Central Banks
What the Icelandic collapse taught us
The reduction of a bloated banking sector presents an opportunity for a return to balanced growth, argues Tryggvi Thor Herbertsson
Of currencies, crises and completions
The crisis presents an opportunity to complete Europe’s journey towards a true monetary union, argues John Nugée
How worried should we be about deflation?
Dean Baker argues that fears over deflation have been greatly exaggerated. Policymakers should rather focus on reducing risk premia
Interview: Kenneth Rogoff
The former chief economist of the IMF tells Malan Rietveld that central banks know how to generate inflation if needed and that there are bigger problems than deflation to be worried about
When liquidity and reserve management collide
Ludeˇk Niedermayer analyses the challenges in coordinating market operations and reserve management during the crisis
Reserve currencies and solving the new Triffin dilemma
Ousmène Jacques Mandeng argues that the dominance of official investors in the markets they invest in has limited their ability to liquidate their reserves during the crisis
Reserves and the crisis: a reassessment
Joshua Aizenman analyses the different approaches to the use of reserves during the crisis and what this means for the global financial system
Interview: Paul De Grauwe
The major central banks have responded differently to the global financial and economic crisis, threatening a return to beggar-thyneighbour policies, Paul De Grauwe tells Malan Rietveld
Fed gloomy on 2009, more bullish on 2010 and 2011
The Federal Reserve has reduced its forecast for economic growth this year, but has upgraded its projection for 2010 and 2011.
Bank of Japan to buy up corporate paper
The Bank of Japan announced plans to spend up to one trillion yen ($10.6 billion) in outright purchases of corporate paper in a bit limit the damage from "severe" financial and economic conditions.
What payments experts have learned
Payments experts have learned a lot about liquidity risk and lender of last resort from the crisis, explained Daniel Heller, the new head of the influential CPSS Secretariat in Basel.
Bahrain's Al-Majar: forex swaps valuable
The establishment of a foreign-exchange swap facility is a key initiative in Bahrain's effort to address the current financial turmoil, said Rasheed Al-Majar, the governor of the Central Bank of Bahrain.
RBA explains February cut
Significantly lower forecast for domestic output growth than expected was behind the Reserve Bank of Australia's cut in the cash rate by 100 basis points to 3.25%, according to minutes of the February meeting.
Riksbank's Svensson solves liquidity-trap problem
Lars Svensson, the deputy governor of the Sveriges Riksbank, has devised what he has labelled a "foolproof way" to escape a liquidity trap.
Greenspan: nationalise but protect bondholders
Alan Greenspan, a former Federal Reserve chairman regarded as one of the foremost proponents of free markets, has conceded that some American banks may need to be nationalised.
Bank's MPC wants money levers to hit target
The Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee has unanimously called for the use of tools to boost the money supply to meet its inflation target, minutes of its latest rate vote reveal.
Canada appoints governor's adviser as deputy
Timothy Lane will replace Sheryl Kennedy as deputy governor of the Bank of Canada, the central bank announced.
Forex reserves not perfect insurance - IMF's Kato
High levels of foreign-exchange reserves can not fully insure against a sudden stop of capital inflows, said Takatoshi Kato, a deputy managing director of the International Monetary Fund.
Emerging markets should watch fiscal positions
Emerging-market economies should pay off their debts sooner rather than later, posits new research from the Bank of England.
Korea's target hits its aims
By having an explicit inflation target, the Bank of Korea is taking the optimum route to price stability, posits a new paper from the European Central Bank.
What moves the yield curve?
The monetary policy response to the inflation gap impacts the yield curve, says a new research form the Kansas City Federal Reserve.
Zim's Tsvangirai: Gono's fate "first on agenda"
Morgan Tsvangirai, the prime minister of Zimbabwe, has said that the standing of Gideon Gono, the governor of the country's Reserve Bank, is the top priority for the new legislature. The prime minister's statement follows claims by the new finance…
Israel looks to boost economy with bond purchases
The Bank of Israel began buying government bonds on Tuesday in an attempt to pump more money into the economy.
Japan's finance minister resigns, forgets BoJ rate
Shoichi Nakagawa, Japan's finance minister, has stepped down after opposition lawmakers accused him of being drunk at a press conference at which he wrongly stated that the Bank of Japan had set a benchmark target range of between 0% and 0.2%.