriend Greenspan
This article by Jacob M. Schlesinger from the Wall Street Journal says that the new US president, George W Bush, should learn to cultivating the US Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan.
Bank of France predicts robust growth
Despite growing signs of a slowdown in the U.S. and sputtering growth in Germany, the French economy remains remarkably robust, economists say.
Bank Indonesia debt to government is 24.5bn rupiah
Deputy governor of Bank Indonesia Ahjar Iljas said the central bank has issued a promissory note valued at Rp24.5 trillion ($2.7 billion) in a bid to settle the controversy over Bank Indonesia Liquidity Support (BLBI).
BOC's Liu says restructuring plan approved by PBOC
Bank of China President Liu Mingkang said on Thursday its proposed restructuring plan had been approved by China's central bank, the People's Bank of China.
What the BoE can learn from the Federal Reserve
In a "Letter to the Editor" in the Financial Times, Blair Baker says what the Bank of England can learn from the Federal Reserve, following Don Kohn's report on the problems with the BoE inflation forecast.
SNB must guard against currency appreciation-OECD
The monetary policy of the Swiss National Bank is currently appropriate for domestic economic conditions, but the SNB must monitor the effect of European Central Bank rate policy on exchange rates and guard against too sharp a rise in the Swiss franc…
Yugo bank governor unveils new banknotes
Yugoslav National Bank governor Mladjan Dinkic unveils the newly designed Yugoslav banknote of 100 dinars during a presentation of the new Yugoslav paper money and coins in Belgrade.
Lebanon considers changes to money laundering bill
The Lebanese Cabinet discussed a draft law to counter money-laundering on Wednesday but shelved the issue for a future meeting after some ministers proposed changes to the proposal.
ECB Vanhala says Eurozone inflation close to peak
European Central Bank governing council member Matti Vanhala on Thursday reiterated that the euro zone was close to its inflation peak but said the risks to price stability were still "upwards".
Uganda cenbank says to tighten monetary policy
Uganda's central bank on Thursday announced a rise in commercial bank reserve requirements from next week in a bid to stem inflationary pressures from the weakening shilling.