Bank of Korea (BoK)
Australia, Korea strike $5 billion swap deal
Glenn Stevens and Choong Soo Kim sign the countries’ first swap arrangement on the sidelines of the G-20 meeting as they look to promote bilateral trade
Regulatory reliance to blame for faulty credit ratings, paper claims
The growing importance of credit ratings to financial regulators and prudential regulation explains more of the distortion in ratings than the question of who pays for the rating
Government intervention shielded Korea from global credit crunch
Paper by Bank of Korea and IMF economists argues external buffers such as foreign reserves and swap agreements means the country is in good shape to weather global financial turmoil
Korea sheds light on MPC voting results
Bank of Korea monetary policy report reflects on the decision to announce voting results in the wake of MPC meetings; only one disagreement in the ensuing seven meetings
Asia-Pacific central banks shed light on future policy
Bank Indonesia hikes rates; Reserve Bank of New Zealand says it will likely tighten policy in 2014; Bank of Korea looks to buck emerging market trend and keep rates low as inflation drops
Central banks are getting more transparent, study finds
Study conducted by Barry Eichengreen and Nergiz Dincer finds trend towards greater transparency was not knocked off course by the financial crisis; independence, however, is more patchy
Competition makes mutuals safer, commercial banks riskier
Bank of Korea research paper shows higher concentration in a less competitive loan market has increased default risks of mutual savings banks since the recent crisis
BoJ and BoK vote to keep interest rates unchanged
Bank of Japan keeps rates at zero and will continue asset purchases for 'as long as necessary' to hit 2% inflation target; regional impact of possible US tapering remains uncertain
Central banks face $450bn in paper losses from gold holdings
The decline in world gold prices during the first half of the year has resulted in the value of central bank gold reserves falling by $447 billion; latest entrants into bullion market hardest hit
Korean MPC member says economy ‘relatively safe’ from impact of Fed taper
Woosik Moon says emerging economies will see long-term interest rates rise as global liquidity contracts, but the strength of Korea’s economy should insulate it against the turbulence
Korea's Kim calls for economic patriotism at central bank
The Bank of Korea must develop the capacity to match other central banks around the world in acting in the interest of the country's economy, says Choong Soo Kim
Asia-Pacific: Financial stability concerns reflected in rate decisions and forex intervention
Indonesia leans against higher inflation expectations with rate rise, RBNZ's Wheeler concerned over ‘rapid' house price inflation, and Bank of Thailand attempts to slow baht's downward slide
Korean rate cut follows global trend but takes analysts by surprise
Base rate cut of 25 basis points by Bank of Korea aims to boost inflation and employment, and halt the Korean currency's rise against the yen
Korea paper warns developing economies over financial openness
Research suggests open capital markets in developing economies create output volatility; suggests Asian countries are the least stable in a crisis
Korean economy defies won strength to return to growth
South Korean economy posts strongest quarter-on-quarter growth in two years; currency remains "moderately weaker than desirable", according to IMF
Korean paper says welfare cost of inflation is ‘underestimated’
Study contends that treating assets within M1 – the measure of cash and liquid assets in the economy – as non-interest-bearing in models fails to take into account full cost of inflation
State Bank of Vietnam needs a single mandate not independence
Lessons from South Korea, Japan and the US indicate a single mandate would benefit the State Bank of Vietnam more than an IMF call for legal independence.
Korean paper draws macro-prudential policy lessons from history of the 2000s
Working paper draws on Korea's experience of macro-prudential policies over the last decade, which failed to shield it from the impact of the global crisis
Bank of Korea foresees long road to recovery
Economic outlook report predicts sluggish narrowing of Korea’s negative output gap; central bank keeps rates on hold
Bank of Korea warns of forthcoming credit tightening
Bank lending survey finds a recent trend of credit easing is likely to be reversed in the first quarter of 2013; credit risk expected to run at ‘high levels’
Korea research appraises exchange rate volatility
Working paper published by Bank of Korea finds both high and low exchange rate volatility impacts the country’s credit inflows and can carry negative consequences
Korea’s Kim calls for an end to currency reserves hoarding
Bank of Korea governor Choongsoo Kim says use of multi-layered financial safety nets would reduce the need for emerging economies to hoard foreign currency reserves; calls for a global effort
Korea boosts gold holdings by 20%
Central bank purchases $780 million of gold; total stock of 85 tonnes worth $3.76 billion
Korea paper considers spillover effects of currency hedging
Study considers the impact of creating an Exchange Stabilization Corporation designed to prevent short-term currency liabilities accumulating in hedging process