Advanced economies
Central banks divided on publishing policy meeting minutes
Central banks in advanced economies more likely to publish minutes
Majority of central banks have power to issue debt for monetary purposes
Central banks pointed to draining liquidity as a reason for issuing debt
FX market intervention key tool for emerging market economies
Central bank markets departments perform a wide range of different roles
Asset purchase programmes prevalent among advanced economies
But just 17% of emerging market economies said they operate a purchase programme
Some philosophical questions about the future of central banking
Kenneth Rogoff weighs up the many challenges facing central banks in the years ahead, from debt and inflation to negative rates and the dangers of ‘mission creep’
Majority of retail payment systems lack real-time processing and settlement
Over half of RPSs in emerging market economies were owned by central banks, but in advanced economies this fell to less than a quarter
OECD flags early signs of ‘moderating’ growth
Slowdown is widespread in advanced economies, but emerging markets see greater divergence
Central banks’ payments operations staffed more than oversight function
Advanced economies tend to have higher staff numbers in both functions
Covid-19 recovery highlights stark inequality between nations – IMF
Policy support and speed of vaccination programmes have widened gaps, Gopinath says
The ‘golden age’ of central banking has passed
Central banks face multi-faceted challenges and weakened autonomy amid highly polarised inflation expectations
Governance Benchmarks 2021 report – the frameworks that rule central banks
How are central banks governed? Benchmarking data offers insights on appointments, legal structures, powers, decision-making bodies, independence and more
A return of the inflation monster?
There are fears that a shift in intellectual approach towards running economies ‘hot’ could herald a return of the money-eating inflation era
Central bank mandates differ between advanced and emerging economies
Governance Benchmark 2021 data shows emerging economy central banks more likely to have financial stability mandate
Fintech & IT Benchmarks 2021 report – executive summary
Shedding light on fintech initiatives, staffing, salaries, cyber security and more
BIS launches database on Covid-19 monetary policy actions
Data designed to help researchers study “massive” policy response to pandemic
IMF adjusts growth forecasts upward
Fund warns of uneven and unequal recovery, but is more optimistic than it was in October
Rising rates could endanger emerging market recovery, IMF warns
“Divergent recovery” likely to create financial stability challenges, report says
A latent rise in r* could upend monetary policy
A rising natural rate could create serious challenges for policy-makers, write Jorma Schäublin and Philip Turner
Cyber security and retaining top talent are biggest tech challenges
Keeping abreast of fintech developments also tests institutions
Corporate Services Benchmarks 2021 report – trends in financial reporting and administration
Insights on staffing and salaries, technological automation, data security, rule compliance, gender equality and green office spaces in accounting, audit, HR and administration
How valuable is a PhD economist?
Heads of research from Canada, Israel and North Macedonia weigh the benefits of advanced economics education – and the challenge of retaining top staff
Measuring the exceptional speed and scope of Covid-19 monetary policy
Policy actions during the first wave of the pandemic were extraordinary for their intensity, scope and speed. Other patterns also emerge on closer inspection
IMF warns of ‘exceptional uncertainty’ in vaccine-driven recovery
Fund upgrades global forecasts amid early success of vaccine rollout
Economics Benchmarks 2020 report – executive summary
Shedding light on economics governance, salaries, forecasting, research, publications and more