Central Banks
Sarb should leave monetary policy alone – IMF
South Africa’s current monetary policy stance is bringing inflation under control, fund mission says, advising the central bank to leave government reforms to do the legwork following downgrade
Colombia’s Echavarría says monetary policy has been a challenge
Monetary policy has had to adapt to external headwinds that have caused macroeconomic imbalances for Colombia, central bank governor says; effects are now showing signs of abating
Central Bank of Egypt battles to contain devaluation impact
Inflation has rocketed since Egypt aligned official and black market exchange rates, forcing the central bank to take action
HKMA tightens macro-prudential measures for second time in a week
Hong Kong authority imposes another round of mortgage tightening measures, targeting home buyers with multiple loans and those whose incomes are not derived from the territory
Fed should make sure it does not ‘fall behind’ – Mester
US central bank should “remain vigilant” as employment reaches full capacity and the balance sheet begins to unwind; the Cleveland Fed president sees more rate hikes this year
Banking flows affected by ‘Anna Karenina principle’ – paper
All healthy credit relationships are alike, but each unhealthy credit relationship is unhealthy in its own way, the study explains
Eiopa unveils 2017 stress test
UK real interest rates hit hard by Brexit aftermath, regulator says
Bank of Mexico tightens policy for sixth time in a row
Hike should stop temporary rises in inflation from passing through, says central bank board; leaves door open for further rate hikes, with one eye on inflation and the other on the Fed
Riksbank researchers flag benefits of major capital boost
Significant increase in the leverage ratio for Swedish banks could bring net social benefits, study finds
New Glass-Steagall would not separate banks if implemented, says Mnuchin
US treasury secretary’s stance on banking reform appears to contrast with that of president Donald Trump, who has offered seemingly contradictory statements on regulation
US household debt surpasses pre-crisis peak
Household debt exceeds 2008 level for first time, driven in part by auto loans and student debt
Former Fed vice-chair Kohn on populism, top central bankers
Donald Kohn speaks to Christopher Jeffery about his fears for the Fed amid mounting populism, why he has few policy regrets and his experiences working with some of the world’s top central bankers
ECB criticises Slovenian draft law on bank’s crisis actions
Disclosure of information would contravene European law, and the use of experts should be changed, the ECB says
Paper examines effects of concentration of exports
Bank of Spain researchers examine 12 eurozone countries
Credit cycle matters for fiscal policy – BIS paper
Phase in financial cycle has “substantial” impact on public finances, authors find; commodities cycle less important but matters for some
Kashkari: Fed should not seek to deflate asset bubbles
Spotting bubbles is too difficult and the costs of failure too great, the Minneapolis Fed chief warns, although he concedes raising interest rates remains an emergency option
Zambia cuts interest rates again
Monetary tightening has tamed inflation but squeezed financial sector – IMF
Malaysian central bank to name and shame non-compliant banks
Bank Negara Malaysia to publish enforcement actions next year, while introducing regulation to allow banks to share information on employees engaged in misconduct
People: Romanian deputy nominated; Belgium’s Dewatripont leaves central bank
Romania to soon have new deputy governor, pending parliamentary approval; National Bank of Belgium’s deputy Dewatripont leaves central bank; India creates CFO role; and more
Croatia’s Vujčić on tackling NPLs and home-host supervision
Croatian National Bank governor Boris Vujčić explains why dealing firmly with NPLs via a ‘provisioning clock’ does not choke growth while detailing the benefits of ‘home-host’ dialogues, such as the Vienna Initiative
Croatian governor: western Europe could improve NPL provisioning
Central and eastern European countries are leading the way in dealing with NPLs, says Vujčić
ECB issues guidance on leveraged transactions
Senior management must have a “comprehensive” view of all leveraged loans