Central Banks
Monetary policy's 'new normal' will challenge central bank independence, say IMF staff
The ‘new normal' for monetary policy, including taking account of macro-prudential concerns and cross-border spillovers, will also complicate accountability and challenge central bank independence
Sri Lanka’s Cabraal challenges IMF ‘conventional wisdom’
Governor says IMF’s recommended remedy would not have worked in Sri Lanka; says recent recovery justifies the authorities’ chosen course of action
People: New deputies at RBI and Bank of Latvia; Russia appoints director
RBI fills seat vacated by Anand Sinha; Zoja Razmusa becomes deputy governor at Bank of Latvia; Olga Alexandrovna appointed as director at the Bank of Russia
BoE's Haldane says asset managers the 'next frontier' for macro-pru policy
Bank of England's head of financial stability says macro-prudential action may be justified 'even when leverage is not present and banks are not at the scene of the crime'
Bank of England puts 19th century minutes online
Newly released archival material reveals daring exploits of staff during WW1; the battle to stem an epidemic of counterfeiting in the 18th and 19th century; and more
Sanusi wins $300,000 in damages from Nigerian government
Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, who was suspended as governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria in February, is not to be arrested or harassed, court states
Turkish PM calls on central bank to cut rates
Turkey's prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan calls on central bank to ‘convene extraordinary meeting' to cut interest rates day after governor sends ‘hawkish' signals in London
Buy-side firms seek greater voice on BoE FX committee
Large buy-side firms keen to take a more active role on FXJSC after allegations dealers manipulated foreign exchange benchmarks
ECB paper tackles liquidity ‘free-rider’ problem
Working paper highlights ‘excessive liquidation’ caused by financial intermediaries free-riding on other firms’ liquidity holdings, but says macro-prudential policy can create ‘constrained efficiency’
Seychelles makes ‘opportunistic’ FX purchases
Central Bank of Seychelles annual report outlines how it took advantage of foreign exchange inflows to bolster its reserves by almost 40% in 2013
Jeremy Stein quits the Federal Reserve
Jeremy Stein, who joined the Federal Reserve board of governors in May 2012, will step down four years early
Kenya could quadruple central bank capital
Kenya looks set to replace the piecemeal legislation governing the central bank; new bill would boost its capital levels, reduce government influence and increase the governor’s term
FOMC member says 3% growth would prompt fed funds rate 'lift-off'
Atlanta Fed president Dennis Lockhart advocates a 'dashboard' approach to forward guidance and says quantitative easing is tapering 'predictably'
Central Bank of Brazil raises Selic rate amid uptick in inflation
Central Bank of Brazil hikes rate by 25bp to 11% following upward revision of inflation for 2014; analysts predict an end to year-long tightening cycle
Draghi opens door to QE as ECB holds
European Central Bank president Mario Draghi says governing council discussed asset purchases in latest meeting; votes to hold rate despite more disinflation
Countries in monetary union should index sovereign debt to GDP growth
Bank of England working paper finds GDP-indexed bonds should be used more widely, especially by countries with volatile GDP growth or in monetary unions
Kenya's M-Pesa mobile money app launches in Romania
East European country is the first territory in Europe to get the mobile cash transfer technology, which also launched in India last year
Bank of Canada looks to anecdotal evidence amid economic models' ‘weakening performance'
Governor Stephen Poloz says experiences of faltering economic models last year has led the bank to focus increasingly on surveys and meetings with local businesses
Lagarde calls for co-ordination to contain ‘spillovers' and ‘spillbacks'
Speech warns advanced economies they can suffer from negative feedback when their policies cause spillovers in emerging markets
Fed switches MBS purchases to proprietary platform
The New York Fed, which implements FOMC policies, will start using its FedTrade platform to buy mortgage-backed securities later this month
Chilean peso's precipitious fall is 'desirable', says Vergara
Central Bank of Chile governor Rodrigo Vergara says floating exchange rate regime has absorbed terms of trade shock and tightening of international financial conditions
Bank of England paper estimates effects of monetary policy
A new approach outlined in a Bank of England working paper avoids three major pitfalls in estimating monetary policy's effect on growth and inflation