Financial Stability
Tobacco prices ‘insufficient’ to offset food and energy, says Tonga central bank
Headline inflation in Tonga rose to -1.2% in December, but in its inflation report for November, the central bank warns price increases will likely remain low
IMF staff back Moldovan central bank response to crisis
Staff report supports many actions taken by the Moldovan central bank in dealing with the crisis caused by banking fraud; calls for bank to gain more powers and independence
Regulators need better grasp of electronic trading, BIS committee says
Rapid growth of electronic trading in fixed-income markets demands more sophisticated regulatory analysis, Markets Committee says; new risks may be developing
Tonga central bank promotes ‘prudent lending’
National Reserve Bank of Tonga says bank lending rose by 12% in year to November, driven chiefly by lending to households
Market fears endanger Italian and Portuguese bank sell-offs
Recent measures by the Bank of Portugal, as well as market fears about the quality of Italian banks’ assets, may discourage investors from buying Italian and Portuguese bridge banks
Monetary policy less effective than structural reform, Davos panellists argue
Structural reform is more effective than monetary or fiscal policy in current conditions, Axel Weber and Raghuram Rajan agree; Weber foresees four Fed rate rises but thinks markets disagree
Observers cast doubt on first Venezuelan inflation figures in a year
Central bank report puts annual inflation at 141% at end of September, after a year without publishing the data; some consider the figure to be too conservative
Iranian banks may reconnect to Swift as sanctions lift
Reconnection ends four-year exclusion from the global payments messaging service and should make sending international payments considerably less costly
US, China trends put Hong Kong in potential tough spot, warns IMF report
Housing prices have tripled since 2008 and could face correction as result of slowdown prompted by outside pressures
Bundesbank paper explores interbank market functionality during crisis
The German interbank market did not fail, per se, in the 2007-8 financial crisis, a Bundesbank discussion paper argues; bank fundamentals determined ability to roll over interbank positions
French governor weighs up ‘disruptive effects’ in card payments market
François Villeroy de Galhau discusses ‘main trends’ influencing card payments market, including ‘new solutions, new behaviours and players, new regulations’
Independent review calls for major changes at Riksbank
Riksbank criticised for reliance on models, board members’ quarrels and ‘surreal’ monetary guidance, though King and Goodfriend say it is ‘clearly a success’ compared with past regimes
ONS to launch new website in response to review
The new site will draw on feedback from more than 600 people; US Fred model is something to strive for, says the deputy national statistician for economic statistics
ECB's Mersch considers hurdles to single payments area for cards
European payment card schemes and processors must address issues of standardisation, security and interoperability to create an effective single payments area, Yves Mersch says
Bank of Italy outlines downside risks as inflation falls
Annual HICP inflation fell to 0.1% according to December estimate, just below eurozone average; Bank of Italy warns that international situation poses ‘significant risks’ to European recovery
Croatia makes it 25 central banks in Target2
The Croatian National Bank will, along with 24 commercial banks in the country, participate in the RTGS system from February 1, making it the fifth central bank outside the eurozone to join
Central banks struggling to exit ‘confused period’, economists say
The financial crisis forced a regime change on central banks, raising challenges to independence, analysis and policy tools, which have yet to be fully resolved, say panellists in Brussels
Paper finds positive impact from Dodd-Frank swap rules
Compulsory trading via swap execution facilities has boosted liquidity and cut trading costs in the market for interest rate swaps, working paper published by BoE finds
IMF staff say tighter macro-pru measures ‘may be warranted’ in Slovakia
IMF staff have called for Slovakia’s central bank to boost its oversight of housing lending and to consider raising the counter-cyclical capital buffer for the country’s banks if growth continues
Jamaican report says inflation risks balanced for 2016
Latest forecasts suggest inflation will rise to lower end of Bank of Jamaica’s target range in coming months; downside risks include reversal in food prices
Ukrainian governor: banking system 'largely cleaned up'
Ukraine’s central bank governor says the country’s commercial banking system has been largely reformed; enhancing creditors’ rights key to resumption of lending, she argues
Basel Committee completes trading book review
Much-anticipated redesign of market risk framework seeks to capture risks the Basel accord failed to guard against in 2008; impact study implies median 27% increase in capital charges
Growing case for planning Cambodian de-dollarisation, paper says
Cambodia needs a strong macroeconomic framework for de-dollarisation to be successful, research says; economic and political stability a good starting place
Brazilian paper charts impact of inflation signal on expectations
Agents update forecasts immediately after new information is released and the impact of new information is dependent on ‘precision’, a working paper suggests