Central Banks
Bank of Italy outlines downside risks as inflation falls
Annual HICP inflation fell to 0.1% according to December estimate, just below eurozone average; Bank of Italy warns that international situation poses ‘significant risks’ to European recovery
Croatia makes it 25 central banks in Target2
The Croatian National Bank will, along with 24 commercial banks in the country, participate in the RTGS system from February 1, making it the fifth central bank outside the eurozone to join
Central banks struggling to exit ‘confused period’, economists say
The financial crisis forced a regime change on central banks, raising challenges to independence, analysis and policy tools, which have yet to be fully resolved, say panellists in Brussels
Paper finds positive impact from Dodd-Frank swap rules
Compulsory trading via swap execution facilities has boosted liquidity and cut trading costs in the market for interest rate swaps, working paper published by BoE finds
New York Fed president keeping eye on expectations
William Dudley expects inflation expectations to increase if the economy keeps growing at an above-trend pace, but any deviation could be cause for concern
Zeti warns of ‘immense' challenges in 2016
Bank Negara Malaysia governor warns of potentially persistent threats to long-term growth at the AFF conference in Hong Kong, but sees a silver lining if policy-makers get it right
PBoC imposes reserve requirements on offshore deposits for first time
New measure designed to curb CNH short-selling and shows PBoC determination to stabilise offshore market in wake of recent gyrations, analysts suggest
FCA review paints picture of institution rattled by setbacks
Independent review of UK watchdog reveals low morale and risk aversion in the face of comms scandal and loss of chief executive Martin Wheatley, plus fears of government meddling
Polish governor says inflation will rise slower than expected
Inflation will not turn positive in January 2016 as previously expected, governor Marek Belka says; monetary policy council keeps policy rate unchanged
Flurry of new central bank heads could continue into 2016
The past three months have brought 10 new central bank governors and a Fed president, after a period of relative stability; Central Bank Directory 2016 shows other terms expiring this year
IMF staff say tighter macro-pru measures ‘may be warranted’ in Slovakia
IMF staff have called for Slovakia’s central bank to boost its oversight of housing lending and to consider raising the counter-cyclical capital buffer for the country’s banks if growth continues
ECB's Cœuré wants ‘corrective arm’ of EU tool used ‘forcefully’
European Central Bank executive board member stresses importance of sustainable rebalancing in the eurozone; wants to see potential of macroeconomic imbalance procedure realised
Angola central bank’s new website draws on emerging best practices
Responsive website launched for 2016; work in Brazil, Portugal, South Africa and UK were ‘points of reference’ in process
Jamaican report says inflation risks balanced for 2016
Latest forecasts suggest inflation will rise to lower end of Bank of Jamaica’s target range in coming months; downside risks include reversal in food prices
BoJ paper: inflation expectations do not match target
Study of ‘dissonance’ in forecasts between economic agents and the central bank finds people only believe the BoJ will hit its target in the short to medium term – after that, inflation drops
Ukrainian governor: banking system 'largely cleaned up'
Ukraine’s central bank governor says the country’s commercial banking system has been largely reformed; enhancing creditors’ rights key to resumption of lending, she argues
Volatility fails to shake outlook as BoE holds rates steady
Latest MPC minutes are largely preoccupied with discussion of international developments, but falling oil prices and market volatility do not herald major change in stance
BoE paper seeks to improve forecasts with adaptive model
Using an adaptive model in conjunction with heavy-tailed t-distributions allows authors to deliver ‘substantial improvements’ in forecasting inflation
Basel Committee completes trading book review
Much-anticipated redesign of market risk framework seeks to capture risks the Basel accord failed to guard against in 2008; impact study implies median 27% increase in capital charges
Growing case for planning Cambodian de-dollarisation, paper says
Cambodia needs a strong macroeconomic framework for de-dollarisation to be successful, research says; economic and political stability a good starting place