Central Banks
BoJ may need to buy shares: ex-deputy Muto
Toshiro Muto, a former deputy governor of the Bank of Japan who was in the running to succeed Toshihiko Fukui as head of the central bank, has admitted that the central bank may need to bolster the country's leading stock index.
Fed's Hoenig criticises Tarp
Thomas Hoenig, the president of the Kansas City Federal Reserve, has criticised the Troubled Assets Relief Programme (Tarp) for its lack of a clear set of principles and said that its implementation appears ad hoc and opaque in dealing with banks judged…
Report offers praise for derivatives players
A report from a group of central banks and financial regulators finds that financial-services firms, dealers, buy-side companies and service providers managed their credit derivatives in an orderly manner with no major operational disruptions or…
One-sector inflation model insufficient
One-sector models for determining the optimal rate of inflation are insufficient, finds a new paper from the Richmond Federal Reserve.
Bundesbank makes biggest profit since 2001
The Bundesbank posted €6.3 billion ($8 billion) profit last year, it emerged on Tuesday.
MNB responds to forint sell-off
The Hungarian National Bank said it is prepared to use all the policy tools available to defend the forint, which came under pressure on foreign exchange markets last week.
Tory report backs greater BoE role
A report commissioned by the opposition Conservative Party in the United Kingdom has suggested that the tripartite system for financial stability, involving the Bank of England, the Treasury and the Financial Services Authority (FSA) has failed and…
De Grauwe fears beggar-thy-neighbour policies
A lack of coordination between the world's leading central banks in the current crisis raises concerns over a return to beggar-thy-neighbour policies, a leading European economist has argued.
NY Fed's Dudley: deleveraging not over
The deleveraging process in the global financial system is still far from complete, said William Dudley, the president of the New York Federal Reserve.
Failure to see big picture fuelled boom: IMF
An inability by officials to see the "big picture threat" of a growing asset-price boom was a key cause of the current crisis, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said on Friday.
Russia bans SWFs from holding US agency debt
Moscow has banned its sovereign wealth funds from holding US agency debt, declaring the paper too illiquid.
Nordic crunch's key lesson: avoid party politics
The Nordic credit crisis in the 1990s revealed that a united stance by politicians is crucial in averting a financial meltdown, the head of the Bank of Finland's research department has said.
Poland not seeking IMF support: Skrzypek
Slawomir Skrzypek, the governor of the National Bank of Poland, has confirmed that the country will not require International Monetary Fund (IMF) financing.
China's Zhou promises rapid action if needed
Zhou Xiaochuan, the governor of the People's Bank of China, has pledged to act speedily and forcefully to prevent a slump in confidence during the financial crisis.
ECB's Bini Smaghi: go easy with easing
It is unsound to ease monetary policy too much too soon, even when insuring against the worst-case deflationary scenario, said Lorenzo Bini Smaghi, a member of the European Central Bank's executive board.
Inter-sectoral dependence key for stress tests
Bank stress tests should take into account inter-sectoral dependencies, finds a new paper from the Bundesbank.
AIG loan difficult and uncomfortable: Fed's Kohn
The Federal Reserve's rescue of American International Group has entailed very difficult and uncomfortable decisions for a central bank, Donald Kohn, the vice-chairman of the Fed, told Congress on Thursday.
ECB books €2.7 billion surplus
The European Central Bank (ECB) earned a surplus of €2.66 billion ($3.34 billion) last year on the back of the euro's appreciation against the dollar and the yen, it emerged on Thursday. The central bank also revealed that it was owed €10.3 billion by…
Bank begins £150 billion money-supply boost
The Bank of England on Thursday said it would boost the money supply by up to £150 billion ($211 billion) in a bid to revive the health of Britain's ailing economy. The Bank's Monetary Policy Committee also cut rates to a fresh all-time low of 0.5%.
India makes fresh attempt to spur growth
The Reserve Bank of India announced a fresh round of rate cuts on Wednesday aimed at restoring the health of its ailing economy.
It's his way or the highway for Bernanke
Ben Bernanke, the chairman of the Federal Reserve, will travel to his hometown of Dillon, South Carolina, over the weekend to see an interchange renamed in his honour.
ICE's CDS clearing plan gets Fed's approval
The Fed has accepted a bid by ICE Trust - an amalgam of an exchange operator, a provider of clearing services and eight banks - to run a central counterparty and clearing house for the global credit-default-swap (CDS) market.
Swiss central bank books $4 billion loss
The Swiss National Bank was Sfr4.7 billion ($4 billion) in the red for 2008, it emerged on Wednesday.
Name and shame borrowers: senator tells Fed
Bernie Sanders, a senator representing the state of Vermont, has blasted Ben Bernanke, the chairman of the Federal Reserve, for refusing to disclose the recipients of Fed funds.