Central Banks
Fed’s Beige Book reports continued moderate growth
Survey of economic conditions in Fed districts find ‘modest to moderate’ growth in June and early July; respondents ‘cautiously optimistic’ about outlook
Ecuadorian governor injured during bullfight
Pedro Delgado suffers severe ankle injury at a bullfight; was immediately hospitalised following the incident at a ranch near Machachi
Former Bank of England MPC member blasts QE dissenters
David Blanchflower says Spencer Dale and Ben Broadbent were 'on another planet' when they voted against an increase to the asset purchase programme; minutes of July MPC meeting show 7:2 split
Spanish governor admits central bank’s failings
Luis Linde addresses past errors made by the Bank of Spain with regard to supervision of the financial system; says hindsight would mean a different approach to counter-cyclical provisioning
National Bank of Serbia governor refuses to resign
Dejan Šoškić’s governorship allegedly under threat from new Serbian government; defends position saying 'there is no reason for me to resign'
Eurozone crisis at 'critical' stage, says IMF
International Monetary Fund stresses need for completion of monetary union and sets out three vital common elements to create banking union; ECB’s Asmussen echoes thoughts on vital need for union
BIS paper argues financial systems can grow too large
Working paper examines impact of size of financial systems on productivity growth; finds size of financial sector initially boosts productivity but beyond certain threshold has negative effect
RBA minutes show cautious optimism
Minutes of Reserve Bank of Australia’s July monetary policy meeting note strong growth in domestic economy and signs of external recovery despite weakened growth in US, Europe and China
Bank of Finland paper analyses Chinese monetary policy
Discussion paper assesses the use of non-market monetary policy in China; finds policy tools are effective at controlling inflation but this depends on source of economic shocks
BoJ minutes reveal unanimous vote for rate hold
Minutes of Bank of Japan’s June monetary policy meeting show unanimous support for rate hold; say deflation a 'critical challenge'
Bank of Canada holds rates steady
Governing council decides to keep benchmark rate at 1%; says modest tightening of monetary policy may be justified if recovery continues
Bernanke blames Europe and fiscal cliff for stalling recovery
Chairman of the Federal Reserve says two main risks to economic improvement in the US are eurozone woes and looming fiscal cliff; urges lawmakers to act promptly
Bank of Israel unveils proposals to increase banking competition
Interim report sets out numerous measures to increase competition in Israel’s banking sector; says banking suffers from high concentration and low efficiency
Bangladesh Bank chief highlights efforts to encourage entrepreneurs
Atiur Rahman discusses role of central bank in promoting financial inclusion of micro and small and medium enterprises; says poverty has seen 'sharp' decline
NY Fed failed to share Libor low-balling fears with BoE, says King
Governor of the Bank of England says NY Fed did not pass on anecdotal evidence of Barclays’ manipulation of Libor submissions; says recommendations for reform were not a warning of trouble
IMF paper examines impact of financial crisis on US state finances
Working paper studies effect of balanced budget rules at US state level; finds pro-cyclicality but suggests this could be mitigated without changing the rules
Governor of Bank of Papua New Guinea discusses mixed economic outlook
Loi Bakani gives overview of economic developments in Papua New Guinea; notes strong economic growth but warns of risks posed by declining exports and rising government debt
Philippines central bank paper analyses effect of remittance flows
Working paper considers macroeconomic impact of flows of remittances into Filipino economy; identifies number of benefits but also potential risks to competitiveness
Luxembourg nominates new central bank chief
Replacement must be found for Yves Mersch before he moves to European Central Bank; new director-general nominated from finance ministry
Del Missier renews pressure on BoE over Libor scandal
Former chief operating officer of Barclays Bank says he was told instruction to submit lower Libor rates came from Bank of England; directly contradicts Bob Diamond’s testimony
IMF calls for policy action to counter looming downside risks
Latest World Economic Outlook and Global Financial Stability Report say further action is necessary by policy-makers in Europe, the US and emerging markets, as downside risks 'loom large'