Monetary Policy
Senior IMF figures support nominal negative rates
Negative nominal interest rates can help deliver additional monetary stimulus, senior figures at the IMF "tentatively" conclude
Visco warns of danger of revising wages down if inflation undershoots predictions
Some Italian contracts will be downwardly revising elements of pay if inflation undershoots expectations, Ignazio Visco says; general adoption of this rule could harm the ECB’s policy
Operational reform has not impacted longer term rates, BoE working paper says
Reserve averaging and reserve targets reduced volatility in overnight rate but had little impact on longer-term rates, research finds
Summers: Fed is not ready for next crisis
Secular stagnation has left Federal Reserve short on firepower as the next recession looms, economist says; urges greater willingness to risk inflation overshoot and action by fiscal authorities
Skingsley sees turning point for Riksbank policy
Immediate threat is fading, enabling the central bank to focus more on longer-term risks, deputy governor says
Praet says ECB policy is working
Analysis shows that eurozone finances would be considerably tighter without ECB’s unconventional monetary policy, executive board member says
Some Fed officials concerned April hike would ‘signal a sense of urgency’
Minutes from March meeting reveal caution around prospect of a hike this month, given prevailing headwinds and risks; next meeting on April 26–27
BIS’s Shin argues bank capital underpins both monetary policy and financial stability
Research sheds light on tension between bank shareholders and wider society, as high levels of capital support lending and therefore affect the real economy as well as the financial sector
Ingves raises fundamental questions about central banking
Riksbank governor sets out questions around monetary policy and macro-prudential framework in Sweden, raising the prospect of a merger with the FSA and joining the SSM
Norges Bank researchers grapple with nonlinear exchange rate pass-through
Exchange rate pass-through in Norway is unusually high, which the authors suggest could be due to the size of recent currency movements – but pinning down the effect empirically proves difficult
Australian inflation likely to remain low for next two years, governor says
"Accommodative" monetary policy appropriate as GDP picks up, Glenn Steven says
Reserve Bank of India modifies liquidity framework
Rajan spells out plans to “progressively lower” the liquidity deficit in the banking system as part of a broader shift in focus; RBI cuts policy rate by 25bp with inflation on track
Bank of Thailand frets over zero lower bound
Minutes show latest policy decision influenced by worries over financial imbalances and perceived need to maintain “policy space” in event of economic hit
West African union must improve monetary transmission, IMF staff say
The West African Economic and Monetary Union must increase the effectiveness of monetary policy, IMF staff say; reforms should target bank refinancing and government securities markets
ECB had to act to forestall fall in inflation expectations, Praet says
The ECB had to expand its unconventional monetary policy to prevent a downward shift in long-term eurozone inflation expectations, Peter Praet says; inaction of others “no excuse”
Chicago and Cleveland Fed presidents back gradual path for rate increases
Charles Evans is “comfortable” with tightening implied by latest round of dot plots; he and Loretta Mester spell out outlooks for growth and inflation and risks surrounding them