Central Banks
Keep the Fed away from politics: Dallas’s Fisher
Dallas Fed president Richard Fisher says allowing Congress to audit the Fed would be comparable to the governance crises of Weimar Germany and pre-Péron Argentina
Bank of Canada – Business Outlook Survey (winter 09/10)
Canadian firms expected both their costs and the prices they charged to increase over this year, signalling an end to the slump in demand
BoJ more optimistic on growth, deflation
Bank of Japan lifts economic projections in sign it sees policy as sufficient
Ex-governors and prominent academics in new forum
Former Argentine central bank governor Mario Blejer, former Bundesbank president Ernst Welteke and a slew of prominent academics will participate in a new forum
SARB split over rate hold
Majority opt to hold rates at 7%, governor discusses inflation-targeting review
S&P places Japan on negative watch
Rating agency argues fiscal leverage has diminished; decision comes after central bank opts not to extend quantitative easing
Schapiro seeks tighter reins on hedge-funds
US Securities and Exchange Commission’s Mary Schapiro eyes more stringent controls for hedge funds and credit rating agencies
Big fiscal spending hurts post-crisis recovery: IMF
International Monetary Fund looks at whether there is a trade-off between committing large fiscal resources and a quick recovery
Redrado barred from central bank by police
The fall out between Argentine central bank head Martín Redrado and President Cristina Fernández escalates as police are posted outside the central bank to prevent him entering
Zimbabwe’s central bank ‘technically insolvent’: reports
Local media sources report that Zimbabwe’s central bank is bankrupt after high court judge orders that its property be attached to unpaid debts
BoE statistics show broad money contraction
Data released by the Bank of England last week showed M4 growth was negative, although lending increased very slightly
BuBa’s Fabritius: monetary policy can’t stop bubbles
Bundesbank’s Hans Fabritius says monetary policy has limited capability to target asset bubbles
Former Bank governor dies
Ex-Bank of England chief Lord Richardson passes away
Senior lawmaker calls for SARB nationalisation
African National Congress official says the South African Reserve Bank, one of the few privately-owned central banks, should be nationalised; comments seen as part of encroaching politicisation of policy
SNB policy impacts franc’s rate by less than 20%
Swiss National Bank looks at the determinants of the franc’s exchange rate against the euro
Obama's reforms find few friends
Markets and commentators reject the US president’s proposed reform of banks, which would see a ban imposed on proprietary trading
Fiji names two new executives
Reserve Bank of Fiji makes Lorraine Seeto advisor to the governor’s office and Esala Masitabua chief manager of financial institutions
NY Fed names new minder for AIG portfolio
Federal Reserve Bank of New York's new special investments management group will oversee its American International Group (AIG) and Maiden Lane III portfolios
Great Depression spread by Germany, not US
A new paper argues that the 1931 crisis was propagated by the collapse of Germany's banking system