Monetary Policy
Bank Indonesia raises interest rates in ad hoc meeting after fuel price rise
In an unexpected meeting, the Bank of Indonesia decided to raise the interest rate to 7.75% to tackle inflation, after the government raised fuel prices by more than 30%
Draghi says sovereign bond-buying is on the table and under scrutiny
ECB staff preparing plans for various unconventional policies, with sovereign bond-buying very much under consideration, president says; dismisses concerns that low rates defer government action
Praet: Covered bond supply ‘dynamised’ by ECB purchases
European Central Bank executive board member Peter Praet identified ‘a number of supply side reactions’ to covered bond purchases, which hit €10.5 billion last week
St. Louis Fed’s Bullard doubts zero lower bound
James Bullard says low inflation in the US may justify a ‘somewhat lower-than-normal’ policy rate, but not remaining at the zero lower bound
Serbian central bank cuts key rate with inflation stuck below target
National Bank of Serbia ‘trims’ key rate to 8% with inflation hovering around 2%; also lowers foreign exchange reserve requirements in an effort to get banks lending
Plosser: central bankers should take ‘great care' in changing view on neutral interest rate
Distinguishing transitory from permanent changes in growth and real interest rates is a ‘tricky task', says Philadelphia Fed president and FOMC member
IMF finds Mexico well-placed to weather capital market volatility
Mexico should be able to ‘weather’ a rise in volatility, says the IMF, since the country has a healthy buffer of international reserves and ‘deep and liquid’ financial markets
Dudley says Federal Reserve could do more to be a ‘better global steward'
Permanent FOMC member suggests dollar's reserve currency status sets the US central bank apart; warns Fed funds rate hike likely to spark ‘market turbulence'
Carney dismisses call for helicopter money
Bank of England governor says he ‘cannot envisage any circumstance’ where direct central bank financing of government debt would be justified – but some central banks may already be doing it
BoJ’s Sato sees macro-prudential comms issue
Policy board member identifies three issues surrounding the implementation of macro-prudential measures – timing, communication and spillovers
ECB watchers cut inflation forecasts
Average forecasts in 2014 and 2015 drop to 0.5% and 1% respectively, but probability distribution reveals little concern over deflation in the eurozone
Central Bank of Costa Rica should not have a growth target, says IMF
Costa Rican authorities should 'resist pressures to expand the central bank’s mandate' to include growth, according to IMF; general manager agrees
Carney: Inflation ‘likely’ to drop below 1%
Bank of England signals rates firmly on hold into 2015 as probability rises of inflation falling below 1% in the short run; real wage growth likely to accelerate over the year
No evidence US prices were ‘more stable or less uncertain' before or after WWII
Experience shows ‘well-managed fiat regime' can achieve same level of moderation in price swings as gold standard, according to Bank of Korea working paper
Riksbank board at a loss over falling inflation, minutes suggest
Ingves says Swedish economy needs ‘two different policy rates: one for households and one for companies', while central bank casts doubt on new mortgage repayment rules
PBoC sheds light on opaque liquidity measures
Central bank confirms injection of billions of renminbi via new ‘medium-term lending facility’ as part of efforts to offset weaker foreign exchange inflows
RBA markets head details Australian approach to securitisation
Chris Aylmer outlines RBA’s ‘very high standard’ of ABS risk management in its liquidity operations, saying the approach will evolve over time
Lagarde approves of BoJ’s ‘brave’ decision to launch more QE
IMF managing director describes ramping up of asset purchases as ‘perfectly legitimate’ and ‘brave’ on high-level panel in Paris; Yellen, Coeuré, Rajan and Carstens also feature
Cleveland Fed president sees forward guidance evolving in normal times
Loretta Mester suggests it will focus less on when policy will be changed and ‘more on the rationale for policy decisions’; sees FOMC summary of economic projections playing ‘central role’
Hélène Rey warns advanced economies are not safe from US spillovers
Leading economist says spillovers from US monetary policy affect both advanced economies and emerging markets, weakening domestic policy; NY Fed's Bill Dudley responds
BlackRock chairman warns Carney over low rate environment
Laurence Fink tells senior central bankers at Banque de France symposium that private institutions could ‘refuse to lend’ if rates remain low; Carney questions claim
Kyrgyz Republic marshals journalists in financial literacy push
National Bank spokeswoman says central bank is taking the lead with broad communication strategy while government finalises plans; journalists seen as ‘effective information transfer tool’
ECB publishes letters between Trichet and Irish government
Letters relate to the period leading up to Ireland’s decision to enter an EU/IMF programme; ECB threatened to withhold access to ELA unless Ireland sought a bailout
Draghi dismisses reports of ECB rift
ECB president says it is ‘fairly normal to disagree about things’ and points to divisions on FOMC; earlier reports had raised questions over Draghi’s leadership style