Monetary Policy
BoE officials say UK may be starting to throw off productivity woes
There are signs the UK may be emerging from the ‘long, dark tunnel’ of weak productivity, officials tell the Treasury Committee; government’s minimum wage plans may be a positive factor
Reform of Sterling Monetary Framework is ‘ongoing’, says BoE’s Salmon
Executive director for markets highlights potential for sharia-compliant facilities to be included in framework, among host of possible future developments
Yellen expects 'lift-off' later this year
Janet Yellen expects the Fed to raise the federal funds rate "at some point" in 2015 with full employment "coming closer into view" and inflation on track to return to 2% in the next few years
IMF wants new fund with ability to extend ELA in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Staff suggest creating financial stability fund that can provide liquidity support to stressed but solvent banks, which the currency board arrangement prohibits the central bank from doing
Weidmann does not see case for higher inflation targets
The Deutsche Bundesbank president points to welfare costs of higher inflation target, and argues in favour of structural reforms that boost productivity and deliver higher trend growth
Irish SME report shows growth in new lending
Report published by Central Bank of Ireland shows annualised gross new lending at highest level since 2011, with the largest share channelled to the agricultural sector
BoJ paper finds short and long-term expectations are anchored differently
Inflation expectations respond differently to changes in policies and inflation depending on whether they are short- or long-term, researchers find
Central banks cannot avoid fiscal impact, Bundesbank panellists warn
Academics and central bankers point to fiscal impact of monetary policy and lender of last resort function, raising the question of how much fiscal power central banks ought to wield
CNB faces strategy dilemma when it comes to ending exchange rate floor
Vice governor Mojmir Hampl says the Czech National Bank faces dilemma when it comes to removing its FX floor as it does not want to shock markets; communication will be key
Markets having trouble grasping ‘data-dependent' policy, says Kansas City Fed director
Getting markets to understand the concept of data-driven monetary policy remains a big challenge, according to Kansas City Fed's Troy Davig
Kenyan central bank hikes by 150bp in Njoroge’s first move
Central Bank of Kenya increases key rate for second consecutive month in first meeting with former IMF adviser Patrick Njoroge as governor
Stevens: global financial conditions remain ‘very accommodative’
Reserve Bank of Australia governor points to steady financial conditions and borrowing rates despite market fluctuations associated with China and Greece; RBA holds cash rate
IMF staff call on US to develop new macro-prudential tools
Assessment says tools that strengthen market resilience to run risks and fire sales in shadow banking sector should be a high priority; staff report recommends 2016 rate hike
Iceland’s Guðmundsson plans post-capital controls monetary redesign
‘Inflation targeting plus plus’ would help the small, open economy to pursue independent monetary policy, insulated from violent capital flows, the Icelandic governor tells Central Banking
Central banks expect South American inflation to stabilise
Inflation rising in several countries in South America, but central bank heads in region suggest it will ‘moderate’ when supply shocks dissipate and exchange rates normalise
Czech board expects strong growth showing
Board members at the Czech National Bank caught off guard by strong growth in first quarter, minutes show, but expect stronger-than-forecasted growth for rest of year
Solomon Islands increases flexibility of currency
Annual report reveals Central Bank of Solomon Islands scrapped its policy of restricting the movement of its currency against the US dollar on any given day, but retained peg against basket
Varoufakis out as Greeks vote No
Greek finance minister steps down despite 62.5% of voters backing the government’s position by rejecting the latest proposals; Eurogroup says ball in Greece’s court
Minutes show ECB happy to ‘look through’ volatility
Governing council carefully considered market volatility including the increase in government bond yields in June meeting, concluding it had not ‘materially altered’ economic outlook
Albanian governor warns of ‘fragile’ inflation
Gent Sejko says supervisory council will likely keep key interest rate low ‘for some quarters ahead’ with inflation forecast to remain below target in 2015
SNB paper: both monetary and macro-prudential policy impact arrears
Working paper suggests monetary policy impacts the affordability problems that drive arrears in the short term, while macro-prudential policy can help prevent longer-term problems
Riksbank cuts key rate and expands QE to curb krona risks
Swedish central bank cuts repo rate to -0.35% and will buy additional 45 billion krona worth of government bonds to prevent stronger currency or Greek collapse from derailing inflation
Varoufakis to stand down if Greeks vote 'Yes'
Greek finance minister says he will quit if the public votes to accept the latest terms offered to Greece in the July 5 referendum; demands debt restructuring as part of any deal
Fischer warns developing countries may not be ready for inflation targeting
Fed vice-chair tells audience of African central bankers no framework is ‘suitable for all countries for all times’ and cautions against adopting inflation targets before financial markets are ready