Articles by Central Banking Newsdesk
Czech vice-governor questions case for joining banking union
Mojmír Hampl considers the pros and cons of the Czech Republic joining the SSM; government adopts a ‘wait-and-see approach’ and will review the issue every 12 months
Kazakhstan proposes sweeping changes to monetary policy framework
Central bank plans root-and-branch reform of its monetary policy with move to inflation targeting to be accompanied by revamped governance, communications, economic modelling and more
RBA paper unpacks central bank’s DSGE model
Authors shed light on adapted DSGE model used in Australia, emphasising its deliberate simplicity so additional features can be bolted on as needed
Blanchard to step down as IMF chief economist
Olivier Blanchard will leave in September and join Peterson Institute as senior fellow; Lagarde praises him for ‘spurring a fundamental rethinking of macroeconomic policy’
RBNZ paper investigates changes to inflation expectations after oil price shocks
Research suggests changes in expectations following real oil price shocks have ‘little or nothing to do with actual inflation outcomes’
Iceland prepares to hike rates despite low inflation
Expectations of ‘very large’ pay increases combined with flat productivity and strong demand growth prompt MPC to signal a coming hike, despite inflation at 0% when house prices are stripped out
BoJ’s Sato outlines efforts to reform repo market
Board member says Bank of Japan is seeking to improve repo market functioning with reforms targeted at transparency, stability, efficiency and globalisation
European supervisors want better data to support securitisation stress tests
‘Joint Committee’ proposes numerous disclosure requirements for securitisations, including giving investors enough information to stress test purchased products
Cœuré and Dudley question case for policy co-ordination
ECB board member says central banks can ‘free themselves’ from influence of global financial cycle; NY Fed president says Fed should focus on promoting growth and stability in US
San Fran Fed president sees light at end of tunnel
John Williams says when short-term volatility is discounted, the US economy is nearing full employment, with an inflation trend running around 1.5%
RBNZ targets Auckland with new macro-prudential plans
Central bank wants to impose stricter macro-prudential rules on lending to property investors in Auckland; will also force banks to hold more capital against those loans from October
Greece talks more positive but time running out, says Varoufakis
Finance minister says Greece and its creditors are increasingly seeing eye-to-eye, but a deal is needed in the next ‘couple of weeks’; country manages to scrape together IMF repayment
Riksbank minutes reveal instability fears
Board members were unanimously in favour of further easing but ‘several’ voiced concerns about financial stability risks resulting from the expansionary policy
People: Sri Lanka and Paraguay name new board members
RA Jayatissa and Carlos Carballo Spalding join central bank boards in Sri Lanka and Paraguay respectively; UK firm VocaLink names new CRO
NY Fed’s McAndrews warns negative rates could drag inflation down
Director of research highlights some of the more radical unintended consequences that could stem from negative rates, including new forms of currency and inflation moving in unexpected directions
Bundesbank paper finds misbehaving banks increase volatility
Model of imperfect information shows output becomes more volatile when depositors cannot fully hold bankers to account
Plosser lays out four principles of sound central banking
Former president publishes a reflective essay in Philadelphia Fed’s annual report for 2014; advocates clear objectives, systematic rules, open communication and stable independence
Governments should work to promote ‘e-commerce’, UN report says
Research presented at the National Bank of the Republic of Macedonia outlines policies governments should pursue to harness the benefits of e-commerce
Malaysian deputy unveils ‘ink-staining’ technology for ATMs
Muhammad bin Ibrahim says ATMs have been ‘frequent target’ for criminals in recent years; new technology will stain notes with indelible ink if machine is being robbed
Colombian paper extends Bernanke research on asset price bubbles
Paper delivered at the BIS extends Bernanke and Gertler’s result that central banks should not lean against asset bubbles, finding the conclusion still holds in a small open economy
RBA paper builds new model of banks’ credit losses
Model draws on new dataset and focuses on interactions between portfolio-level and macro variables in attempt to explain historical bank credit losses in Australia
Chicago Fed research charts fall in natural rate of unemployment
Group of economists say an ageing population and rising education attainment could push the natural rate – currently at or below 5% – as low as 4.5% by 2020
Serbia cuts rate amid IMF call for action on debt overhang
National Bank of Serbia cuts rate for third straight month, as IMF warns dangers may lurk beneath robust overall debt position
PBoC cuts interest rates for third time since November
Central bank also lifts cap on deposit rates; moves will do little to stimulate growth amid property glut, analysts predict