News
Krugman says ‘Greek-style’ crisis in US or UK would have ‘expansionary effect’
Economist extends Paul de Grauwe's point that countries borrowing in own currency are immune to self-fulfilling liquidity crises; says loss of investor confidence would raise output in large economies
Czech central bank starts targeting exchange rate
Czech National Bank finally says it will start intervening in the forex market, a year after it cut rates to the zero lower bound; Czech koruna almost hits target level straight after announcement
RBI tries to persuade foreign banks to put down roots
Revamped framework unveiled by India's central bank yesterday will make it easier for foreign lenders currently operating through branches to set up wholly owned subsidiaries in the country
Senior Fed staff consider further stimulus
Two of the Federal Reserve’s top economists have produced papers outlining the merits of ‘highly accommodative’ monetary policy, including a lower unemployment threshold
People: Barclays economist returns to BoE; Cleveland steps up search for Pianalto replacement
Bank of England hires Simon Hayes from Barclays to replace Robert Wood in charge of MPC economic forecasts, reporting to Spencer Dale; Cleveland Fed hires search firm to find new president
Fall in OECD inflation highlights advanced economy monetary policy dilemmas
New OECD figures show lower annual inflation rates despite Japanese CPI turning positive; pressure mounts on ECB and Fed to counteract trend, but analysts unsure with what tools
BoE and FDIC campaign for end to ‘early termination’ of derivatives contracts
International authorities want a ‘short-term suspension’ of the rights that allow derivatives contracts to be terminated ahead of schedule when a major financial institution is being resolved
Russians vote to choose new rouble symbol
Central Bank of Russia says more than 102,000 people voted in the first day of its online poll to choose a symbol to represent the nation's currency; voting is open until December 5
ECB faces parliamentary grilling on Troika track record
Senior managers from European Central Bank and European Commission defend the accountability and forecasting track record of the Troika in European Parliament hearing
Fed reaction function shift helped support recovery, research finds
NY Fed research finds markets viewed ‘calendar’ forward guidance as a more dovish approach to policy, supported by comments from FOMC members; ECB and BoE both denied such a move in own guidance
Bank of England waging payment system war on three fronts
Chief cashier Chris Salmon says the central bank must contend with issues relating to cyber security, user access and new regulation within the UK payments infrastructure
Fed’s Powell downplays QE impact on emerging markets
Governor admits Fed policy has played a part in capital flows to and from emerging markets, but argues other factors are more important; follows fresh complaints from Asian economies
BoE creates new role in response to cyber crime threats
Chief information security officer will oversee the Bank of England’s IT security defences; UK banks to be tested on their ability to withstand online attacks
Federal Reserve reveals new, tougher stress tests
Details of stress tests for 2014 include scenario based on severe global recession, with some banks facing additional criteria; tests will be applied to 12 more banks than before
BoE official calls for greater transparency on CCP margin modelling
Central counterparties should compete on quality of risk management, rather than a race to the bottom on margins, says Bank of England's head of payments and infrastructure
Cypriot commission criticises ‘cumbersome’ managerial structure at central bank
Independent commission wants to see more power handed to the executive and non-executive directors at the Central Bank of Cyprus; says senior management dropped the ball on financial stability
US Senator vows to block Yellen nomination
Republican Rand Paul - son of long-time Fed critic Ron Paul - says he intends to fight confirmation of Janet Yellen as the next Fed chair unless monetary policy is subjected to Congressional scrutiny
Asia Risk Congress: BIS points to Asian example as evidence new LCR not 'relaxed'
Asian regulators' partial recognition of Level 2B assets justifies revised Basel liquidity approach
Central bankers cannot fix Asia's economic woes, warn bank economists
Government-driven reform is urgently required to ensure continued development in Asia; India comes in for most criticism as market watchers turn attention to forthcoming plenary in Beijing
People: Latvian governor re-appointed; Lithuania hires board member from ECB
Long-serving Latvian governor wins another term, to see Latvia into the eurozone; Lithuania appoints fifth member to the board; Riksbank promotes new head of financial stability department
Bloomberg launches US dollar benchmark
New US dollar index will represent 10 currencies, including Chinese renminbi and the Australian dollar
Leading central banks make emergency swap lines permanent
Six leading central banks are leaving bilateral swap agreements introduced during the financial crisis in place until further notice; US dollar liquidity-providing operations will continue as normal
Finland joins Riksbank in greater gold transparency
Bank of Finland joins Riksbank in revealing where it stores its gold; both banks cite geographical diversification as a motivation, but say it still makes sense to keep most in London
Central bankers divided over quota for female staff
Participants in a CentralBanking.com poll say that central banks should make efforts to increase the proportion of women in senior positions; split over whether this should be achieved through quota