Victor Mendez-Barreira
Staff writer, Central Banking
Victor is a staff writer on the Central Banking newsdesk. He has previously held positions on El País and the Wall Street Journal.
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Articles by Victor Mendez-Barreira
Is SDR issuance the best way to support low-income economies?
Economists and policy-makers are increasingly discussing the option as a way to boost liquidity in the fight against Covid-19
ECB changes collateral rules in effort to shield bank funding
Assets below investment grade will be accepted by ECB as collateral until September 2021
Bank of Mexico cuts rates in emergency meeting
Central bank unveils set of measures to boost liquidity amounting to $30.5 billion, 3.3% of GDP
Norway’s SWF leadership caught up in expenses scandal
Incoming chief executive asked current CEO for a favour weeks after inviting him to a seminar in the US
Bank of Mexico rejects president’s request for early funds transfer
Central bank issues rare statement saying it must respect legal procedure for transferring funds
Proposed changes to law could damage independence – Swedish central bank
Lawmakers’ proposal would hinder crisis management capability, Sveriges Riksbank says
National Bank of Poland cuts rates to record low of 0.5%
Central bank includes state-guaranteed bonds in its asset purchase programme
ECB takes unprecedented steps to preserve credit provision
Central bank accepts state-guaranteed loans as collateral, reduces haircuts, and raises limit on unsecured bank bonds in collateral pool
ECB buys Italian bonds well above capital key in March
Central bank bought €11.8 billion in Italian sovereign bonds last month, up from €2.2 billion in February
Is the ESM the eurozone’s best weapon against Covid-19?
Eurobonds face economic and political hurdles, say former officials
Official institutions shed US Treasuries in record amounts
Fed holdings of Treasury securities for foreign official institutions dropped by $127 billion in March
Central banks’ gold buying falls sharply in crisis
New Fed facility may further reduce incentives to buy gold, Hungarian official says
Chile cuts rates to record low 0.5%
Central bank expands banking bond purchases to $5.5 billion, GDP expected to shrink by 5% quarter on quarter
ECB drops bond-holding limits for crisis response
€750bn stimulus programme will not be subject to previous limits on holding countries’ bonds
ECB sharply ramps up asset purchases
Central bank increases securities holdings by €17.4 billion, the highest for two years
A vaccine for the global economy
Olivier Blanchard, Peter Praet and Daniel Alpert discuss shorter- and longer-term actions to tackle the flaws exposed by the Covid-19 crisis
Bank of Mexico cuts rates 50bp in emergency meeting
Analysts expect further cuts as the economy is expected to enter a sharp recession
Norges Bank slashes rates to record low of 0.25%
Central bank says workers are being laid off, as Norway faces double shock from virus and oil
ECB launches €750bn emergency purchase programme
Governing council says new tool will remain active until Covid-19 crisis is over, stands ready to increase it
Riksbank backs fiscal stimulus with massive QE programme
Swedish central bank increases loans to banks, cuts overnight lending rate to 0.2%
RBNZ reduces rates by 75bp in emergency meeting
Central bank says future purchases of government bonds preferable to lower rates
Central banks and banks: a changed relationship
The development of large, complex international capital markets has reshaped the relationship between central banks and their commercial counterparts
Lagarde misstep overshadows ‘bold’ measures, analysts say
ECB president seemed to have hampered governments’ debt financing at a critical juncture
Norges Bank cuts rates 50bp in emergency meeting
Central bank offers extraordinary three-month loans to banks and calls on government to reduce countercyclical buffer