Articles by Central Banking Newsdesk
Portuguese paper analyses crisis impact on union agreements
Bank of Portugal working paper evaluates changes in union agreements since the crisis, finding they have reduced due to ‘downward nominal wage rigidity in deflationary times’
IMF projections may be ‘too pro-cyclical’ warns Vergara
Central Bank of Chile president questions whether a drop in productivity has occurred recently, suggesting potential growth was actually ‘lower than previously thought all along’
Caribbean countries should use fiscal policy to fight exchange market pressure
Report from economists of several Caribbean central banks lays out the path for fiscal sustainability in the region; recommends using exchange market pressure as trigger for fiscal correction
Fed presidents still divided on timing of rate hike
Heads of the Federal Reserve Banks in Atlanta, Boston and Cleveland offer different takes on current economic conditions; all united in desire for more data
Constâncio fleshes out wider macro-prudential vision
Vice-president at the European Central Bank wants toolkit to extend to a wider range of financial entities, including asset managers, as risks emerge elsewhere in the system
Bank of Portugal was ‘overly cautious’ intervening in BES
A more assertive attitude from the Bank of Portugal could have resulted in the ‘possible mitigation of impacts’ arising from the BES case, finds parliamentary committee
Lagarde calls for ‘new multilateralism’ and pledges to move ahead on reform programme
Global policy agenda for coming year says the integration of key emerging market economies would ‘generate positive global spillovers and stability gains’
Research department split at Central Bank of Malta
Annual report reveals separation of economic forecasts and quantitative research into separate departments, as governor looks to boost capacity
Bank of Canada sees 'front-loaded' oil price effects
Latest monetary policy report estimates Canadian economy was stagnant in first quarter as negative effects from lower oil prices hit earlier than expected; forecasts rebound in coming months
Spanish paper finds LTROs had ‘moderate’ effect
Working paper examines the impact of two ‘very long-term refinancing operations’ conducted in 2011 and 2012, finding evidence of a bank lending channel
Financial stability risks on the rise, IMF warns
Global financial stability report warns risks have increased and ‘rotated’ in the past six months, with emerging markets now more vulnerable
Protester shocks Draghi at ECB press conference
President’s opening remarks disrupted by protester rushing the stage; Draghi regains composure to deliver upbeat message on impact of QE in eurozone
Dallas Fed studies debt impact on exchange rate fluctuations
Countries that are most vulnerable to a sudden shift in capital inflows and a sudden fall in the capital account have ‘a large stock of net non-foreign direct investment external liabilities’
Norway SWF pioneers new activist approach at BP and Shell AGMs
Norges Bank Investment Management says it will vote in favour of resolution for more in-depth reporting of climate change risks by BP in AGM tomorrow
RBNZ deputy calls for action on housing imbalances
Grant Spencer says changes to tax treatment of housing should be considered, while he identifies apartment development as the best prospect for boosting supply in the short term
Central Bank of Brazil needs to battle inflation, says deputy-in-waiting
Progress in the fight against high inflation ‘is still not enough’, argues Tony Volpon, deputy governor nominee
Morocco takes ‘first step’ to flexible exchange rate
Moroccan central bank takes ‘first step in the transition to a more flexible exchange rate regime’ by revising its currency basket, as advised by the IMF
SMEs benefit from easier European credit standards
Latest ECB bank-lending survey shows credit standards continuing to ease for enterprises in Europe during the first few months of this year; demand for loans widely expected to increase further
Rossi calls on supervisors to ‘build a real single house’
Senior deputy governor at the Bank of Italy stresses the importance of harmonising supervisory practices across the eurozone to ‘exploit the potential’ of the SSM
Dutch paper finds public campaigns can boost debit card use
Working paper examines a campaign run in the Netherlands in 2007, finding it led to debit card use increasing by 2%; effects most prominent at early stage of campaign
Spanish paper analyses financial innovation in sovereign debt
Working paper published by the Bank of Spain studies how financial innovation in sovereign debt markets can increase a country’s level of private investment and welfare
IMF urges BCEAO to ‘closely follow’ macro-prudential risks
The Central Bank of West African States has increased the provision of liquidity to commercial banks, which in turn are buying more government debt, increasing risks to financial stability
Singapore dollar ticks up as MAS holds fire
Monetary Authority of Singapore leaves exchange rate policy unchanged despite falling prices in January and February, cites tight labour market
Argentines ask central bank for higher-denomination banknotes
Argentine bankers’ associations urge the central bank to print higher-denomination banknotes, as ATMs filled with 100 peso notes struggle to meet public demand