Economics
Regional Feds announce new chairmen
Three of the 12 regional Federal Reserves have named new chairmen for their boards of directors in 2009.
Competition lowers bank-market spreads on loans
Banks price their loans more in line with the market interest rate in countries with stronger loan market competition, says a new paper from the Bank of Spain.
HKMA's Yam outlook for 2009
The chief executive of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority set out why he thinks 2009 will be a "challenging" year.
Sweden's Ingves on the crisis and beyond
"Despite the gloomy outlook for next year, there is still some light at the end of the tunnel," said the governor of Sweden's central bank in a new year's eve post.
Shirakawa warns on yen strength
The governor of the Bank of Japan, Masaaki Shirakawa, highlighted the damage the yen's strength was having on the economy and served notice that the central bank stood ready to act.
Zeti back further stimulus
Malaysia is unlikely to slip into recession despite slowing exports, but the economy may require another round of stimulus measures, the country's central bank chief said on Wednesday.
A note from El Salvador
The dollarisation of El Salvador's economy has brought relative calm to the Central American economy. But it will not be able to completely avoid the collateral damage from a slump in the United States, says Steve H. Hanke, a professor of applied…
Fed paper on subprime mortgages
This Federal Reserve working paper models the historical default and prepayment behaviour for subprime mortgages using data on securitised mortgages originated from 2000 to 2007.
RBNZ bulletin on liquidity issues
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand's December Bulletin is built around the theme of liquidity and New Zealand's financial markets.
Sterling edges towards euro parity
The dramatic decline in the value of the British currency showed few signs of abating as it edged towards parity with the euro on Wednesday.
ECB sees uncertainty and weak economy in 2009
Two members of the European Central Bank's (ECB) governing council on Tuesday expressed concerns over the outlook for the European economy in 2009.
Rogoff and Reinhart on the aftermath of crises
A new paper by Kenneth Rogoff and Carmen Reinhart provides an historical analysis of the aftermath of systemic banking crises.
Fund calls for fiscal expansion
This staff position note by the International Monetary Fund outlines the characteristics of the fiscal stimulus the Fund is calling for to revive the global economy.
BoJ considers "extraordinary steps" - Kamezaki
The Bank of Japan is considering "extraordinary steps" to counter financial-market turmoil and a deepening recession, Hidetoshi Kamezaki, a member of the central bank's policy board said last week.
China to promote freer yuan trades
Beijing will allow some trade with neighbouring countries to be settled in yuan, the Chinese currency, rather than in the dollar or the euro.
Japanese economy to stay weak - report
The Bank of Japan's latest monthly report on financial and economic conditions paints a gloomy picture of the outlook for the world second largest economy.
Revisiting the Balassa-Samuelson effect
This paper by the Bank for International Settlements estimates the Balassa-Samuelson effects for 11 countries in Central and Eastern Europe.
Italy names first female board member
Anna Maria Tarantola, the managing director of the Bank of Italy's banking and supervision unit, will replace Antonio Finocchiaro in the new year as deputy director-general at the central bank. In doing so, she will become the first woman to sit on the…
National Bank of Rwanda - Annual Report 2007
The state of Rwanda's public finances worsened in 2007, the central bank's latest Annual Report states.
Japan steps harder on fiscal pedal
The Japanese cabinet has approved an additional $54 billion fiscal spending package to try to ease the deepening recession in the world's second largest economy.
Political turmoil in Ukraine over CB loan
Yulia Tymoshenko, Ukraine's prime minister, has called for the resignation of Viktor Yushchenko, the president and former head of the country's central bank, after accusing him of profiting from bets against the currency last week as the country…
Strauss-Kahn stresses need for fiscal spending
Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), has again called on governments to increase their spending programmes in 2009.
Import prices and inflation - BoE working paper
A new paper from the Bank of England analyses the influence of import prices on inflation in the United Kingdom, United States and Japan since the mid-1980s.
San Fran's Yellen on lessons from Japan
"Clear and strong commitments about the future stance of policy" are important when policy rates approach zero and there is fear of deflation, noted Janet Yellen in an Economic Letter reflecting on lessons from Japan's lost decade.