Central Banks
RBI’s income plummets on low returns
Reserve Bank of India’s Annual Report shows income in past fiscal year dropped as rates of return fell worldwide; central bank expects temporarily weakened output path
UK FSA revisits trading regulation in comprehensive review
Financial Services Authority identifies valuation, capital framework coherence and risk management as key problem areas; issues 15 recommendations to revitalise standards
Standard & Poor’s downgrades Ireland
Standard & Poor’s downgrades Ireland’s sovereign credit rating on fears over fiscal burden imposed by banking sector rescue
IMF: central bank independence unrelated to politics
Fund study shows that political factors do not figure in central banks’ independence and effectiveness, but key for budgetary institutions
Central Bank of Luxembourg: banks pass stress tests
Central Bank of Luxembourg study shows local banks’ tier one capital buffers are sufficient to weather macroeconomic shocks
BoC: contingent capital must supplement counter-cyclical capital buffers
Bank of Canada study says contingent capital more effective in providing liquidity to banks in a crisis
IMF: East African countries have divergent financial barriers
Fund study finds more advanced members of East African Community have lower financial barriers than others
Southern Sudan on the brink of collapse: deputy governor
Central Bank of Sudan deputy governor says Khartoum has starved south of foreign currency, leaving it two weeks shy of economic crisis; oil spat thought to be linked to independence referendum
Indian officials to probe De La Rue plant
Reserve Bank of India says government officials due to visit De La Rue plant; trip follows paper fault which forced De La Rue chief executive to quit
Payments providers split over Sepa end dates
Comments released by the European Commission show that European institutions and banking associations disagree over Sepa proposals to seperate end dates
Impact of pledge to keep rates on hold unclear: Bank of Canada
Canadian central bank research says conditional commitment to keep rates low has had mixed effect; study shows pledge lowered interest rates on government bonds, but findings not statistically strong
Fed loses appeal to protect names of bailed out banks
Federal Reserve appeal to withhold names and details of banks it bailed out in crisis dealt a further blow; central bank must now petition Supreme Court
IMF: commodity shocks explain variation in Latin American fiscal positions
IMF study finds impact of commodity price volatility on government revenue in Latin America linked to fiscal standing
Jamaica’s Wynter: financial literacy programme long overdue
Bank of Jamaica governor Brian Wynter says financial literacy programme will enhance economic development
Bank – CEPR Monetary Policy Roundtable
Summary of roundtable discussion comprising members of Bank of England and Centre for Economic Policy Research shows above-target inflation expected to be temporary
Executive director Hoogduin tipped as Wellink’s successor
Netherlands Bank executive director Lex Hoogduin frontrunner to take over as president when Nout Wellink’s term expires
Why monetary base control can offer stability
There is a way of replicating the big achievements of the gold standard without going back to gold, argue Brendan Brown and Robert Pringle.
Russia inches back toward dollar assets
Bank of Russia report shows percentage of dollar assets increased by end 2009, reversing trend set in two previous years; central bank also upped sovereign debt holdings and risk appetite declined
UK think tank forecasts 8% rates by 2012
Though now at record lows, Policy Exchange chief economist Andrew Lilico says interest rates in the United Kingdom may rise to 8% by 2012 to overcome double digit inflation
Former BoA chief risk officer Curl joins Singapore's Temasek as president
Temasek has hired former BoA CRO Gregory Curl and promoted Simon Israel as co-presidents to work alongside existing president and former SGX chief executive, Hsieh Fu Hua
Rate round-up: Hungary, Israel hold on uncertainty
Continued uncertainty in global and domestic economy prompts Hungary, Israel to leave rates unchanged