Central Banks
S&P places Japan on negative watch
Rating agency argues fiscal leverage has diminished; decision comes after central bank opts not to extend quantitative easing
Schapiro seeks tighter reins on hedge-funds
US Securities and Exchange Commission’s Mary Schapiro eyes more stringent controls for hedge funds and credit rating agencies
Big fiscal spending hurts post-crisis recovery: IMF
International Monetary Fund looks at whether there is a trade-off between committing large fiscal resources and a quick recovery
Redrado barred from central bank by police
The fall out between Argentine central bank head Martín Redrado and President Cristina Fernández escalates as police are posted outside the central bank to prevent him entering
Zimbabwe’s central bank ‘technically insolvent’: reports
Local media sources report that Zimbabwe’s central bank is bankrupt after high court judge orders that its property be attached to unpaid debts
BoE statistics show broad money contraction
Data released by the Bank of England last week showed M4 growth was negative, although lending increased very slightly
BuBa’s Fabritius: monetary policy can’t stop bubbles
Bundesbank’s Hans Fabritius says monetary policy has limited capability to target asset bubbles
Former Bank governor dies
Ex-Bank of England chief Lord Richardson passes away
Senior lawmaker calls for SARB nationalisation
African National Congress official says the South African Reserve Bank, one of the few privately-owned central banks, should be nationalised; comments seen as part of encroaching politicisation of policy
SNB policy impacts franc’s rate by less than 20%
Swiss National Bank looks at the determinants of the franc’s exchange rate against the euro
Obama's reforms find few friends
Markets and commentators reject the US president’s proposed reform of banks, which would see a ban imposed on proprietary trading
Fiji names two new executives
Reserve Bank of Fiji makes Lorraine Seeto advisor to the governor’s office and Esala Masitabua chief manager of financial institutions
NY Fed names new minder for AIG portfolio
Federal Reserve Bank of New York's new special investments management group will oversee its American International Group (AIG) and Maiden Lane III portfolios
Great Depression spread by Germany, not US
A new paper argues that the 1931 crisis was propagated by the collapse of Germany's banking system
Mauritius’s Googoolye on macro supervision
Bank of Mauritius’s Yandraduth Googoolye says that the country’s revenue authority will share tax data with the central bank to aid policymaking
The behavior of money
A technical paper from the Central Bank of Ireland looks at how the demand for money has changed as the store of value function has gained in importance over the past 40 years.
SARB – an official history
The South African Reserve Bank publishes an account of its history, functions and institutional structure
Bank’s Tucker on shadow banking
Paul Tucker, a deputy governor at the Bank of England, set out his thoughts on the regulatory agenda for financial markets that replicate the features of core commercial banks
Nigeria imposes limit on bank chiefs’ terms
Nigerian central bank says bank heads will have a maximum of ten years at the top, law to be backdated to 2000
Back in the USSR?
Bank of Finland research finds that after 20 years of experimenting with private financial intermediation, Russia appears to be backtracking towards a state-run credit system.
Fed’s Dudley shoots down “audit” bill
William Dudley, president of the New York Fed, dismisses calls for greater scrutiny as threat to independence in policymaking
Uganda’s Tumusiime-Mutebile on media relationships
Bank of Uganda’s Emmanuel Tumusiime-Mutebile says effective communication with the public is crucial for central bank’s work
Rates on hold – Colombian minutes
Minutes of the Colombian central bank’s December policy meeting show inflation is not yet a concern
Swiss profits soar to $10 billion
Gold gains will see the Swiss National Bank book CHF10 billion in profits for 2009