Central Banks
Activity-based costing: a case study
José Clovis Batista Dattoli and Henrique Flávio Rodrigues da Silveira review the Brazilian central bank’s adaptation of a textbook costing system.
China’s monetary mandarins
The ever-increasing importance of China’s economic policymakers has led to intense scrutiny of the people behind the headlines. Andrew Peaple profiles the most important players
Why do central banks make losses?
Financial losses can be very damaging to the reputation and independence of a central bank. Franziska Schobert examines why losses occur.
Lessons of Northern Rock
British lawmakers are divided over how to fix a broken regulatory framework
Learning from the private sector
Central banks have lagged behind the commercial banks improving financial accountability, argues Jeremy Foster and Stephen Anderson.
Interview: Charles Goodhart
Claire Jones spoke with the former Bank of England policymaker about the co-ordinated liquidity interventions and the move towards aggressive policy easing by the Fed
Balancing transparency and discretion
Central banks face unique challenges in meeting demands for financial transparency. Clifford Smout suggests how a better understanding of their performance can be enabled.
News analysis: Forced into action
Claire Jones, the editor of Central Bank News, analyses how uncertainty threatened to cripple the interbank market and called for a unique response from the central banks
Using financial statements proactively
Kenneth Sullivan identifies practical steps central banks can take to resolve problems with existing accounting frameworks and improve financial accountability
Bernanke spooks markets with bank failure warning
The dollar hit a record low against the euro after Ben Bernanke, the chairman of the Federal Reserve, warned that small banks could fail in the coming months.
Japan's Mizuno dismisses rate cut calls
Atsushi Mizuno, a member of the Bank of Japan's rate-setting council, has said a rate cut would be unjustified even on signs that the world's second-largest economy is slowing.
Thailand lifts barriers on foreign capital
The Bank of Thailand is set to remove reserve requirements on short-term capital inflows.
Czech deputy counters interference claims
Miroslav Singer, a vice-governor at the Czech National Bank (CNB), has rebuffed claims that the Vaclav Klaus, the country's president, is compromising the institution's independence.
Sovereign wealth fund round-up
The creation of a much-mooted code of conduct for sovereign wealth funds edged closer this week after the European Commission submitted its ideas to the region's finance ministers for review in mid-March.
EU building and consumer sectors most sensitive
The eurozone's construction and consumer sectors are typically the most sensitive to shocks in GDP and inflation variables, states a new European Central Bank paper.
UAE governor rejects Greenspan advice
The United Arab Emirates will keep the dirham pegged to the dollar despite calls from former Fed chairman Alan Greenspan to float its currency.
Fed exacerbating stagflation risk: Meltzer
The Federal Reserve's current policies mark a return to the dark days of the 1970s and carry the same threats, says Allan Meltzer, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University.
SWFs to cover bank shortfall for private equity?
Not content with buying up sizable stakes in the big investment banks, sovereign wealth funds could now take their business as well.
Norway posts $3.4 billion loss
The Bank of Norway was NKr17.6 billion ($3.4 billion) in the red last year, accounts published on Thursday 28 February reveal.
Stability requires public-private coordination
The close cooperation of policymakers and market participants is essential for achieving sustainable growth and preserving stability, said Lucas Papademos, the vice president of the European Central Bank.
Policy shifts improved inflation outlook
The decline in the level, persistence and volatility of inflation across industrialised countries since the mid-1980s is due in part to improvements in monetary policy, finds a Bank of England working paper.
Zhou set to stay at People's Bank?
Zhou Xiaochuan, the governor of the People's Bank of China, could remain governor of the central bank according to local media reports.