Opinion
Bank of England needs to re-examine its forecasts
This article published on Wednesday 10 August says that the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee is under great pressure to get its forecasts right. It asks whether it's possible we are too reverential when it comes to the Bank's projections.
Shadow on the Euro
An article published this week notes that five months after central banks talked of increasing their euro reserves at the expense of the dollar, the speculation now is about how long the euro will last. With its credibility in danger the article asks…
Doubts on Bank of England's forecasting
Nobody could say that Mervyn King, governor of the Bank of England, was defensive at yesterday's press conference on the latest Inflation Report (who has ever seen Mervyn on the defensive?), but he certainly knew he had some explaining to do.
Why interest rates could plunge as low as 3.5%
The 6th May 1997 is a date that is burnt into the minds of Bank of England employees, according to this article published on Monday 8 August. Since being granted its independence, the Bank has built up an eight-year track record of independent thought…
COMMENT BY CENTRALBANKNET
The fear that demand in many leading economies has been sustained only by a housing and real estate "bubble" is often seen as one of the biggest risks facing monetary policymakers.
Is Japan ready for 50-year debt?
The Japanese government bond market is the world's biggest, but also among the least international, according to this article published on Monday 8 August. Perhaps the U.S. Treasury's move to issue new 30-year debt early next year will encourage Japan to…
The future of EMU: one size fits none?
According to the forthcoming edition of Central Banking, inflation and output gap differentials have grown between European states since the inception of the EMU in 1999. If these continue to worsen, the resulting tensions would put a big strain on…
Bank of Italy under siege
The trials and tribulations of Antonio Fazio, governor of the Bank of Italy, have raised many disturbing questions regarding the governance of Italy's central bank and of its regulatory system. This is a very sad business. This is the first of a new…
China's yuan decision may not change things much
This article published on on Thursday 28 July suggests the enthusiasm which greeted China's recent currency revaluation was sorely misguided. Taken together, the details outlined in the announcement left the future of China's currency as murky as if the…
Central bankers stand on the front line
This article looks at the response of central banks to terrorist attacks. It says that an interest rate cut by the Bank of England last week when the chaos was at its peak, might have added to the sense of panic.
Trichet on the ECB - five ideas
In an article published last week European Central Bank president Jean-Claude Trichet said that he is not preparing markets for either a cut or an increase in interest rates.
Iraq's central bank builds credibility
The strength of their currency is one solid economic achievement the Iraqis have to hold on to, according to this article. It attributes this remarkable level of stability to sound government policies - specifically the transformation of the Central Bank…
Key steps to African economic union
In this article South African Reserve Bank governor Tito Mboweni says the challenge is to ensure that SADC countries are ready and committed to implement the macroeconomic convergence programme while they develop the specialised skills and capacity to…
Has Greenspan changed views on bubble management?
This article asks whether Fed chief Alan Greenspan has changed his view that bubble management is strictly an ex-post job for a central banker? With cumulating signs of a bubble in the housing market, the Fed is dipping into its tool chest for some moral…
EU's referendum failure leaves ECB as scapegoat
EU politicians in need of a scapegoat after the rejection of the proposed constitution may be tempted to cast the European Central Bank in that role, says this article. And recent comments from ECB policymakers suggest its defences may be about to crack,…
Making the single currency a scapegoat
This article published on Sunday 5 June by Hamish McRae looks at the recent criticism of the single currency, and asks if the euro was a terrible mistake? The author says that while the eurozone is not going to collapse in the near future, 'it will…
Surprising transparency on Swiss gold sales
This article looks at the recent speech by Philipp Hildebrand on the Swiss National Bank's gold sales. The speech represented "amazing after-the-event transparency" it says.
Putting pressure on China's peg
A clamor of complaints from America's industrial heartland is galvanizing Washington into action, according to this article. But the big question is whether a stronger yuan will make much difference to the US economy, it says.
Is the IMF an endangered species in Asia?
This article says last week's meeting of the Asian Development Bank marked the resurrection of the idea of an "Asian Monetary Fund". This step, along with the Asian Bond Fund, will not only move Asia further down the path of integration, but also reduce…
Central bankers have to practise silence
This article published on Wednesday 11 May says central bankers have an obligation to speak out when politicians' actions threaten price stability, but on matters of tax and expenditure policy, central bankers, including Alan Greenspan, should tread…
RBA's fragile independence
This article published on Thursday 5 May says that although discussion is an integral tool in setting monetary policy, the jawboning should be the domain of the governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia. Unfortunately, over the past six months, the…
Fed's blunder should make Asia green with envy
This article published on Thursday 5 May says no policy maker in Asia can claim to match the Fed's mastery over "open mouth operations". Where many of the Asian central banks go wrong is in thinking they'll get more respect from the market by being…
Greenspan misses the point about yuan
This article looks at Alan Greenspan's recent comment on China that "They're going to have to, for stability's purposes, move their currency." In theory, Greenspan is right about the central bank "finding some difficulty" in selling debt. However, the…
CBN on learning curve
In almost one year of Charles Soludo's appointment as governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria his tenure the CBN is in a learning curve, this article says. This has manifested in three major policies, among them the restructuring of the CBN and the…