Central Banks
Constâncio concerned about credibility in wake of SSM
ECB vice-president says problem in banking industry could damage the central bank’s reputation; denies any conflict of interest between monetary and supervisory functions
ECB’s Praet warns against ‘hazardous’ policy experiments
Executive board member says he is ‘very sceptical’ of suggestions to raise the inflation target, but cautions against complacency over policy toolkits
National Bank of Georgia to overhaul communication strategy
Latest stage in transition to inflation-targeting regime; follows the implementation of new modelling infrastructure
Angola launches new notes and coins, cuts base rate
Notes incorporating new security features to be phased in during the first half of 2013; base rate cut to 10% as inflation hits ‘record low' of 9% per annum
‘Significant work remains’ to fix global finance, says FSB
Meeting of the Financial Stability Board identifies numerous areas that still require work; public comments on policy recommendations reveal concerns over regulatory arbitrage and overlap
RBI cuts rates and strikes dovish note for 2013
Reserve Bank of India cuts headline interest rate for first time in nine months; governor Duvvuri Subbarao hints more cuts may be on the way
Bank of Israel governor Fischer to step down
Stanley Fischer announces he will stand down in June this year; speculation begins as to his next move
Inflation uncertainty a ‘substantial’ threat to economic growth, says Polish paper
Research finds high inflation uncertainty can restrain GDP growth; warns the euro area will suffer if expectations are not managed
IMF paper says central banks are hoarding good collateral
Study finds pools of good collateral are evaporating as a result of unorthodox central bank policies; regulation is amplifying the trend
Bank of Russia warns some banks must enhance capital adequacy
Financial stability review says financial conditions remain ‘quite favourable’, but raises concerns over a downward trend in capital adequacy
Bundesbank paper quantifies ‘considerable’ risk spillovers
Researchers design new methodology for measuring systemic risk and contagion effects, finding spillovers are significant but vary from region to region
‘Frontier Asia’ addresses challenge of growing sustainably
Thai governor and IMF official emphasise need to address the macroeconomic, financial and structural challenges that high growth rates can bring
Bank of Italy gives green light to €3.9bn MPS bailout
Executive board approves disbursement of bailout funds to Monte dei Paschi di Siena, although the bank insists the situation is ‘completely under control’
UAE bank economist warns LTV caps ‘detrimental to economy'
Chief economist of National Bank of Abu Dhabi warns cap on property loans will depress construction in the UAE
Majority support an inflation target, poll finds
Almost two-thirds of participants in poll say inflation-targeting central banks should stick with current policy; Mark Carney lauds the unconventional measures a flexible framework allows
People: New chair at Richmond Fed; Norwegian takes executive directorship at IMF
Richmond Fed appoints new chair and deputy; Norway takes rotating directorship at IMF; Egyptian governor ratified; and more
New studies tackle diverse inflation outcomes in eastern Europe
Papers by the IMF and National Bank of Slovakia assess factors behind incomplete interest rate pass through and divergent drivers of inflation in eastern Europe
BoE paper finds impatience increases austerity costs
Discussion paper finds close link between a country’s time preference and its fiscal multiplier, implying that countries wanting a slower fiscal adjustment face higher costs to austerity
Latvia’s Rimsevics predicts solid year for the economy
Governor of the Bank of Latvia expects inflation to remain moderate and growth, while slower than 2012, to show one of the fastest rates in the European Union
Luxembourg paper says banks’ profitability will not suffer at hands of Basel III
Study says new liquidity coverage and capital-to-asset ratios will have little impact on banks’ return on assets
NZ deputy wary of using risk weights to shackle house prices
Grant Spencer says other macro-prudential tools may be more appropriate to address the build-up of asset bubbles