Monetary Policy
Fed could exploit helicopter money with digital currency system – former officials
Simon Potter and Julia Coronado propose recession insurance bonds, consumer QE and Fed-backed digital currency as crisis tools
National Bank of Poland cuts rates again but predicts recovery
“Significant fall” in activity likely to reverse in latter part of the year, policy-makers say
Bank of Korea cuts policy rate to new record low
Bank of Korea slashes key rate to record low of 0.5%; economy is expected to grow at the slowest pace in over two decades due to Covid-19
Israel holds as exchange rate hampers exports and inflation target
Central bank left rates unchanged at 0.1%; government bond purchases support financial stability
Poloz calls for action to avoid deflationary spiral
It is critical to avoid deflation as it interacts “horribly” with debt, outgoing BoC governor says
Turkish central bank cuts rates again
CBRT makes ninth consecutive cut since July 2019 but analyst warns strategy is “unsustainable”
Sarb carries out fourth consecutive rate cut
Sarb says banks can apply for looser prudential requirements on “case-by-case” basis as it cuts rates to record lows
Indian MPC cuts rates to record low in unscheduled meeting
RBI says Covid-19 is having a more severe economic impact than anticipated
FOMC considers more aggressive forward guidance
Officials discussed state-contingent forward guidance and yield curve control, April minutes show
Bailey confirms BoE is considering negative rates
“I have changed my position a bit,” governor tells lawmakers, as UK inflation falls drastically
Bank of Italy paper analyses Fed’s ‘gradualist’ policy
Monetary policy had stronger effects when markets thought Fed was “acting gradually” – researchers
Economists debate monetary financing of China’s government debt
PBoC adviser dismisses idea of monetising government bonds despite calls from Ministry of Finance think-tank
Final Fed lending facilities to go live this month
Complexity of main street facility has been “in a class by itself”, Jerome Powell says, as lawmakers criticise delays
Pressure builds on central banks to ‘monetise’ sovereign debt
Sarb is the latest institution facing calls to directly purchase Covid-19 related government debt
Most Fed emergency funds not yet spent, lawmakers find
Less than 8% of the $500bn set aside for Fed and Treasury lending has been spent, report finds
Norwegian governor says negative rates are unlikely
Øystein Olsen says it is “uncertain how negative rates will influence the economy”
The ECB, the lockdown and the monetary financing lock
The eurozone’s central bank may need to break its prohibition on monetary financing to fight the pandemic
Eurozone saw limited price convergence from 2001–11 – Bank of Spain
Researchers say this limited long-term alignment should be added to central bank policy framework
PBoC’s post-pandemic policy is still up in the air
The Chinese central bank has resisted radical easing, but with the NPC meeting this week, more loosening could be on the way, despite debt-level concerns, writes Hui Feng
Mexican central bank cuts rates but stays cautious on inflation
Falling peso and supply disruptions make inflation outlook “uncertain” despite recession, board says
Fed not considering negative rates – Powell
More fiscal support may be needed, as Fed’s lending will only be effective “for a while”, says Fed chair
RBNZ nearly doubles asset purchase programme
Policy-makers aim to front-load stimulus as economy faces “significant and unprecedented decline”
German court leaves Bundesbank caught between two legal decisions
Ruling may hamper ECB’s new PEPP programme as it is not constrained by PSPP limits