Euro
ECB chief: Prices safe from euro launch
EUROPE - Fears of rising prices across Europe as retailers cash in on the change to the euro have been confounded, according to the head of the European Central Bank.
China ranks US Dlr as No 1 component of reserves
CHINA - People's Bank of China Governor Dai Xianglong on Tuesday ranked U.S. dollars as the major component of the country's foreign reserves, ahead of the euro and yen.
Blair and Straw in euro entry talks
UK - Britain yesterday held talks about the euro with Denmark and Sweden, the two other EU countries that are outside the eurozone.
Euros become majority currency in Ireland
IRELAND - The amount of euros in circulation has for the first time surpassed the amount of pounds in circulation, according to latest figures from the Central Bank of Ireland. At close of business on Thursday, the Central Bank had issued 148 million…
ECB Press Release
PRESS RELEASE - Update on the euro cash changeover, 11 January 2002.
Sweden may hold referendum on euro next year
SWEDEN - Goran Persson, Sweden's prime minister, yesterday indicated he was ready to hold a referendum on euro membership next year.
ECB's Issing sees 'tentative' signs of recovery
GERMANY - European Central Bank chief economist Otmar Issing said that there are "tentative" signs of a recovery in the euro zone economy, and that a "significant" upturn is possible in 2002.
Euro used for 75% of payments
EUROPE - The euro is now being used for nearly three quarters of cash payments in the 12-nation single currency zone, according to the European Commission.
Ireland's euro transition outpaces EU
IRELAND - Ireland is outpacing other euro-zone countries in the euro changeover with the number of Irish pounds in circulation falling almost twice as fast as other national currencies, reports an Irish newspaper.
New euros brings old coin windfall for beggars
GERMANY - The euro's launch may be causing headaches for cashiers and heartache for nationalists around Europe, but the single currency has dumped windfall profits into the laps of an unsuspecting group: beggars.
Joint Press Conference on the euro introduction
PRESS CONFERENCE - Joint press conference given by the EU Presidency, the European Central Bank, and the European Commission on the introduction of the euro banknotes and coins, Frankfurt am Main, 3 January 2002.
ECB Press Release
PRESS RELEASE - Update on the euro cash changeover, 7 January 2002.
China mulls boosting euro reserves
CHINA - Just as the initial euphoria from the introduction of notes and coins wears off, the euro has received a boost from news that China could be buying more euros to reduce its reliance on the dollar.
ECB - ATM conversion to euro now finalised
GERMANY - The conversion of automated teller machines, or ATMs, is now finalised, the European Central Bank said Monday in an update on the euro cash changeover.
ECB interest rates unchanged
GERMANY - As widely expected the European Central Bank left interest rates unchanged with officials largely focused this week on the launch of euro notes and coins.
Euro changeover "better than expected"
GERMANY - The European Central Bank reported on Wednesday that the launch of euro cash was progressing smoothly despite exceptionally high demand for the new notes. "The euro cash changeover is going smoothly, even better than we had expected," said ECB…
Fears that euro ATMs will run dry
UK - The stock of euro notes in banks' cash machines is in danger of running out in the first weeks of the new currency's launch on 1 January, bankers have warned.
Euro notes seek forgery protection
EUROPE - Two of Europe's biggest chip developers may be working with the European Central Bank (ECB) to include tiny radio transceivers in high-value euro banknotes.
5m euros are stolen in three months
EUROPE - Armed gangs and other criminals have stolen Euros 5m ( £3.1m) in the three months since minting and printing of euro notes and coins began, and the situation is set to worsen, European police have warned.
Monetary Policy Transmission in the Euro Area
CONFERENCE - Monetary Policy Transmission in the Euro Area, at the ECB (by invitation only), 18-19 December 2001.
Euro notes can be washed - But not at 90 Celsius
ARTICLE - If you wash your euro notes, make sure you don't do so at 90 degrees Celsius.
Euro launch reaches its final phase
ARTICLE - Securitas GmbH, a German armoured-car company, has suffered only a few mishaps since it began hauling the new euro cash in September. Some workers threw out their backs lugging the 20-kilo sacks of coins. Others accidentally dropped the heavy…
Germans snap up euro kits
GERMANY - Euro coins have gone on sale in Germany, accompanied by celebrations in several major cities.
Euro launch boon for US tourists
US - In more normal times, American interest in the introduction of the euro currency might spark a fair amount of attention.