Operating framework
What else can central banks do?
Geneva Report’s plea for central banks to use more negative rates, additional QE and helicopter drops appears misguided
BoE’s new MPC member suggests tweaks to policy approach
Michael Saunders says models that assume pre-crisis level for equilibrium unemployment may be misleading; new FPC member grilled on other commitments in the US
UK PM says she will deliver ‘change’ to monetary policy
Theresa May criticises monetary policy for punishing savers and those without assets, promising to deliver change
IMF: rise of non-banks is reshaping policy transmission
Pass-through of monetary policy grows as non-banks become more important, but changed transmission mechanism demands better data to understand risk-taking channel
Bank of Canada should not raise inflation target – Obstfeld and co-authors
Central bank has been overtaken in transparency metrics, authors say; forward guidance would catapult Canada to top of rankings and could avoid the need for unconventional measures
Inflation expectations more sensitive near the zero lower bound – IMF study
IMF study examines whether monetary policy can boost inflation in constrained environment; countries near zero lower bound could see inflation respond more to shocks
Bank of Israel moves to eight-meeting policy cycle
Cut in number of meetings reflects stability of economic indicators and will allow for more detailed analysis at each meeting, central bank says, though one member criticises loss of flexibility
RBA’s Lowe: we are not ‘inflation nutters’
Philip Lowe underscores central bank’s “balanced” approach to controlling inflation in his first public appearance as RBA governor, and highlights other initiatives
BoJ targets inflation overshoot with revamped policy approach
Shift to “yield curve control” could give the central bank more room for manoeuvre on asset purchases, as it promises to keep easing until inflation exceeds the target
Riksbank highlights complexity in choice of target
Report studies case for changing target to CPIF or HICP inflation, and reinstating target band, ahead of discussions over monetary framework reforms
Rajan debunks central banking myths in final address
Outgoing governor completes valedictory tour with a cross-examination of the contradictory demands on the RBI, restating the value of central bank independence
Asset managers becoming key drivers of policy transmission – BIS research
Asset managers in the eurodollar futures market play a role in helping, or hindering, the transmission of policy, and have begun to respond more to Fed announcements than the macroeconomy
Jackson Hole: ECB and NY Fed economists examine ideal operational frameworks for policy
Simon Potter praises paper by ECB’s Ulrich Bindseil for in-depth analysis, but also highlights a number of areas for further research
BoE deputy clashes with academics over use of leverage ratio
Shafik disagrees with paper that argues leverage ratio “harms” pass-through of monetary policy – leverage ratio is “here to stay” says deputy governor
Anticipation effects can make lower bound a self-fulfilling prophecy – BoJ paper
New Keynesian model implies an economy can be drawn on to the zero lower bound more quickly when people expect it; negative rates have only a small impact on duration
RBNZ’s Wheeler stands by inflation targeting
Despite a host of challenges for central banks, flexible inflation targeting remains the “most appropriate” framework for New Zealand’s monetary policy, governor says
Danish research examines how central banks can impact market liquidity
Price of liquidity tends to change on days when central bank is operating in markets, with aggregate liquidity and payments activity also important, PhD thesis finds
Chinese authorities should introduce inflation target – IMF staff
Report by IMF staff sets out ‘key elements’ of transition to more market-based monetary framework; encourages explicit inflation goal and new intermediate target for policy
BoE bond purchases run into difficulties
Central bank fails to meet quota of long-dated government bond purchases despite offering a high price, pointing to an unusual failure of its bond-buying mechanism
Reserve Bank of Australia governor backs 2–3% target in final address
Reserve Bank of Australia governor supports inflation-targeting regime in last public address; moving the target could open the door to further changes down the line, warns Stevens
Colombian central bank should examine transmission in greater detail – paper
Colombian banks with higher levels of solvency “less sensitive” to changes in policy rate authors say; central bank should go into “greater detail” when examining policy transmission
Nepal to introduce interest corridor in August
There will be an initial large ‘wedge’ between rates when first introduced, official says; policy rate and floor of corridors set in relation to interbank average
‘Still some flaws’ in transmission mechanism – Icelandic report
Monetary policy report says capital flow measures have not yet had as much of an impact as intended, with the yield curve stubbornly staying flat
Bank of Tokyo abandons JGB primary dealer role
Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ steps back from role citing “business optimisation”, in the latest sign the Bank of Japan’s policy is putting the squeeze on bank profits