News
SNB commits to controversial exchange rate policy
Swiss national bank pledges to protect minimum exchange rate against the euro; says currency value is 'still high'
Fitch warns UK over AAA rating
Fitch shifts UK rating outlook to negative; raises expectations for budget announcement later this month
Liikanen urges controlled and timely policy readjustments
Governor of the Bank of Finland applauds impact of emergency ECB policy steps and talks of careful unwinding of positions
Fed launches Twitter account
Federal Reserve Board to 'tweet' information on speeches and reports to the Congress, among other items
Juncker confirms release of latest funds for Greece
Eurogroup approves second adjustment programme in Greece; first instalment of €39.4 billion of emergency funding to be released
Moody’s downgrades Cyprus to junk status
Rating agency drops rating for Cypriot government bonds to Ba1; says concerns over banking sector’s exposure to Greece are to blame
Norway lowers benchmark rate again
Norges Bank surprises markets by announcing 0.25 percentage point cut to key policy rate; governor says continuing downturn abroad and strong krone are keeping inflation low and "weighing on growth"
China prepares for MPC overhaul
State news agency reveals new members of monetary policy committee; all three are senior academics in the country
Fed releases stress test results early
Federal Reserve reveals results of latest bank stress testing two days early; finds majority of largest US banks would continue to meet expectations for capital adequacy despite large projected losses
Weidman explains plummeting Bundesbank profit
President of the Deutsche Bundesbank explains why profit dropped drastically in 2011; increased risks led central bank to boost buffers
BoJ to continue easing until it hits 1% inflation goal
The Bank of Japan says it plans to continue "powerful easing" until a 1% inflation target is in sight but rejects motion to increase its asset purchase programme by another 5 trillion yen
Hong Kong and Malaysia launch investment and settlement pilot platform
Hong Kong Monetary Authority, Bank Negara Malaysia and Euroclear Bank launch new pilot platform for cross-border investment and settlement of debt securities; culmination of work started in 2008
Draghi urges government action to spur recovery
President of the European Central Bank discusses internal and external eurozone competition and calls on countries to act during period of relative financial stability to advance economic reforms
Kenyan parliament clears central bank governor
Chaotic debates in Kenyan parliament result in Njuguna Ndung'u being cleared of personal responsibility over collapse of Kenyan shilling
SNB issues own-account rules; Danthine trades attacked
Swiss National Bank issues new rules on private financial transactions conducted by top management; Jean-Pierre Danthine attacked for forex trades done in May 2010
ECB compromise on Basel III adjustments gets mixed response
An ECB proposal for the European Systemic Risk Board to have oversight on whether European regulators can adjust Basel III for macro-prudential purposes gets a mixed response from central bankers
Esma under pressure on Emir implementation
A public hearing on Emir draft technical standards has left market participants concerned regarding both the implementation time frame and the asset classes covered by trade repositories and CCPs
US must get tough on China to fix imbalances, says Aliber
The US can reduce its government deficit and unemployment rate if it addresses the ‘predatory’ trading and currency policies of China and other Asian countries, says leading economist Robert Aliber
IMF readies €28bn in support of Greece
International Monetary Fund managing director Christine Lagarde plans to get funds approved this week; Isda rules debt restructuring a ‘credit event’
Pakistan’s Anwar calls for development of corporate bond markets
State Bank of Pakistan governor wants to see corporate bond market developed in the country; stresses government must be open to change for process to work
RBI cuts reserve ratio to improve lending conditions
Reserve Bank of India reduces cash reserve ratio for banks by 75bp; move injects 480 billion rupees into banking system
Norway to issue new coin to mark universal suffrage
Norges Bank announces plans to introduce a commemorative 10-krone coin 100 years after suffrage was extended to all women
Filipino governor announces new fund to assist small businesses
New office building opened in Roxas City; coincides with introduction of Capiz Credit Surety Fund and public learning programme in the region
Greece’s private bondholders approve ‘voluntary’ debt swap
An 85.8% majority approves Greek sovereign debt swap but strong-arm tactics raise concerns about the future legal certainty of sovereign bonds