Opinion
The blame game
The decision of many central banks, most notably the Federal Reserve, to lower rates in the wake of the dotcom crash, has drawn criticism from some quarters post-credit crunch. But, Claire Jones, editor of Central Bank News, argues blame for the crisis…
Cooperation can't get to root cause of crunch
The central banks' coordinated attempt to bring interbank rates down may alleviate liquidity pressures, but not the mistrust the lies at the core of the crunch, says Avinash Persaud, the chairman of Intelligence Capital, a financial advisory firm.
Rock raises lender of last resort issue for EU
One important aspect of the Northern Rock crisis in the UK has been to make market participants wonder what would happen if a similar-sized institution got into difficulties in a small or medium-sized EU member state.
There's a riot goin' on
By analysing so-called "riot points", we can see that the current crisis is spreading and deepening, says Avinash Persaud, the chairman of Intelligence Capital, a financial advisory firm.
What we learn from the Fed's projections
As we look at the first of the Federal Reserve's enhanced economic projections, it is important to understand what they are and what they are not, says Stephen Cecchetti, the Rosenberg Professor of Global Finance at Brandeis International Business School.
The trip to transparency
The Fed's decision to increase the frequency and volume of its economic projections is another welcome step towards transparency under Ben Bernanke's stewardship. But it still has a way to go before catching up to the other major central banks, says…
A troubling lesson of Northern Rock
The Northern Rock crisis has revealed a fundamental change in the nature of bank runs, says Robert Pringle, the editor of Central Banking journal.
Mervyn King and Northern Rock
The question of Mervyn King's reappointment as governor of the Bank of England has become inextricably linked to the saga of Northern Rock, says Robert Pringle, the editor of Central Banking journal.
Central banks: the gorillas of foreign exchange
Chris Turner, the head of foreign exchange strategy research at ING wholesale banking in London, evaluates the possibility of sterilisation by central banks next year
Colombia will benefit from free trade with US
Juan Mauricio Ramirez, a vice president of the Private Council of Competitiveness and a former head of the inflation and macroeconomic programming department at the Banco de la Republica, takes issue with Joseph Stiglitz's views on the proposed Free…
The only way is down
Avinash Persaud, the chairman of Intelligence Capital, a financial advisory firm, predicts the dollar will drop to $1.70 against the euro and $2.20 against sterling before central banks intervene.
The future of the IMF
Getting the emerging markets involved is the right way to go, says Norbert Walter, the head of economic research at Deutsche Bank, in this op-ed piece written for Central Bank News.
CBs must note credit crunch effect of Basel II
The procyclical effects of Basel II could increase the likelihood of credit crunches in downturns. Patricia Jackson, the head of the Prudential Advisory team at Ernst & Young and a former member of the Basel Committee, believes it is important for…
Central Bank News defends "boring central bankers"
The Financial Times on Wednesday published Central Bank News's response Wolfgang Munchau's piece in Monday's newspaper, "Boring central bankers got us into this mess", which blamed central bankers for the current credit crisis.
The rise of SWFs is unstoppable
Western governments must accept the rise of sovereign wealth funds as a further sign of a shift in the world economy, according to Gerard Lyons, the chief economist at Standard Chartered, a bank.
Why King lacks allies
Just when Mervyn King, the governor of the Bank of England, was hoping for a respite from the battering he has received from the Treasury Select Committee and others over his handling of the Northern Rock debacle, along comes a heavyweight in the shape…
Mini-crises stretch ahead: UK economist
Instead of a sharp but swift adjustment, the prospect now is for a series of mini-crises stretching for years ahead, says the City economist Stephen Lewis in his commentary on the latest developments in the UK banking crisis.
Mervyn King - a governor in distress
No governor of the Bank of England in living memory - and very few governors of any industrial country - has come in for such an avalanche of media criticism as Mervyn King has suffered in recent days.
Allan Meltzer dismisses calls for Fed action
The following article by Allan H. Meltzer, university professor of political economy at Carnegie Mellon, and a member of Central Banking's editorial board, was published in the Wall Street Journal on September 15. It provides an incisive analysis of the…
Launch the lifeboats? Not likely!
The closest parallel to the rescue of Northern Rock is the secondary banking crisis which erupted at the end of 1973 and which brought down a whole string of so-called "secondary" banks. That financial crisis, like this one, was preceded by a long period…
Deadlock in the inter-bank markets
The continuing difficulties in the global inter-bank markets, which started on 9 August, have already given rise to a mountain of speculation about the possible causes and what central banks should do about the problem.
Useful statement from Jean-Claude Trichet
CentralbankNews.com is pleased to see the ECB making constructive use of its website in the current crisis. On Tuesday August 14 its home page featured prominently a statement by Jean-Claude Trichet, the president, about the current financial market…
Central banks' use of websites in the crisis
Central banks have been using their websites in novel ways during the crisis. On 13 August, the New York Fed put the following notice up:"The Desk will evaluate whether it needs to inject additional cash into the banking system at its normal operating…