News
Vaguer guidance in vogue as unemployment continues to confound
As UK and US unemployment brushes the thresholds of monetary policy forward guidance, central banks' next moves are anything but straightforward
Central banks found research prize in honour of Carl Menger
Deutsche Bundesbank, National Bank of Austria and Swiss National Bank announce the creation of a new prize for economic research, named after Austrian economist Carl Menger
Bank of Israel staff get bump in wages
Recently struck deal raises salaries by 1.78% and also increases wages retroactively for 2012 and 2013; governor Flug recently recieved 50% pay increase after push by former governor Stanley Fischer
Turkish prime minister praises central bank rate hold as lira falls to record lows
PM's comments following bank's decision to keep rates at 7.75%, despite a sharp drop in the lira's value in the past month, raise questions about government's role in monetary policy decision-making
IMF says world economy menaced by US taper and eurozone deflation
Eurozone deflation should be combated by every means available to the ECB, IMF says; emerging market risks from US taper will be overshadowed by benefit from advanced economy growth
People: Zambian deputy retires; Lautenschläger appointed at ECB
Bank of Zambia and Bank of Nigeria lose deputy governors to the ministry of transport and retirement respectively; Sabine Lautenschläger will join the ECB executive board on January 27
PBoC delivers on cash injection promises
People’s Bank of China uses standing lending facility and reverse repos to inject in excess of $37 billion into interbank market; releases statement to prepare market participants ahead of time
BoE's Miles finds market context decisive for QE impact
Impact of QE working through a portfolio rebalancing channel is weak in an environment of 'functioning financial markets'; implications for purchases made in dysfunctional markets unclear
Sri Lanka overhauls banking sector
Central Bank of Sri Lanka reveals plans to concentrate financial assets in the hands of five banks, and reduce the number of non-bank financial institutions by almost two-thirds
IMF warns recapitalisation of Slovenian banks is a 'stop-gap solution'
Report urges deeper reforms of under-capitalised corporate and banking sectors; says ECB comprehensive risk assessment expected later this year could expose additional capital shortfalls
Bank of Italy slims down organisational structure
The central bank will consolidate its various operations into eight directorates general on January 27, in a bid to ‘streamline’ its organisational structure and decision-making processes
Fed's Williams says ‘highly effective' forward guidance has a ‘number of limitations'
San Francisco Fed president defends the policy's record in a paper written for the Brookings Institution, but also says it is ‘prone to misinterpretation'
Central banks in Israel, UK close in on new deputies
Bank of Israel governor Karnit Flug nominates academic Nadine Baudot-Trajtenberg as her deputy; UK Treasury begins process of replacing Charles Bean at the Bank of England
Bank of England launches new liquidity provision framework
First ‘indexed long-term repo operations' under framework unveiled in October scheduled for early February; will provide ‘more liquidity at cheaper rates, longer maturities against wider range of collateral'
SNB's Jordan: 'Transparency can be counterproductive'
Chairman of the Swiss National Bank calls for central banks to take ‘great caution’ before making changes to their communications policy; expresses scepticism over board minutes and forward guidance
History likely to vindicate Fed's crisis policies, says Bernanke
The Federal Reserve has developed ‘all the tools needed' to manage monetary policy; costs of extraordinary measures exaggerated, Bernanke says
Shanghai Clearing House becomes fifth in Asia to start OTC clearing
First onshore renminbi interest rate swaps cleared in China; two international banks sign up to new clearing service
ECB bulletin examines 'virtuous circle' in Chinese reforms
Research article published by the European Central Bank says there could be a ‘virtuous circle’ between reforms aimed at rebalancing China’s growth and those aimed at promoting the renminbi
People: Malta gets second deputy; Lautenschläger aces European Parliament test
Central Bank of Malta gets second deputy governor for first time; Lautenschläger wins overwhelming majority in European Parliament vote; and more
Central Bank of Brazil raises rates for seventh time in a row
Selic rate increased 50 basis points to 10.5% in unanimous decision following disappointing inflation figures published last week; rate up 275 basis points since April 2013
BoE's Carney downplays UK housing risks
The governor, who is also head of the country's principal macro-prudential regulator, says higher prices and ‘mortgage availability' is due to housing market bouncing back from ‘low base'
Fed consults over financial stability implications of commodities investment
Financial firms' involvement in commodity markets could pose a risk to financial stability, particularly in the event of a natural or environmental disaster
Christian Noyer overruled by finance minister on savings rate
Banque de France governor Christian Noyer proposes cutting the interest rate paid on the country’s most popular savings account; Pierre Moscovici rejects the move to ‘protect spending power’
Nepal central bank cautious on Basel III counter-cyclical buffer
Central bank to study need for counter-cyclical buffer in a developing economy