Central Banks
Depth of Icelandic cut limited on krona concern
Members of the Central Bank of Iceland's monetary policy committee decided unanimously to cut the key policy rate by a full percentage point to 17% but resisted a steeper move owing to caution about the impact on the currency, the minutes for the 17 and…
BoE - Credit Conditions Survey
Lenders reduced the availability of secured credit to households in the three months to mid-March, according to the latest Bank of England Credit Conditions Survey.
Tarp could cost taxpayers more
The Congressional Budget Office has raised its estimate of the ultimate cost to taxpayers of the $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program (Tarp) by 51%.
Markets surge on G20 $1 trillion recovery package
Equity markets in Europe and the United States soared on Wednesday on news that global leaders had pledged an extra $1 trillion to spur an economic recovery.
Denmark's Bernstein plans to stock up on reserves
The National Bank of Denmark will need to maintain a larger foreign-exchange reserves stockpile than in recent years, said Nils Bernstein, the governor of the central bank.
Long-run forecasts a good anti-deflation tool
The Federal Open Market Committee's new long-run inflation forecast reduces the chance of a deflationary spiral, a new paper form the San Francisco Federal Reserve posits.
Agenda set for derivatives industry
A meeting at the New York Federal Reserve on Wednesday of the major players in the over-the-counter derivatives market culminated in a four-point agenda for the industry.
Fiji appoints new financial markets head
Faizul Ariff Ali is the new chief manager of the Reserve Bank of Fiji's financial markets division, the central bank announced on Wednesday.
The effect of China's fiscal stimulus on output
China's fiscal spending of Rmb2 trillion ($293 billion) in 2009 could lead to Rmb1.7 trillion ($249 billion) direct increase of output, a new paper from the Hong Kong Monetary Authority posits.
A model for market expectations about inflation
The Bank of Spain has devised a new model for market expectations about the inflation rate.
Monetary union could improve British stability
The British economy's stability would be enhanced by euro adoption, a new paper from the St Louis Federal Reserve posits.
G20 protests converge on Bank of England
The Bank of England on Wednesday was surrounded by anti-capitalist protesters, converging on Threadneedle Street to vent their anger at the crisis on the eve of the London G20 summit.
Mexico may tap Fed, IMF credit lines
Felipe Calderon, Mexico's president, said on Tuesday that the country was eligible to take a $40 billion credit line with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as speculation mounted that the Bank of Mexico would soon use its $30 billion arrangement with…
A guide for an ideal communique
For Marc Uzan, an executive director on the Reinventing Bretton Woods Committee, the perfect G20 communique would note the long-term ramifications of the crisis.
IMF to enhance borrowing terms for the poor: Lipsk
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is redesigning its lending policies for low-income countries, said John Lipsky, the first deputy managing director of the fund.
Canada's Carney: don't cut off banks from markets
Banks should not be divorced from the markets to avoid liquidity problems. Instead the perimeter of regulation should be expanded, said Mark Carney, the governor of the Bank of Canada.
China vows to expand currency-swap operations
The People's Bank of China pledged on Tuesday to expand its network of swap lines with other central banks days after agreeing a Rmb70 billion ($10.2 billion) arrangement with Argentina.
Euro inflation at new low, OECD wants more easing
The OECD on Tuesday urged the European Central Bank (ECB) to cut rates further and apply quantitative easing in a bid to stave off a severe economic contraction. The calls came as it emerged eurozone annual inflation in March had dropped to its lowest…
Don't rely too heavily on capital-adequacy models
Supervisors should guard against placing undue reliance on the overall level of capital implied by economic capital models in assessing capital adequacy, a new paper from the Bank for International Settlements posits.
Sepa project must be extended
The scope of the Single Euro Payments Area (Sepa) project must be extended to include standardisation in the field of value-added services, such as e-invoicing, a new paper from the National Bank of Denmark states.
Turkey justifies cut to record low
The Central Bank of Turkey cut rates by 100 basis points to an all-time low earlier this month on signs that the global economic outlook continued to deteriorate and the depression was expected to be long lasting, the minutes for the 19 March meeting…
A solution to the reserves riddle
There has been an anomaly between what is in the national interest and what is in the global interest on the issue of reserves. However, this does not have to be so.
Soros urges G20 to agree on SDR reallocation
George Soros, one of the world's most renowned hedge-fund managers, has called on G20 leaders to endorse the reallocation of rich country's SDR quotas with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
A proposal to aid emerging-market stability
Ousmene Mandeng, the head of public sector investment advisory at Ashmore, an asset management firm, believes there is a more efficient way for emerging market central banks to use their reserves to stave off a disorderly unwinding of their capital…