Central Banks
Mexico’s Carstens calls for continued trade cooperation with the US
Protectionist policies would be a step backward for both nations, Bank of Mexico governor suggests, saying continued cooperation will foster employment and investment
PRA and FCA to investigate Barclays’ chief executive
Jes Staley comes under fire for undermining whistleblowing regime after he sought to identify a whistleblower; board to impose “very significant” cut to bonus
Ukraine’s Gontareva to step down
NBU governor says her mission is complete, resigning three years into a seven-year term amid intense pressure
Conservative monetary policy raises banking fragility – paper
Researchers apply a ‘central bank conservatism’ index to data from 73 countries
ECB bond-buying has had ‘significant’ impact on Bund market
The impact of PSPP purchases is substantially higher in stressed markets – Bundesbank paper
Esma calls for greater powers over national supervisors
Supervisor also wants the authority to pause the application of some rules
Sarb will take ‘defensive posture’ to debt downgrade, says Ballim
South Africa’s central bank is unlikely to respond to country’s junk debt status unless rand volatility starts to affect prices; Fitch joins S&P in downgrading country’s sovereign debt
Brexit will be ‘litmus test’ for global system – Carney
Global financial system has reached “fork in the road”, says Bank of England governor; UK financial firms told to submit robust set of Brexit contingency plans by July
FOMC mulls ‘predictable’ balance sheet wind-down
One FOMC member says a “minimum pace” should be set for the reduction in mortgage-backed securities; committee will inform the public about its future plans for the balance sheet when the time comes
Book notes: Architects of the Euro, edited by Kenneth Dyson and Ivo Maes
This biographical study of the 10 key players in the development of the Economic and Monetary Union provides a contrast to more historical analyses
Czech National Bank abandons koruna floor
The central bank is likely to be happy with the market’s reaction, analyst says
Draghi and Praet say ECB will continue with QE
Praet says interest rates should remain low “past the horizon of our net asset purchases”
RBNZ paper develops ‘intuitive and reliable’ output gap measure
Authors turn to a “Beveridge-Nelson filter” to produce an output gap estimate that performs better than those produced by other filtering techniques
BoE proposes ‘amended’ sharia-compliant fund
UK central bank could launch a fund as soon as 2018, the consultation paper says; the facility would be off balance sheet in the form of a special purpose vehicle
RBI makes fresh amendments to liquidity framework
Central bank continues reforms begun under Raghuram Rajan and asks government for new tools; markets still face “liquidity overhang” from demonetisation
Norges Bank’s Nicolaisen: covered bonds can create distortions
Covered bonds are widely seen as a safe asset, but they face risks and could have unintended consequences for markets
RBA opens new ‘highly secure’ banknote vault
Australian central bank makes first investment in banknote storage and distribution in over a decade; Lowe says public have come to “rely” on “secure and high-quality” banknotes
BIS report: build liquidity co‑operation early to prepare for crisis
CGFS report urges central banks to build networks domestically and across borders to have liquidity ready for the next crisis
Sarb deputy says political uncertainty will affect policy normalisation
Mminele asks whether central banks will enforce notion of economic slack as forward guidance reaches limits; political uncertainty rocking the policy landscape
BoE’s Vlieghe: good policy is more than accurate forecasting
MPC member says doctors cannot forecast heart attacks, but are still pretty useful before and after the event
‘Ambitious’ capital markets union necessary – Constâncio
Better eurozone capital markets would smooth regional shocks, ECB vice-president says
Tarullo admits Volcker rule may be ‘too complicated’
Outgoing Fed governor says Volcker rule probably needs adjustment, though he warns against any measures that would weaken the capital regime
EBA provides guidance on bail-ins under European directive
Guidelines cover shareholders, debt-equity conversions and “grandfathered” assets