News
EBA announces key ratios for European bank stress tests
European Banking Authority wants to see CET1 ratios of 8%, with 5.5% the threshold for an ‘adverse scenario'; stress tests to begin in the spring with results due out in October
Hungary targets forint entry into CLS
Hungary's central bank has committed itself to bringing the currency into CLS, and sources believe it could be added as early as next year
Bernanke passes torch to Yellen as poll shows US torn on his legacy
Janet Yellen to be sworn in as Federal Reserve chair on Monday, but de facto takes over when Bernanke bids farewell today
Unanimous Fed decision to taper 'sets precedent'
FOMC scales back monthly purchases by another $10 billion, makes no mention of EM turmoil; unanimous decision seen as making dissent less likely in coming meetings
RBNZ signals impending rate rise
Reserve Bank of New Zealand says it expects to increase the OCR ‘soon’ as inflationary pressures look set to increase over the next two years; today’s rate hold surprises markets
People: Israel appoints new currency head; ESRB re-elects Ingves
ESRB also reappoints Marek Belka, president of the National Bank of Poland, to steering committee and appoints Richard Portes, founder of CEPR, to Advisory Scientific Committee
Russia 'welcomes' weaker currency as central bank sticks to float plan
Russian rouble is latest currency to be hit in emerging markets turmoil, but analysts believe the central bank will stick to its stated policy - or loosen their grip on the exchange rate
Sovereign wealth fund could help fiscal discipline in Algeria, says IMF
Fund suggests setting up a SWF and implementing a ‘full-fledged' fiscal rule to help manage volatile hydrocarbon revenues and curb inflationary pressures
Pakistan governor resigns for ‘personal reasons’
Yaseen Anwar steps down from the State Bank of Pakistan top job after a family member suffers a serious injury; new deputy governor appointed to help grow the Islamic banking sector
Riksbank worries over fallout from ‘sharp corrections' in house prices
Swedish households' interest-rate expectations guided by current levels rather than projections, recently published document finds; Lars Svensson calls findings potentially ‘biased and misleading'
Barnier publishes bank split proposals
Europe’s 30 largest banks would be banned from engaging in proprietary trading and forced to separate other risk activities from their retail business under proposed reforms
Carney lectures Scots on dangers of monetary union without fiscal union
Bank of England governor tells Edinburgh audience that successful currency union would need banking union, and would risk moral hazard without fiscal union
Turkey and South Africa shock markets with interest rate hikes
South Africa and Turkey join India in raising rates in the face of persistent inflationary pressures and sharp currency devaluations, ahead of the FOMC decision later today
Philippines central bank joins financial stability council
Central Bank of the Philippines will join department of finance and three domestic regulators on a joint body designed to ‘identify, manage and mitigate’ build-up of systemic risks
RBI rate hike is first step on ‘glide path’
Raghuram Rajan says the Urjit Patel committee has outlined an ‘appropriate’ path for reducing inflation, but insists today’s rate hike does not signal the adoption of a formal inflation target
Nigerian deputy says investment, not aid, will lead Africa to prosperity
Kingsley Moghalu, head of financial stability at the Central Bank of Nigeria, calls for ‘nationally defined' growth strategy and the ‘political will' to realise it
Bangladesh Bank: inflation target ‘may prove challenging’
High food inflation and a pick-up in consumer demand could make it difficult for the Bangladesh Bank to restrain inflation to 7% for the 2014 fiscal year
Russia says Bitcoin users will be suspected of money laundering
Central Bank of Russia joins roster of monetary authorities warning citizens off virtual currencies - but goes one step further in saying its use is against the law
Simple indicators better for regulators, BoE economist argues
The experience of the 2008 crisis shows leverage ratios are better warning signs than more complex measures like capital ratios
PBoC commits to more market reform
The People’s Bank of China reiterates the importance of handing markets a ‘decisive role’ in resource allocation in the quest for sustainable economic growth; looks forward to 2014
Former Fed economists call on FOMC to dump Fed funds rate as main monetary policy tool
Joseph Gagnon and Brian Sack want the Fed to adopt the interest rate on its overnight reverse repo facility as its main policy tool and keep interest rate paid on bank reserves at same level
Draghi spells out QE possibilities
Mario Draghi says the European Central Bank could purchase banks' loans if they are packed in the ‘proper’ way, in contrast with market calls for GDP-weighted sovereign debt purchases
Central Bank of Turkey calls emergency meeting
Monetary policy committee will announce decision at midnight local time tomorrow night; expectations of rate hike see lira bounce back from record lows, but analysts remain cautious
ECB demands ‘fast adoption’ of Sepa legislation
European Commission proposal to extend the deadline for Sepa migration by six months has caused ‘confusion’ in the markets, according to the ECB