Central Banks
PBoC: over 1,000 Chinese finance workers infected by Covid-19
Deputy governor says 42 employees of finance firms have died because of coronavirus
Riksbank steps up pace of crisis support programme
Swedish financial regulator says publicly-quoted firms must stop equity payouts
US health system likely to be overwhelmed – Minneapolis Fed paper
Policy-makers must support massive healthcare investment and severe social distancing – researcher
RBNZ lowers banks’ core funding ratios
Central bank reduces ratio to 50% to support government’s crisis lending scheme
US dollar has become ‘risk barometer’ – BIS economists
Role of dollar has changed since 2008 due to major changes in global financial sector, authors say
UK lenders do little to account for extreme weather risks – BoE paper
Banks barely adjusted mortgages in the wake of severe flooding in 2013–14, authors find
A vaccine for the global economy
Olivier Blanchard, Peter Praet and Daniel Alpert discuss shorter- and longer-term actions to tackle the flaws exposed by the Covid-19 crisis
Bank of Mexico cuts rates 50bp in emergency meeting
Analysts expect further cuts as the economy is expected to enter a sharp recession
Major economies already engaging in ‘currency wars’ – former IMF chief
De Larosière floats new commodity-based exchange rate regime; says “trust” is key to avoiding “beggar-thy-neighbour” policies
Riksbank to buy covered bonds; Iceland enters secondary market
Central banks unveil new forms of unconventional purchases
Fed commits to unlimited bond purchases in massive new programme
FOMC announces radical new measures and calls on other policy-makers to act aggressively
RBNZ launches $30bn government bond-buying programme
MPC asked to vote on package via email to ensure social distancing
US regulators offer more guidance on loan restructurings
Any modified loans remain eligible collateral for discount window, Fed says
China will suffer recession, say Bank of Finland experts
Economic policy response has been fragmented and banks may not respond to PBoC incentives – research
The dawn of a safer and sounder European banking sector
Implementation of two pillars of banking union has led to significant improvements in the safety and soundness of the European banking system
New York Fed to offer $1 trillion per day in repo funding
Move sends message the Fed stands ready to meet any increase in funding demands over coming period
Fed expands lending facility to support municipal bond market
Political pressure mounting to support local governments; senator proposes bill to broaden QE powers
Major bank hid money-laundering evidence – Swedish regulator
Swedish FSA fines Swedbank record $386m over failures as Estonian prosecutors continue AML probe
ECB temporarily relaxes NPL regulation
Central bank estimates lower capital requirements will release €120 billion for lending