Central Banks
Japan offers ¥1 trillion to firms in disaster-stricken regions
Bank of Japan makes ¥1 trillion available for loans to financial co-operatives and banks in disaster-stricken regions
Portugal seeks bailout, Trichet confident rate hike will only help
Portugal seeks financial assistance from Brussels; European Central Bank president Jean-Claude Trichet says rate hike will help build confidence in stricken sovereign
Sweden picks famous faces for new banknotes
Riksbank announces motifs to be emblazoned on new banknotes; include actress Greta Garbo, author Astrid Lindgren and singer Birgit Nilsson
IMF paper explores measures of default probability
Fund paper investigates methods to measure market price of risk and probability of default
FOMC debate length of QE programme
Federal Open Market Committee meeting minutes shows some members would like option to end Fed’s asset purchase programme early
Basel Committee’s Walter: consensus reached on method to identify Sifis
Basel Committee has now agreed on criteria for banks posing systemic threat; FSB agrees on accelerated timetable for G-20 recommendations
Ireland’s Elderfield: we’ll not haircut senior debt
Matthew Elderfield, Ireland’s head regulator, assures senior bondholders in four banks they will not face “action”
Risk Europe: S&P slammed for linking Greece, Portugal downgrades to ESM
Eurozone bail-out vehicle doesn't hurt existing bondholders, EC official argues
Financial cycle dynamics: IMF paper
Fund study finds financial cycles tend to be long, severe and highly synchronised within and across countries
RBI’s Gokarn on inflation growth tradeoff
Reserve Bank of India deputy governor Subir Gokarn says sustainability of growth will require controlling inflation
New York Fed to set up working group on OTC reforms
New York Federal Reserve receives commitment from market participants to support strategic road map on reforms to over-the-counter derivatives markets
Riksbank report examines links between housing and financial stability
Report notes that housing slumps seldom result in banking crises outside the US; highlights data deficiencies
Bank of Japan- Tankan Survey (March 2011)
Bank of Japan March 2011 Tankan survey shows business conditions continue to deteriorate in Japan
IMF moots policy framework for capital inflows
Fund devises “key elements” of possible policy framework for managing capital inflows; framework notable in allowances for capital controls
Risk Europe: Tension between the ESRB and ECB, says Belgium's Reynders
Europe's new systemic risk watchdog is already clashing with the ECB - but the ESRB's powers may need to be expanded, says Belgian finance minister, Didier Reynders
Bernanke pledges tough oversight of CCPs
Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke says reforms to financial market infrastructure will help strengthen supervision of central counterparties
Moody’s downgrades Portugal again
Moody’s cuts Portugal’s credit rating by one notch to Baa1 as political uncertainty continues to cloud medium-term financing
Banque de France profits remain elevated on back of euro note increase
Annual report delivers news that profit at the Banque de France remains high this year. Net profit is €2.56 billion, profit before tax is €4.5 billion
Risk Europe: no-go on CoCos, says panel
Traditional investors won't be won over by debt that converts into equity, says conference panel - and one CoCo issuer raises threat of feedback effects
Fed chooses new chief operating officer
Atlanta businessman Richard Anderson will become chief operating officer of the Federal Reserve System later this month