Financial Stability
Deputy discusses Australian reaction to turmoil
Ric Battellino, deputy governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia, spoke about the central bank's handling of the recent bout of market turmoil at the Retail Financial Services Forum on Central Bank Market Operations in Sydney on 28 August.
Cost of UK borrowing hits ten-year high
Banks borrowing sterling over a three-month period yesterday found the cost at a near-ten-year high as the major UK financial institutions sought medium-term funding to help them survive the financial volatility in the credit markets.
EU's Almunia expects rates to tighten
Speaking at a conference organised by Nueva Economia, Joaquin Almunia, the EU economic and monetary affairs commissioner, intimated that he expects Eurozone interest rates to tighten further. He also warned that financial market volatility might carry…
Bank-run claims "partially misleading": Bundesbank
The Bundesbank has said newspaper claims that Axel Weber, the president of the central bank, compared the current market turmoil to a classic bank run were "partially misleading".
Fed Board's Mishkin writes on housing crisis
In a timely paper, Frederic Mishkin, one of five current members of the Federal Reserve's Board of Governors, has emphasised the importance of the housing industry on the US economy. Mishkin said: "The housing market is of central concern to monetary…
Australia announces ATM reforms
The Reserve Bank of Australia said it will introduce reforms that will give the public more information on the cost of using ATMs.
Barclays revealed as BofE borrower
Barclays, a commercial bank, said Thursday that it was the bank that borrowed £1.6 billion ($3.2 billion) from the Bank of England's standing facility.
Banknotes remain important - SA chief economist
Monde Mnyande, the chief economist of the South African Reserve Bank said that the ratio of coins and notes in circulation to gross domestic product has risen since 2004, after the ratio had declined steadily since the mid seventies.
BofE lends £1.6 billion from standing facility
The Bank of England said that a commercial bank borrowed £1.6 billion on Wednesday through the Bank's standing facility, which charges 100 basis points more than the base rate.
ECB tender reveals illiquidity
The results of the European Central Bank's latest tender indicate conditions in the market for inter-bank lending are still far from normal.
Nigeria halts currency redenomination
The Central Bank of Nigeria has suspended its redenomination of the Naira at the request of the country's president, Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar'Adua.
Notes on surviving illiquidity
The Cleveland Federal Reserve Board has published a paper that examines crashes and recoveries in illiquid markets.
Government bond liquidity key - Swiss banker
"A liquid market for government bonds is a great advantage for the functioning of financial markets and for an efficient monetary policy," Swiss National Bank board member Thomas Jordan argued on Tuesday.
Borrowing from Fed at highest level since 9/11
Banks have borrowed an average of $1.2 billion a day from the Federal Reserve's discount window for the week ending 22 August. This is the third highest weekly amount of borrowing ever.
Ford chief joins Wall Street's calls for Fed cut
Alan Mulally, the chief executive of motor company Ford, voiced his support for a cut to the federal funds rate on Friday.
Securitisation led to subprime growth
The introduction of automated underwriting and securitisation caused the US subprime loans market to expand, according to two International Monetary Fund (IMF) researchers.
IMF head plays down market volatility
Rodrigo de Rato, the managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), expects both US and global economic growth to continue in spite of financial turmoil.
RBNZ boosts liquidity with bill buyback
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand said that it will accept New Zealand bank bills in its overnight reverse repurchase facility from 24 August.
Pressure moves to money market funds
In a classic example of how financial strains can have repercussions in areas of finance far away from the original epicentre of the crisis, asset management companies such as Vanguard Group and Fidelity Investments have been flooded with calls from…
The impact of contagion on interbank markets
The Bank for International Settlements has published a paper on using counterfactual simulations to assess the danger of contagion in interbank markets.
US Senator hints at cut after high level meeting
Christopher Dodd, a US senator, said Ben Bernanke, the chairman of the Federal Reserve, would use "all the available tools" to ensure markets remained liquid.
Action only if "real" impact - Fed's Lacker
Jeff Lacker, the president of the Richmond Federal Reserve, said on Tuesday that the Fed's reaction to the current bout of market volatility should depend on the effect it has on "real activity."
San Francisco Fed conference on Asian Crisis
The Federal Reserve of San Francisco will hold a conference and seminar series discussing the impact of the 1997 Asian financial crisis.
Bank of England joins the fray with emergency loan
In what represents its first unusual market intervention during the current spell of market volatility, the Bank of England lent £314 million ($622 million) today to an unnamed financial institution through its standing facility.