Central Banks
ECB dumps Steinhoff stock
Losses on holding in scandal-hit retailer may have been approximately €50 million
Low rates push investors to seek risk abroad – BIS paper
Authors find that low rates at home drive risk-taking overseas and the effect accelerates as rates approach zero
PBoC tightens bond trading rules, relaxes renminbi controls
China’s financial regulators continue their efforts to deleverage the economy and promote renminbi internationalisation
SNB expects record profits for 2017
Swiss central bank benefits from high asset prices and a weaker franc
Central Bank of Kenya to challenge banknote tender nullification
Central bank to challenge ruling which revokes De La Rue’s tender win following claims of favouritism
Bernanke says Fed likely to review policy framework
Former Fed chair says analysis on change to inflation targeting is likely; panel of experts presents wide range of views on what any change should be
Central Bank of Brazil survey shows poor savings habits
More than half of respondents had no spare earnings over past year to put aside, which could put them at risk if “unforeseen expenses” arise
Fed could use rates to counter instability – Mester
2015 exercise showed major problems in use of macro-prudential tools, says Cleveland Fed chief
First Romanian policy hike in a decade
Central bank hikes policy rate for the first time since 2008, as inflation exceeds forecasts
‘Decisive’ action needed to deflate China’s credit boom – IMF paper
Lack of reliance on foreign financing, low government debt, and state control help to mitigate effects of credit boom, but buffers should not be relied upon in the long run
Book notes: The End of Theory, by Richard Bookstaber
Bookstaber provides an entertaining introduction to agent-based modelling – a potential new front for economics
BIS paper asks what makes emerging market banks profitable
Both bank-specific and economy-wide factors affect banks’ profitability, authors find
Veteran economists weigh in on ‘rebuilding’ macro theory
Economists including Olivier Blanchard, Andy Haldane and Simon Wren-Lewis tackle the question of how – and whether – to save the DSGE model
BoE paper outlines big-data-based early warning indicator
Text mining approach seeks to capture how narratives can drive action in financial markets
Older workforce will reduce Danish growth, central bank says
Reforms to expand labour supply are needed to offset negative effects of demography
Fed proposes expanding risk regime to foreign subsidiaries
New consultation suggests widening the scope of the August 2017 proposals to foreign-owned operations
Tanzania revokes licence of five banks
Rising NPLs and insufficient capital ratios in small banks source of concern, IMF says
Richmond Fed paper explores Fed’s monetary policy history
The author identifies a lack of consensus on the nature of the monetary regime as a policy weakness
Balancing reserves’ effectiveness and transparency
Why do countries accumulate more and more reserves if they know intervention may prove ineffective? Iris Yeung speaks to Canada’s Eric Wolfe