Central Banks
The value of active management for central banks
Central bank portfolio managers should not avoid risk but rather have a disciplined approach to managing it, Elisa Vilorio believes
Questions that an audit committee should ask
Joanna Grochalska discusses how central banks can get the most out of their audit committees
The collateral squeeze of 2008
William Allen and Richhild Moessner analyse data from US commercial banks and Morgan Stanley in the months surrounding Lehman Brothers’ collapse
The inflation targeting debate: a case study in FOMC deliberation
Discussions among Federal Open Market Committee members in the mid1990s highlight two important lessons for central bankers, Marvin Goodfriend shows
Financial reform, Fed independence and the political economy of monetary policy
The 2010 Financial Reform Act will weaken the independence of the Federal Reserve. Looking at the central bank’s history and its political economy allows us to appreciate why, Thomas F. Cargill argues
Off with their Fed
The past six months have witnessed the Federal Reserve come under attack on issues ranging from its mandate to its discharge of its duties. Ramya Jaidev reports
Rebalancing growth in Asia: IMF paper
Fund study examines case for rebalancing growth in Asia through investment-oriented policies
FOMC minutes on why yield curve is steepening
Federal Open Market Committee meeting minutes explain steep rise in long-term Treasury yields
Bank of Finland paper on boom and bust
Bank of Finland proposes model to measure financial frictions in the Finnish economy
UK Treasury fleshes out new regulatory set-up
UK Treasury details powers of the new macroprudential body; rebrands Consumer Protection and Markets Authority to reflect underlying purpose
ECB overnight lending rockets to 19-month high
Banks’ borrowing from the European Central Bank’s marginal lending facility climbs to $21 billion on Wednesday; sudden move has sparked speculation on bank troubles, analysts say
RBA spends $18,000 on governor’s table; refurb could cost up to $68m
Reserve Bank of Australia says refurbishment could set it back A$68 million; big-ticket items include A$18,000 desk for governor Glenn Stevens
Fed’s Kohn appointed to Bank’s FPC
UK government names four external members to interim Financial Policy Committee; former Fed vice-chair Donald Kohn among three ex-central bankers appointed to macroprudential body
Dallas Fed paper on SNB crisis measures
Dallas Federal Reserve case study on success of Swiss National Bank liquidity provisions to foreign banks
RBA minutes: rates on hold as flood damage assessed
Minutes of Reserve Bank of Australia rate-setting meeting relay concerns over impact of floods on economic outlook; cautious over rising commodity prices
Central Bank of Chile paper links instability to austerity
Central Bank of Chile study finds positive correlation between austerity and instability in Latin American countries
Buba study on robustness of monetary policy
Bundesbank research examines whether misspecification may have consequences on robustness of monetary policy decisions
Inflation may hit 5%, but we couldn’t have done it different: King
Bank of England’s Inflation Report says inflation will likely soar further; medium term outlook shifts slightly as spare capacity margin revised downwards
Merkel names Weber’s successor
German chancellor Angela Merkel nominates economic adviser Jens Weidmann to replace Axel Weber as president of Bundesbank; picks BaFin director Sabine Lautenschläger-Peiter as new vice-president
Without better data, we risk a repeat of the crisis
More analysis of the nature of cross-border financial flows and a global risk map are essential in countering systemic threats, Bernd Braasch argues