Central Banks
Lawmakers eye Fed surplus funds as source of cash
Late amendment to ‘highway bill’ sees the House of Representatives vote to raid the reserve banks’ surplus funds instead of cutting the dividend paid to member banks
Central Bank of Iceland under scrutiny on crisis response
Supervisory board to investigate complaints over the handling of breaches in capital controls and legal uncertainty surrounding the holding company established by the central bank
Belarus to re-denominate its currency from July 2016
Ruble to be cut to one ten-thousandth of its value when new series rolled out; new banknotes printed years ago, but delay saw them stashed in central bank vault
‘Closed’ nature of eurozone banks increases vulnerability, Portuguese paper says
Commercial banks in the eurozone are more likely to be hit by country-specific shocks compared to US given fewer foreign branches; greater use of asset-backed securities may be a solution
Chile bides time on macro-prudential debate
Governor of the Central Bank of Chile says the bank will continue to ‘watch’ macro-prudential debate with view to ‘carefully studying’ different tools
TPP countries strike deal against currency manipulation
The 12 member states of Pacific free trade deal sign declaration vowing comprehensive disclosure of foreign exchange data; new group will ensure members abide by rules against competitive devaluation
Europe lags US in leading global financial reform, economist says at ECB event
The European Union no longer leads global efforts at financial reform, argues French economist Nicolas Véron; eurozone nations have too many seats on global reform bodies, he adds
No fireworks as Bank of England keeps rate options open
Rates remain on hold as BoE balances domestic strength with signs of weakness overseas; MPC hints a few forces could prompt an earlier hike than markets are predicting
BoE Court recommends forecasting rethink
Review of forecasting sheds light on strengths and weaknesses of central bank’s approach; recommends more systematic performance evaluation and new modelling techniques
Albania cuts rates as renovations to HQ completed
The Bank of Albania cut its policy rate to a record low of 1.75%; chair of Single Resolution Board visits as non-performing loans fall to approximately 20% of total in banking sector
RBA deputy disappointed by data inaccuracies
Philip Lowe discusses two problems that have emerged in reporting of loans in housing market, stressing value of high-quality data
Asset purchases having ‘sizeable’ impact on prices in eurozone, ECB paper finds
Working paper says ostensibly puzzling result can be explained by low levels of ‘market distress’ weakening some transmission channels but bolstering others
Personal integrity key in battle for better culture, Lagarde says
IMF head calls for action to rebuild trust in the financial industry at the New York Fed conference; Fischer says it is impossible to improve the culture and then ‘retire from the battlefield’
EBA unveils plans for 2016 stress tests
European Banking Authority publishes draft guidelines for stress-testing systemically important banks; some 53 banks will be tested from February 2016
Fischer defends Fed independence
Attempts to make the FOMC adopt a policy rule and 'audit’ its decisions would restrict the Fed’s independence without generating much benefit, Stanley Fischer argues
Rising mortgage rates do not demand policy response, says RBA’s Stevens
Recent increases in mortgage rates have reversed some of the central bank’s easing, but there is no need to lean against the movement at present, governor says
CFTC’s aim is 'not just' to expand clearing, Massad says
The agency will not 'mandate a lot of products just to increase clearing'
Improved inflation outlook gives Icelandic central bank room for manoeuvre
Shallower path for near-term inflation allows central bank to make smaller rate hike than planned, but the longer-term picture still shows inflation overshooting the target
Hungarian central bank mulls lower capital requirements for SME-friendly banks
Central bank looks to incentivise lending to small businesses; risk-absorbing swaps and 'preferential' deposit facility could be supplemented by lower requirements