Financial crisis
The Bank is losing a house price game
ARTICLE - This article suggests that the Bank of England's interest rate strategy has gone wrong causing a house price bubble and that central bankers avoid discussion on asset price bubbles incase their collapse makes them look stupid.
Bank of Japan to begin share buying plan next week
JAPAN - Japan's shock move to purchase equities in a bid to solve the banks bad loans crisis will begin next week. Last week Japan's FSA brought further concern suggesting that the problem could have been underestimated by as much as Y13,000bn.
Crisis Prevention and Crisis Management
RESEARCH - IMF Working Paper, November 2002 by Udaibir Das and Marc Quintyn, Monetary and Exchange Affairs Department, 'Crisis Prevention and Crisis Management: The Role of Regulatory Governance'. This paper first defines four key components of…
Duisenberg should stop suffocating Europe
ARTICLE - In the autumn of 1998, amid the storm of the Asian crisis, Europe's central bankers referred to Europe as an "island of stability". They were roundly criticised by their US friends who felt that the world economy was enduring its worst…
Leadership and management in central banking
Future demands on central banks require them now to adopt innovative approaches to leadership and management, argues John Mendzela in the first of two articles.
Review of Globalization and its Discontents
Joseph Stiglitz’s capacity to shock is not in doubt. But his view of globalisation is too narrow, and he is wide of the mark on the discontent, suggests Graham Bannock.
The costs of conversion for the UK
Graham Bannock, of Bannock Consulting, puts a figure of £12 billion on a switch to the euro for British business. For many, especially small firms, cost will exceed benefit, which may explain why most of them oppose UK entry.
Review of Financial crises and what to do about them
Barry Eichengreen finds a middle way between past policy failings and current lofty aims in his financial crisis handbook, says Benedict Mander.
Brazil central bank raises interest rates to 21%
BRAZIL - Brazil's central bank yesterday sought to stave off a growing financial crisis by raising overnight interest rates by 3 percentage points to 21 per cent. The increase followed renewed pressure on the Real, the country's currency, before a likely…
IMF's Stefan Ingves on the Nordic Banking Crisis
SPEECH - In a speech titled 'The Nordic Banking Crisis from an International Perspective' Stefan Ingves, Director, Monetary and Exchange Affairs Department at the IMF said that the lessons of the Nordic countries in dealing with their banking crises…
Brazil's c bank calls extraordinary Copom meeting
BRAZIL - Brazil's Central Bank called Monday an extraordinary meeting of its interest rate-setting Monetary Policy Committee (Copom), two weeks before presidential elections and amid a currency crisis that is fanning inflation and whipping the economy.
Advocate of hard-landing may join Japan debt team
JAPAN - Japan's best-known advocate of a "hard-landing" solution to the banking crisis is likely to be named this week a member of the taskforce charged with drawing up proposals to tackle the financial system's mountain of bad debts.
NY Fed's McDonough says Brazil should be fine
US - New York Federal Reserve President William McDonough said on Monday that the crisis of confidence in Brazil would likely turn out all right.
BIS-Central bankers see economy picking up in 2003
SWITZERLAND - Top central bankers expect the world economy to pick up speed next year after turmoil in financial markets has weighed on growth prospects this year, Bank of England Governor Sir Edward George said on Monday.
RBA's Edey Confidence crisis no threat to recovery
AUSTRALIA - Fears that the global economic recovery has stalled have been overplayed, with Japan, the rest of Asia, and the United States growing steadily despite the crisis of confidence in stockmarkets, the Reserve Bank said yesterday.
Brazil c bank holds rates with a downward bias
BRAZIL - Brazil's central bank held its benchmark interest rate unchanged at 18 percent on Wednesday as financial turmoil ahead of October presidential elections continued to batter the currency and fan inflation.
Accounting for reserves
John Nugée highlights the disparities in alternative accounting treatment of external reserves. Portfolio management decisions increasingly have to take these into account, with unforeseen consequences for markets.
IMF Survey, 5 August
REPORT - IMF Survey, Topical coverage of the IMF's activities, policies, and research, 5 August. Includes Jack Boorman on the Argentina crisis and lessons to be learned from it.
Uruguay set to receive IMF money to avert crisis
URUGUAY - Uruguay was yesterday set to receive $1.5bn (£950m) from the International Monetary Fund and impose limited restrictions on bank withdrawals in an effort to avert a collapse of its once-vaunted financial system.
Papua New Guinea's central bank wants spending cut
PAPUA NEW GUINEA - The Bank of Papua New Guinea yesterday warned that the incoming government could face a financial crisis similar to those in 1994 and 1999 following a 210.5m kina hole in the budget deficit in the first half of this year.
Japan-style financial crisis looms for Taiwan
ARTICLE - A researcher with the Asian Development Bank Institute said Thursday that indications are Taiwan may be due for a crisis like the one that hit Japan in 1997.
Rumours persist of emergency fed meeting
US - The US Federal Reserve refused to comment Wednesday on rumours that it was considering an emergency meeting in response to the collapse in the stock markets.
Soros says central banks should bailout Brazil
ARTICLE - In the wake of the current economic crisis in Brazil, George Soros has said that leading central banks should open their discount windows and refinance the holders of Brazilian debt. Indeed, he expressed surprise that central banks had not…
Brazil maintains steady interest rates
BRAZIL - Brazil's central bank yesterday maintained its prime interest rate at 18.5 per cent for the third consecutive month after recent market turmoil began fuelling inflation fears.