Independence
Central Bank of Hungary adopts new constitution
The ‘internal constitution' reinforces central bank's ‘extremely broad range of competencies' and stresses cooperation with government to promote growth
Central banks must grasp opportunity to shrink balance sheets safely
Central bank purchases of government bonds have turned traditional dogma on its head - but dangers lurk in the unwinding, warns Philip Turner
Top central bankers meet at IMF to discuss way forward in the 'new normal'
IMF's Christine Lagarde hosts day-long conference taking on the challenges set to face the world's central bankers in the medium term
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
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
Parliament eyes Riksbank's off-mark inflation forecasts
Report on Swedish central bank's performance in 2013 shows its inflation forecasts were off the mark; flawed forecasts have forced several central banks to upend policies in the past months
Blanchard leads calls for more ‘democratic input’ in central bank decision-making
Viral Acharya, Olivier Blanchard, Richard Fisher, Otmar Issing and Klaas Knot debate new ‘paradigm’ of central banks with ever more responsibilities; Blanchard prescribes an injection of democracy
Iceland MPC fears debt relief package will boost inflation
Central Bank of Iceland frets over economic impact of government's plan to relieve 100,000 households of $1.32 billion in debt
Iceland governor must re-apply for post as government mulls central bank shake-up
Ministry of finance says decision to review central bank's governing structure means it will advertise for applications for governorship; media speculate that political motives play a part
Central bank independence is 'oversold', says Cargill
Thomas Cargill, chair of the AEA's session on central bank independence, says rules-based approach first advocated by Milton Friedman is 'far more important' for price stability
Independence no substitute for rules-based policy
Thomas Cargill summarises the conclusions of four papers by world-leading economists on the issue of central bank governance and finds independence is overrated
IMF voices concern over ‘weakening of central bank independence' in Bolivia
Any changes stemming from new constitution should ‘conserve supremacy of central bank law', says IMF; analyst says independence has not led to price stability
Central Bank of Nicaragua appoints Ovidio Reyes president
General manager was made acting president when Alberto Guevara was stripped of his responsibilities in mid-January, but was only officially appointed on Thursday
Central Bank of Venezuela sees third president in nine months
Nelson Merentes, currently finance minister, will return to the bank, which he led for four years before leaving in April; meanwhile, the finance and ‘banking system' ministries are being merged
Head of the Central Bank of Nicaragua removed by decree
Alberto Guevara was transferred to a different, as yet unknown, position within the government last week; the general manager is standing in and the bank is expected to comment publicly on Friday
Turkish prime minister praises central bank rate hold as lira falls to record lows
PM's comments following bank's decision to keep rates at 7.75%, despite a sharp drop in the lira's value in the past month, raise questions about government's role in monetary policy decision-making
Kohn says Fed's independence 'at risk'
Former Federal Reserve vice-chairman Donald Kohn argues the institution's autonomy has been undermined by recent policies; lists four explicit threats in paper published by the Brookings Institution
Nigeria's Sanusi to serve out full term after ‘reconciling' with Jonathan
Nigerian central bank governor and president said to put aside their ‘differences' after Goodluck Jonanthan reportedly demanded Sanusi's immediate resignation for allegedly leaking politically sensitive information
RBI's independence under threat, says former chief general manager
Grace Koshie says proposed changes could give the government greater involvement in the Reserve Bank of India’s operational areas; warns other central banks' legal independence is being ‘altered’
Overburdened central banks may become ‘repoliticised’, says Orphanides
Former Central Bank of Cyprus governor warns overreliance on central banks may eventually ‘diminish and compromise’ their independence, in a paper published by the Boston Fed
OECD tells Brazilian government to stay quiet on interest rate policy
New report urges government to stop commenting on future trajectory of interest rates, and set fixed terms for MPC members ‘during which they cannot be dismissed'
BIS' Caruana identifies ‘new' threats to central bank credibility
Central bank independence is under pressure from unprecedented monetary policies, says BIS manager; argues banks' ‘credibility in fulfilling their mandates' is at stake
Blanchard, Cecchetti, Frenkel and Taylor debate limits of central bank independence
Illustrious panel at Bank of Mexico conference debates pros and cons of central bank independence; Cecchetti says full independence is ‘at odds’ with democracy