Central Banks
Zambia raises capital ratio for banks and rebases currency
Bank of Zambia reveals government decision to hike capital requirements for banks operating in the country; three zeros also to be slashed from value of banknotes
RBI’s Subbarao says eurozone situation better than expected
Governor of the Reserve Bank of India says Indian corporates report better conditions in Europe than feared; central bank lowers cash reserve ratio for banks to ease liquidity situation
ECB in talks with dealers on buying inflation-linked bonds
Dealers will present their case as to why the ECB should buy linkers as well as nominal bonds in a conference call today
David Miles retains seat on UK Monetary Policy Committee
David Miles re-appointed as an external member of the MPC; new term to run until 2012
Wickman-Parak on limitations of unemployment gap in setting policy
Riksbank deputy governor Barbro Wickman-Parak says role of resource utilisation and unemployment gap in monetary policy decision-making should not be overstated
Fiscal stabilisation policy is redundant, says Bullard
St Louis Federal Reserve study says fiscal policy is ill-suited as a stabilisation policy and that monetary policy, even at the zero bound, is a more effective tool
Fiscal sustainability indicators have limited effect on CDS spreads, says IMF paper
Fund study shows sovereign credit default swap spreads are driven largely by short-term liquidity conditions and large-scale long-term bond purchases by major central banks
US housing prices strongly influenced by news, says Bank of Portugal paper
Bank of Portugal study says news shocks explain sizable fraction of variation in house prices and housing investment in the US over the past four decades
BoE and Treasury Committee clash over accountability
Treasury Select Committee rebuffs Bank of England proposal on accountability reforms; chair Andrew Tyrie sets out three main areas of disagreement between the two bodies
EU freezes assets of Iranian central bank
EU follows US lead by announcing strict new sanctions on Iranian central bank; heart of action is to limit the country’s nuclear programme
Fed reveals design of new interest rate projections
Federal Reserve releases templates to be used in next Summary of Economic Projections (SEP) to project participants' views of the appropriate path for monetary policy
Bangladesh makes ‘historic’ female deputy governor selection
First female deputy governor appointed at Bangladesh Bank; Nazneen Sultana becomes one of three new deputy governors at the central bank
Lagarde calls for larger firewall to ease funding costs
Fund managing director Christine Lagarde says $500 billion boost in lending capacity will improve growth and allow for deeper integration in Europe; says larger firewall is also needed
Credit rating agencies pose stability risks, says IMF paper
Fund study shows opinions of rating agencies can influence financial stability through impact on sovereign funding costs
Governments can safeguard economy against supply shocks, says National Bank of Denmark paper
National Bank of Denmark study says financial system structures and government support are important factors in shielding the economy from supply shocks
RBI’s Mahapatra seeks greater surveillance of corporate governance
Reserve Bank of India executive director Shri Mahapatra calls for greater vigilance in corporate governance at financial institutions to avoid further crises
Interview: Gerard Hartsink
European Payments Council chairman Gerard Hartsink tells Yusuf Yassin he welcomes the decision to set end-dates for Sepa migration, but says concerns about the regulation, raised in October, remain
Hungary drops plan to merge central bank with regulator
Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán says planned merger between National Bank of Hungary and Hungarian Financial Supervisory Authority has been abandoned
Chilean president nominates economist to central bank board
Joaquin Vial Ruiz-Tagle put forward for seat on Central Bank of Chile board; government has final say
Swedish authorities improve macroprudential policy co-operation
The Riksbank and Finansinspektionen form a new council for co-operation on macroprudential policy; group will not infringe on two authorities' independence in decision-making