Central Banks
Bank of England backtracks on money market tactics
In a remarkable about-turn, the Bank of England yesterday moved to inject liquidity into the longer-term money market by announcing plans to provide funds at three-month maturity against a wide range of collateral, including mortgages.
Bernanke's boost for global stock markets
Shares around the world surged on news of the Fed's half-point cut in interest rates.
Mervyn King - a governor in distress
No governor of the Bank of England in living memory - and very few governors of any industrial country - has come in for such an avalanche of media criticism as Mervyn King has suffered in recent days.
Bank funding: gone in 15 seconds?
Bank runs, once triggered, are set to become much quicker and less controllable in future.
Bank of England fights to restore financial order
The Bank of England has today lent £4.4bn ($8.8bn) of "exceptional" funds at its benchmark interest rate of 5.75% and says that it will offer the same amount on September 20 in seven-day debt.
Central banks are "just doing their job": Noyer
Christian Noyer, the governor of the Bank of France and a member of the governing council of the European Central Bank (ECB), made a strong defence of recent actions by central banks.
Treasury Committee calls for more MPC transparency
A report from the UK parliament's Treasury Committee, published Tuesday, says that the Bank of England should disclose how members of its rate-setting Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted at the same time as it announces its interest rate decisions.
Latvia leaves rates unchanged
The Bank of Latvia decided on 13 September to leave key interest rates unchanged, with the refinancing rate remaining at 6%, overnight loans at 7.5% and the overnight deposit rate at 2%.
Fed cuts rates by half a point
The Federal Reserve cut interest rates by 50 basis points at its Tuesday meeting in a bid to limit the impact of recent financial turmoil on the economy.
RBA's Stevens on Australia and financial markets
Recent events are putting financial systems to the test around the world, observed the governor of the Reserve Bnak of Australia at a speech in Sydney on Tuesday.
Bank of England bails out Northern Rock
The governor of the Bank of England, Mervyn King, is coming under increasing criticism over his handling of the crisis.
Bank funding for buyer of Northern Rock?
The Bank of England's emergency facility to Northern Rock will still be available to any buyer of the ailing bank, it was confirmed today.
Overnight UK rates jump
On Monday, overnight sterling lending rates briefly hit levels not seen in over six years,reported Reuters, as the deepening crisis surrounding Northern Rock sparked a scramble among banks for immediate access to cash.
Fed looks set to lower interest rates
Ben Bernanke, the US Fed chairman, and his central bank colleagues meet on Tuesday to make their next decision on interest rates, and appear set to lower the 5.25% federal funds rate to prevent a housing collapse and credit crunch from forcing the US…
EU central bankers decide against bail-out rules
Finance ministers and central bankers from the European Union decided at a weekend meeting in Portugal not to draw up fixed rules in advance on bailing out banks and other financial institutions with cross-border operations in the EU.
Bank of Korea admits to monetary policy problems
Lee Seong-tae, governor of Bank of Korea, said the central bank has problems in carrying out monetary policy effectively because of cross-border capital transactions that lead to increases in the money supply in spite of rises in key interest rates.
Rates tumble in Venezuela
Overnight lending rates in Venezuela fell sharply last Thursday, after the country's central bank resumed injecting cash into the financial system, a week after it had suspended the practice.
FSA pronounces on Northern Rock
The Financial Services Authority, the UK's financial watchdog, made an announcement today about Northern Rock.
EMU has led to increased stability and convergence
Monetary union has led to increased stability and convergence of financial markets in euro area, a new paper from the CEPR finds.
Allan Meltzer dismisses calls for Fed action
The following article by Allan H. Meltzer, university professor of political economy at Carnegie Mellon, and a member of Central Banking's editorial board, was published in the Wall Street Journal on September 15. It provides an incisive analysis of the…
Launch the lifeboats? Not likely!
The closest parallel to the rescue of Northern Rock is the secondary banking crisis which erupted at the end of 1973 and which brought down a whole string of so-called "secondary" banks. That financial crisis, like this one, was preceded by a long period…
Bank of England moves to aid mortgage lender
The Bank of England said on Friday that it would provide a liquidity support facility for Northern Rock, a UK mortgage lender.
Canada's Dodge repeats calls for transparency
David Dodge, the governor of the Bank of Canada, underlined his argument that a lack of transparency was behind the recent turmoil on Friday.
Turkey makes surprise rate cut
The Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey unexpectedly decided to lower interest rates by 25 basis points on Thursday.