Central Banks
Dutch study uses neuroscience to dissect consumers’ payment choices
The Netherlands Bank uses an MRI scanner to examine what is going on in consumers’ minds as they choose whether to pay by cash or card
Zambian central bank sees currency stability but inflationary pressures through year-end
The Zambian kwacha has taken a hit against the biggest global currencies but appreciated against the South African rand, meaning REER held steady
Leiderman turns down Bank of Israel top job
Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu in sticky situation as top two choices turn down central bank governorship within five days of each other; pool of potential candidates shrinking fast
Central Bank of Ireland director says it will take ‘some time' to get out of crisis
Fiona Muldoon adds the task now is putting together a business model for Ireland that ‘expands on parts of the economy not built on buying and selling houses to each other at ever inflated prices'
Bullard says Fed should ape ECB press conference schedule
James Bullard of the St Louis Fed wants to see the Fed chair give a press conference after every meeting of the FOMC - not after alternate meetings, as is the case currently
RBI governor champions ‘logically robust' financial regulation
Duvvuri Subbarao says financial markets stand out because they are not self-correcting, and because financial firms are highly leveraged and uniquely interconnected
IMF spillover report highlights tough balancing act for leading economies
Report examining international effects of policies in China, the eurozone, Japan, the UK and US, says easy monetary conditions essential but warns of future side-effects
IMF backs Czech forex intervention
Article IV says a ‘persistent and large undershooting’ of the Czech National Bank’s inflation target would warrant a weaker koruna; governor Miroslav Singer says board is coming round to the idea
Fed governor set for Treasury switch
Obama appoints Fed's Sarah Bloom Raskin as deputy secretary at the Treasury; former long-serving Fed economist Karen Dynan will also join Treasury as assistant secretary for economic policy
Court decision overturns Fed cap on credit card fees
Ruling slams Fed's $0.21 cap on banks' interchange fees as too high and for running ‘completely afoul of the text, design and purpose' of legislators' intent; bank body calls on Fed to appeal
Cape Verde aims to keep euro peg credible
Maintaining the Cape Verdean escudo’s peg to the euro is the central bank’s ‘main concern’; setting policy to stabilise its international reserves and – in turn – the peg
Kuwaiti central bank details triumvirate of stress tests
Central Bank of Kuwait releases annual report; details its three-pronged approach to stress-testing the country’s banks
ECB confirms forward guidance, holds rates without discussion
Mario Draghi confirms ECB expects to keep interest rates at current rates or lower, but tells press conference there was no discussion on changing rates today
BoE and Fed keep policy on hold
Federal Reserve points to risks of below target inflation and cools its assessment of economic activity; Bank of England expected to introduce forward guidance next week
Issing brands calls for detailed ECB minutes disclosure ‘absurd'
Debate rages about the need for more transparency in ECB governing council decision-making, as Otmar Issing and Sharon Bowles enter the fray; Draghi says ECB is reviewing communications policy
Bullard says US government should scrap CPI inflation targeting
The St Louis Fed president believes switching to the Fed's PCE measure would provide clarity to the public about which measure more accurately reflects consumer price inflation
Intertwined Caribbean need stronger cross-border regulation, argues IMF paper
While stressing that greater financial interconnectedness could have a beneficial impact, the paper warns of regulatory arbitrage and underestimation of systemic risks in the region