Central Banks
Ugandan governor on road to recovery after falling ill
Emmanuel Tumusiime Mutebile treated in hospital after falling ill last week; now in South Africa for ‘medical review’ where central bank says he is ‘in good spirits’
Governments should work to promote ‘e-commerce’, UN report says
Research presented at the National Bank of the Republic of Macedonia outlines policies governments should pursue to harness the benefits of e-commerce
Malaysian deputy unveils ‘ink-staining’ technology for ATMs
Muhammad bin Ibrahim says ATMs have been ‘frequent target’ for criminals in recent years; new technology will stain notes with indelible ink if machine is being robbed
Colombian paper extends Bernanke research on asset price bubbles
Paper delivered at the BIS extends Bernanke and Gertler’s result that central banks should not lean against asset bubbles, finding the conclusion still holds in a small open economy
RBA paper builds new model of banks’ credit losses
Model draws on new dataset and focuses on interactions between portfolio-level and macro variables in attempt to explain historical bank credit losses in Australia
Chicago Fed research charts fall in natural rate of unemployment
Group of economists say an ageing population and rising education attainment could push the natural rate – currently at or below 5% – as low as 4.5% by 2020
Serbia cuts rate amid IMF call for action on debt overhang
National Bank of Serbia cuts rate for third straight month, as IMF warns dangers may lurk beneath robust overall debt position
PBoC cuts interest rates for third time since November
Central bank also lifts cap on deposit rates; moves will do little to stimulate growth amid property glut, analysts predict
BoJ paper finds QQE has not ‘significantly’ damaged bond market liquidity
Researchers compile set of liquidity indicators, finding that while government bond market liquidity has not declined significantly, it has been on a downward trend since easing was ramped up
Romania slashes inflation forecast with VAT cut on horizon
Latest forecast has inflation falling to 0.2% at the end of the year, before rising to 1.9% a year later; Central bank cut key rate by 25bp earlier this week
Regulators to put CCP risks under microscope
CPMI-Iosco stress-testing quiz will be precursor for broader review of risk management practices
BIS research posits test for unsustainable credit growth
Authors link long-run credit growth with leverage and debt service ratio, proposing a model they claim would have helped predict the 2008 financial crisis three years before it struck
Constâncio suggests new shadow bank powers for Esma
ECB vice-president again underlines need for supervisors to take on new tools and responsibilities for tackling shadow banks, but suggests at least some may be wielded by other bodies
Jobs data recovers in the US as Dudley looks to help small businesses thrive
Non-farm payroll employment increases by 223,000 in April after a difficult March; NY Fed president considers how small businesses can access credit and expand
Malta names Alfred Mifsud as deputy governor
Former chairman of Crystal Finance Investments joins the central bank as a deputy governor; he will ‘primarily’ focus on monetary policy during his five-year term
St. Louis Fed paper considers impact of trade shocks on labour market
Working paper examines effects of trade shocks on labour markets, finding the increase in import competition from China after 2000 actually boosted aggregate US welfare
Hong Kong 'coin carts' rake in cash
Hong Kong Monetary Authority trucks will collect coins from the public; so far, 87,000 people have traded in 78 million coins worth HK$77 million
IMF paper finds no link between efficiency and Basel compliance
Banks in jurisdictions that have adopted Basel ‘Core Principles’ for supervision are no more efficient than their peers elsewhere, working paper finds
‘Climate of greater optimism’ prevails in Spain
Financial stability report identifies many signs the economy has turned a corner and financial markets are beginning to recover, although credit to the private sector continues to fall
Riksbank paper warns forecasts often overestimate inflation
Forecasting error has grown in recent years and tends to overstate inflation, paper says, even as first deputy governor says expansionary policy has contributed to rising inflation
European Commission looks to unshackle big data
In its quest to create a digital single market the commission plans to tackle restrictions on the free movement of data; champions transition to ‘open science’
Atlanta Fed president focused on consumer spending
Dennis Lockhart says evidence of an increase in consumer spending would give him more confidence that growth is back on track in the United States