Financial Stability
Portugal seeks bailout, Trichet confident rate hike will only help
Portugal seeks financial assistance from Brussels; European Central Bank president Jean-Claude Trichet says rate hike will help build confidence in stricken sovereign
Sweden picks famous faces for new banknotes
Riksbank announces motifs to be emblazoned on new banknotes; include actress Greta Garbo, author Astrid Lindgren and singer Birgit Nilsson
IMF paper explores measures of default probability
Fund paper investigates methods to measure market price of risk and probability of default
Basel Committee’s Walter: consensus reached on method to identify Sifis
Basel Committee has now agreed on criteria for banks posing systemic threat; FSB agrees on accelerated timetable for G-20 recommendations
Ireland’s Elderfield: we’ll not haircut senior debt
Matthew Elderfield, Ireland’s head regulator, assures senior bondholders in four banks they will not face “action”
Financial cycle dynamics: IMF paper
Fund study finds financial cycles tend to be long, severe and highly synchronised within and across countries
New York Fed to set up working group on OTC reforms
New York Federal Reserve receives commitment from market participants to support strategic road map on reforms to over-the-counter derivatives markets
Riksbank report examines links between housing and financial stability
Report notes that housing slumps seldom result in banking crises outside the US; highlights data deficiencies
Bank of Japan- Tankan Survey (March 2011)
Bank of Japan March 2011 Tankan survey shows business conditions continue to deteriorate in Japan
IMF moots policy framework for capital inflows
Fund devises “key elements” of possible policy framework for managing capital inflows; framework notable in allowances for capital controls
Risk Europe: Tension between the ESRB and ECB, says Belgium's Reynders
Europe's new systemic risk watchdog is already clashing with the ECB - but the ESRB's powers may need to be expanded, says Belgian finance minister, Didier Reynders
Bernanke pledges tough oversight of CCPs
Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke says reforms to financial market infrastructure will help strengthen supervision of central counterparties
Risk Europe: no-go on CoCos, says panel
Traditional investors won't be won over by debt that converts into equity, says conference panel - and one CoCo issuer raises threat of feedback effects
Israel’s Fischer outlines ten lessons to remember in a crisis
Bank of Israel governor Stanley Fischer delivers advice to policymakers on how to approach a crisis
Bank of England - Housing Equity Withdrawal (Q4 2010)
Bank of England Housing Equity Withdrawal data for Q4 2010 shows continued weakness in lending to households
Financial Stability Board publishes survey responses
Comprehensive survey answers reveal FSB member countries’ plans to conform with the G-20’s recommendations for strengthening financial stability
Japan suspends publication of financial stability report
Japan suspends publication of the March 2011 Financial System Report in light of the Tohoku earthquake
Norway’s Olsen on regulatory overhaul of financial system
Norges Bank governor Øystein Olsen says regulatory overhaul of Norwegian financial markets will aid financial stability
IMF paper on growing threat of moral hazard
Fund study calls for further incentives and rules to stem threat posed by large systemically important financial institutions
Bank of England - Credit Conditions Survey (Q1 2011)
Bank of England 2011 Q1 Credit Conditions Survey reports little change in credit to households and firms
Hoenig warns policy will mean "someone has to pay" in the future
Thomas Hoenig renews call for the unwinding of policies put in place during the financial crisis, urging the Fed to shrink holdings and raise rates to provide better long-term prospects for the US economy
Australia investigates options for updating payments system
Assistant governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia reveals insights into the review being conducted of the country’s payments system
IMF paper on debt dilution
Fund study says commitment to reduce debt levels can eliminate risk of debt dilution
IMF paper urges policymakers to address sovereign rating spillovers
Policymakers must account for risks posed by spillover effects of sovereign rating downgrades; contingency plan recommended to deal with possible instability