Central Banks
Romanian central banker warns of risk from ‘unwarranted’ loan law
Romania deputy governor warns of risks posed by legislative initiatives on debt settlements passed by the country’s parliament
Sam Woods to replace Bailey as PRA chief
Bank of England executive director promoted, to take over from Andrew Bailey when he moves to the Financial Conduct Authority
Operational reform has not impacted longer term rates, BoE working paper says
Reserve averaging and reserve targets reduced volatility in overnight rate but had little impact on longer-term rates, research finds
Perceived long-term eurozone deflation risk unaffected by oil – paper
Between 2010 and 2012, perceived short-term deflation risk was “significantly” affected by oil prices, while medium-term risk was only affected between 2013 and 2015, research suggests
Communist party official and former deputy nominated as Vietnam governor
New prime minister nominates Le Minh Hung shortly after inauguration; national assembly relieves former governor with 87% voting in favour
Summers: Fed is not ready for next crisis
Secular stagnation has left Federal Reserve short on firepower as the next recession looms, economist says; urges greater willingness to risk inflation overshoot and action by fiscal authorities
IMF staff raise concerns over Nigeria’s FX regime
Report voices worries about unintended consequences of FX restrictions, calling for more flexibility in exchange rate; Nigeria's authorities insist measures are temporary
Skingsley sees turning point for Riksbank policy
Immediate threat is fading, enabling the central bank to focus more on longer-term risks, deputy governor says
Lower real interest rates may harm productivity growth, researchers say
Lower real interest rates may reduce productivity growth rates, researchers say; Italy and Spain have suffered low or negative TFP growth during existence of euro
Praet says ECB policy is working
Analysis shows that eurozone finances would be considerably tighter without ECB’s unconventional monetary policy, executive board member says
Central Bank of Kenya places third bank in receivership
Chase Bank under new management after resignation of chairman and managing director; Imperial Bank progress “postponed” while audit continues
ECB voices concerns over Hungarian National Bank
ECB expresses concern over recent actions by Hungary’s central bank, including purchase of art, land and Budapest stock exchange; says foundation money must not be used for state financing
Some Fed officials concerned April hike would ‘signal a sense of urgency’
Minutes from March meeting reveal caution around prospect of a hike this month, given prevailing headwinds and risks; next meeting on April 26–27
BIS’s Shin argues bank capital underpins both monetary policy and financial stability
Research sheds light on tension between bank shareholders and wider society, as high levels of capital support lending and therefore affect the real economy as well as the financial sector
Senior deputy plays down Indonesia’s external debt burden
Mirza Adityaswara says debt burden safer than it looks; defends mandate requiring domestic deals be made in rupiah and admits loan rates "probably too high" at Hong Kong conference
Ingves raises fundamental questions about central banking
Riksbank governor sets out questions around monetary policy and macro-prudential framework in Sweden, raising the prospect of a merger with the FSA and joining the SSM
People: Shirai begins new chapter at Keio University; Sibley named as Irish director of credit institutions
After five years on the BoJ policy board, Shirai returns to academia; Ireland central bank names new director of credit institutions; and more
Norges Bank researchers grapple with nonlinear exchange rate pass-through
Exchange rate pass-through in Norway is unusually high, which the authors suggest could be due to the size of recent currency movements – but pinning down the effect empirically proves difficult
PSR has taken ‘decisive action’ in its first year – managing director
Nixon marks PSR’s first birthday with speech in Copenhagen; regulator has helped in improving access and “levelling the playing field” for market participants
RBA establishes new macro modelling division
External review recommends new approach to “full-system” models at heart of policy analysis, warning modelling expertise is limited at the central bank
Swiss National Bank bolsters security features of first banknote in new series
The new series printed on three-layered substrate boasts a range of new security features; Sfr50 enters circulation on April 12
Canadian banks could withstand shock from China, deputy governor suggests
Financial institutions have adequate capital liquidity to handle external pressures, Wilkins says; research suggests Canadian growth would decrease by 0.1% if Chinese growth fell by 1%
Book notes: Bretton Woods: the next 70 years
The Bretton Woods Committee has assembled a large number of distinguished authors for this volume, but ultimately the book ends up long on problems and short on solutions
Ghanaian deputy becomes new governor
One of two deputy governors of the Bank of Ghana takes over top role; Abdul-Nashiru Issahaku joined bank in July 2013 after working for several international agencies