Bank of England (BoE)
BoE reveals final element of ring-fencing framework
Systemic risk buffer will apply to ring-fenced assets, with the aim of preventing banks amplifying stress; BoE also hopes it will give smaller banks a competitive boost
BoE’s Woods says Solvency II not a revolution
Executive director at the Bank of England examines historical changes in insurance regulation, concluding the introduction of Solvency II is in line with existing philosophy
Bank of England prepares to overhaul ageing RTGS system
Central bank will spend year outlining plans for replacement to high-value payments system, keeping an open mind at present as to what features it should have
BoE’s Bailey sets sights on balance sheet clarity
Clear disclosure of creditor hierarchies will be ‘critical’ moving forward, says Andrew Bailey; clarity in bank balance sheets is a ‘good thing’
BoE’s Forbes weighs up varying policy paths in US and UK
Bank of England MPC member Kristin Forbes sees ‘striking’ similarities between the countries’ labour markets, but this does not necessarily mean the same policy is appropriate
Andrew Bailey agrees to lead FCA
PRA chief executive accepts top job at UK’s other financial regulator after being asked to take the role, but may not make the move for some months
Carney says supervisors must improve understanding of electronic trading
BoE officials say work is progressing on understanding the risks and impact on ‘system dynamics’ caused by rise of electronic trading, but emphasise it is not all bad
Policy interactions may drive global banking contraction, BoE economists find
The combination of unconventional monetary policy and regulation may cause ‘substantial’ spillovers as banks cut cross-border lending, economists including Kristin Forbes find
BoE’s Weale sees shorter working week adding to inflation
Various measures suggest UK workers will gradually cut back on the number of hours they work over the next few years, adding to unit labour costs, external MPC member says
Carney says UK rate hike still some way off
Continued weakness in key indicators begins to puzzle policy-makers as Carney suggests there is room for the MPC to wait longer; CPI and core inflation on the rise
ONS to launch new website in response to review
The new site will draw on feedback from more than 600 people; US Fred model is something to strive for, says the deputy national statistician for economic statistics
Bank of England's Vlieghe wants more nuanced approach to monetary policy
Bank of England policy-maker says high levels of debt, ageing population and distribution of income combine to make him ‘patient' about rate hike; questions modelling based on representative agents
Paper finds positive impact from Dodd-Frank swap rules
Compulsory trading via swap execution facilities has boosted liquidity and cut trading costs in the market for interest rate swaps, working paper published by BoE finds
Volatility fails to shake outlook as BoE holds rates steady
Latest MPC minutes are largely preoccupied with discussion of international developments, but falling oil prices and market volatility do not herald major change in stance
BoE paper seeks to improve forecasts with adaptive model
Using an adaptive model in conjunction with heavy-tailed t-distributions allows authors to deliver ‘substantial improvements’ in forecasting inflation
BoE moves to close bonus clawback loophole
Under new proposals, banks will no longer be able to circumvent malus and clawback rules by buying out new employees’ bonuses
Bank of England paper explores exchange rate pass-through using ‘big data’
Author finds the pass-through to import prices varies depending on the size of the exchange rate movement at the micro level, but it is a different story at the macro level
Bean says statistics agencies struggling to keep pace with the modern economy
Former BoE deputy warns of a widening gulf between the structure of the economy and how ageing statistical techniques represent it; urges UK statistics office to be more ‘agile’
2015: The year in review
Research exploring new frontiers and challenging the prevailing orthodoxies took centre stage over the past year - we look back at some of the biggest stories
Bank of England paper explores time-varying capital requirements
Authors use firm-bank level database from UK to examine impact of higher capital requirements on asset growth of borrowing firms; also consider interaction with monetary policy
Bank of England tackles challenges flagged by staff survey
While the results show a strong, positive corporate culture at the BoE, the central bank has identified four areas for improvement
BoE’s FPC in line for powers over buy-to-let market
Government proposes handing central bank powers of direction over LTV and ICR limits for buy-to-let mortgages, over a year after the BoE first requested them
Bonus cap may impact other pay regulation, research from Bank of England warns
Researchers see potential for bonus caps to clash with other remuneration regulation; level of pay ‘at risk’ declines
HBOS investigation reveals possible ‘loose rivet’ in UK regulation
Accounting standards and auditing may be a weak point that is only just starting to be addressed, according to MPs at a parliamentary committee hearing on the failure of HBOS