Monetary Policy
IMF sees strong dollar shaping global recovery
IMF chief economist sees benefits in exchange rate movements at launch of World Economic Outlook, but warns sharp alterations could ignite international tensions if they persist
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
Mozambican central bank balances food import pressures with domestic industry concerns
Bank of Mozambique holds interest rates as it comes under pressure over the value of its currency; accused of artificially propping up the value of the metical
Bank of Portugal governor calls for a European monetary fund
Costa believes such an institution is the only way to ‘guarantee stability’ in Europe; ESM head Regling says current model has created ‘successful status quo’
‘Abolish currency to eliminate lower bound’ argues Buiter
Former BoE MPC member and Citigroup chief economist says scrapping currency is one way to push interest rates deep into negative territory – although there may be more practical solutions
FX regulator probes AUD spike prior to policy announcement
Australia's authorities look into sudden moves in the Australian dollar's value ahead of RBA monetary policy announcements
FOMC minutes: Fed cautious about June rate hike
Minutes highlight split in views of those who think rates should rise in June and those who would rather wait; Dudley and Powell give speeches urging care
Brazil’s inflation climbs to 8% despite rate hikes
Annual CPI inflation hit 8.13% in March, the highest since 2003, due to a double-digit hike in energy prices; central bank is expected to continue to raise interest rates
Korea’s record rates have further to fall, says economist
Rate cuts still look to be on the horizon despite the Bank of Korea holding steady at record lows today, says economist; government also likely to have to provide further stimulus
Russia’s Nabiullina dismisses QE possibility
Bank of Russia governor says quantitative easing is not on the table but further rate cuts are likely; sees signs that tough policy stance is working as ruble begins to recover
Bank of Finland paper tests price-level based forward guidance
Seppo Honkapohja and Kaushik Mitra use ‘adaptive learning’ approach to show price-level targeting can outperform inflation targeting under some circumstances
Linde: ECB’s QE is already ‘bearing fruit’
Households and families are enjoying better financing conditions due to the ECB’s quantitative easing programme, argues Luis Linde, governor of the Bank of Spain
Solomon Islands research illuminates inflation sources in small islands
Working paper finds domestic factors are mainly behind inflation outcomes, with the exchange rate only having a temporary impact; economy takes around a year to bounce back from shocks
Rates have hit lower bound, say ECB minutes
Second ‘account’ of ECB policy meeting suggests -0.2% is the effective lower bound for interest rates, but governing council mulls various options for extending QE should it be necessary
The MPC process in light of the Warsh Review
The Bank of England’s revised MPC meeting schedule has some merits but will not add to transparency and raises the risk of news shocks, writes former member Charles Goodhart
Icelandic MP posits radical monetary reform
Report proposes scrapping fractional reserve banking and handing Central Bank of Iceland authority over money creation; central bank says it is not considering the plans further
Draghi defends ECB’s voting opacity
While extolling the virtues of central bank transparency, the ECB governor says not publishing a voting record allows members to support the overall decision despite privately disagreeing
Hellwig warns against expanding financial stability mandate too far
Martin Hellwig presents his thoughts on how to strike a balance between the macroeconomic and financial stability objectives of monetary policy
Central Bank of Bahrain launches Islamic liquidity facility
Wakalah instrument chosen on basis of its effectiveness as a short-term liquidity management tool, executive director says, allowing banks to deposit excess reserves with the central bank
Wilkins sheds light on research into Bank of Canada regime
Senior deputy governor Carolyn Wilkins tells Central Banking how the Bank of Canada is preparing for the inflation-targeting renewal in 2016; sets out three research themes
Riksbank’s new approach to nowcasting reviewed
Article in Economic Review evaluates the forecasting performance of a dynamic factor model adopted by Sweden's central bank, finding it a useful addition to its suite of tools
IMF report urges review of euro timeline in Romania
Staff fear convergence could take longer than expected; encourage the transition to a ‘full-fledged’ inflation targeting regime at the central bank
Yellen sees potential benefits in ‘tight’ labour market
Fed chair Janet Yellen says allowing unemployment to fall below its longer-run level for a short time could help return inflation to target quicker and boost productivity
Bank of Korea torn between debt and demand
The central bank in Asia's fourth biggest economy is grappling with how to set policy when the country carries a private debt burden that could increase in size no matter the strategy