Central Banks
Growth in banknote circulation drops in Namibia after ATM mandate
Annual report shows central bank mandated banks to re-calibrate their ATMs to better balance the dispense of banknotes to the market, lowering the rate of banknote issuance
Praet says onus on governments to ensure permanent recovery
Accommodative monetary policy is ’playing a key role’ in helping return inflation to target, argues Peter Praet, member of the ECB executive board
Nothing magical about targeting 2%, Bernanke says
Former Fed chair calls for further research on ‘alternative intermediate targets’ for monetary policy during IMF panel; will work with hedge fund Citadel as adviser on range of topics
Portuguese paper analyses crisis impact on union agreements
Bank of Portugal working paper evaluates changes in union agreements since the crisis, finding they have reduced due to ‘downward nominal wage rigidity in deflationary times’
BoE challenged US Treasury on G-Sii status of Berkshire Hathaway
UK regulator asked for clarity on Berkshire's place in provisional list of systemically important firms
IMF projections may be ‘too pro-cyclical’ warns Vergara
Central Bank of Chile president questions whether a drop in productivity has occurred recently, suggesting potential growth was actually ‘lower than previously thought all along’
Caribbean countries should use fiscal policy to fight exchange market pressure
Report from economists of several Caribbean central banks lays out the path for fiscal sustainability in the region; recommends using exchange market pressure as trigger for fiscal correction
Fed presidents still divided on timing of rate hike
Heads of the Federal Reserve Banks in Atlanta, Boston and Cleveland offer different takes on current economic conditions; all united in desire for more data
Constâncio fleshes out wider macro-prudential vision
Vice-president at the European Central Bank wants toolkit to extend to a wider range of financial entities, including asset managers, as risks emerge elsewhere in the system
Bank of Portugal was ‘overly cautious’ intervening in BES
A more assertive attitude from the Bank of Portugal could have resulted in the ‘possible mitigation of impacts’ arising from the BES case, finds parliamentary committee
Lagarde calls for ‘new multilateralism’ and pledges to move ahead on reform programme
Global policy agenda for coming year says the integration of key emerging market economies would ‘generate positive global spillovers and stability gains’
IMF: China at risk of ‘disinflationary feedback loop'
Oversupply of real estate pushes down inflation, pressuring real interest rates and straining bloated balance sheets, Fund warns in flagship report
Research department split at Central Bank of Malta
Annual report reveals separation of economic forecasts and quantitative research into separate departments, as governor looks to boost capacity
Bank of Canada sees 'front-loaded' oil price effects
Latest monetary policy report estimates Canadian economy was stagnant in first quarter as negative effects from lower oil prices hit earlier than expected; forecasts rebound in coming months
Spanish paper finds LTROs had ‘moderate’ effect
Working paper examines the impact of two ‘very long-term refinancing operations’ conducted in 2011 and 2012, finding evidence of a bank lending channel
ECB adviser admits more clarity needed over stress tests
Banks should be given a clearer picture of why their stress test numbers don’t pass muster with the ECB, says Christoph Siebenbrunner of the Austrian National Bank
Financial stability risks on the rise, IMF warns
Global financial stability report warns risks have increased and ‘rotated’ in the past six months, with emerging markets now more vulnerable
Protester shocks Draghi at ECB press conference
President’s opening remarks disrupted by protester rushing the stage; Draghi regains composure to deliver upbeat message on impact of QE in eurozone
Dallas Fed studies debt impact on exchange rate fluctuations
Countries that are most vulnerable to a sudden shift in capital inflows and a sudden fall in the capital account have ‘a large stock of net non-foreign direct investment external liabilities’
Norway SWF pioneers new activist approach at BP and Shell AGMs
Norges Bank Investment Management says it will vote in favour of resolution for more in-depth reporting of climate change risks by BP in AGM tomorrow
RBNZ deputy calls for action on housing imbalances
Grant Spencer says changes to tax treatment of housing should be considered, while he identifies apartment development as the best prospect for boosting supply in the short term
Central Bank of Brazil needs to battle inflation, says deputy-in-waiting
Progress in the fight against high inflation ‘is still not enough’, argues Tony Volpon, deputy governor nominee
Morocco takes ‘first step’ to flexible exchange rate
Moroccan central bank takes ‘first step in the transition to a more flexible exchange rate regime’ by revising its currency basket, as advised by the IMF