United States
Krugman adds lustre to $1 trillion coin plan
Proposal to mint a $1 trillion coin to avoid 'fiscal cliff' in US wins Krugman backing and Republican opposition
Fed could stop asset purchases ‘well before end of 2013’
FOMC members express concerns over costs of quantitative easing as the Fed’s balance sheet expands; most members see purchases ending within a year
US thrashes out partial solution to fiscal cliff
US government reaches agreement that postpones and reduces fiscal cliff; measures unlikely to have significant impact on Fed policy, some observers say
Book notes: Guardians of Finance
This is a book offering a useful contribution to the debate over the future of regulation. By James R Barth, Gerard Caprio Jr and Ross Levine
Book notes: Masters of the Universe: Hayek, Friedman, and the Birth of Neoliberal Politics
At first glance the cover of this book implies that the overweening attachment of Thatcher and Reagan to free market economics lay at the root of the 2007–08 crisis. But it is not as simple as that
Book notes: First Principles: Five Keys to Restoring America's Prosperity
The author's premise is that the best way to understand the problems confronting the American economy is to go back to the first principles of economic freedom upon which the country was founded
Racial equality boosted by deregulation in US, paper says
Banking sector policies that facilitated competition helped increase the black population’s relative wages in the US, but only in racially biased states
FSB presses forward with legal entity identifiers
Latest Financial Stability Board report shows further progress towards implementing the global legal entity identifier system with March 2013 deadline fast approaching
FDIC name new leadership
President Obama names acting-chairman Martin Gruenberg as the new FDIC head and ex-Kansas City Fed president Thomas Hoenig as his number two
Fed’s Tarullo outlines update to regulation of foreign banks
Rules for foreign banks operating in the US need to be strengthened, but should not be so harsh as to give domestic banks a competitive advantage, says Daniel Tarullo
IMF’s Lipton cools recovery talk
Greater euro area and US progress is needed to avoid another global downturn; more co-operation required on regulatory reform
Lagarde implores next US president to act fast on ‘fiscal cliff’
IMF managing director Christine Lagarde has challenged the next US president to urgently address Washington’s ‘policy uncertainty’ irrespective of who wins
Fed study shows US banks still wary of lending to European peers
US banks are continuing to tighten lending standards to their European counterparts with some winning additional business as a result of reduced competition from European banks, Fed study finds
Hurricane Sandy disrupts Federal Reserve operations
New York Federal Reserve suspended operations for a day as hurricane battered eastern US; temporary measures taken to support banking in face of disruptions to power, communications and staffing
Fed’s QE2 will have ‘modest impact’, says San Francisco paper
Research by the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco estimates the second round of Fed quantitative easing will have only a small effect on GDP growth and inflation
National production gaps don’t drive stock markets, says Swiss paper
Study by the Swiss National Bank finds global business cycle risks affect stock markets more than any nation-specific production gap
US reform could slash $150bn payments bill, says Fed’s Pianalto
Cleveland Fed president Sandra Pianalto explains the Fed’s vision of how the US payments system will operate in a decade; says UK offers valuable lesson on speed
Fed’s Tarullo says Dodd-Frank requires ‘extensive elaboration’
Daniel Tarullo highlights challenges in producing details of Dodd-Frank Act regulations; suggests limits to mergers by large banks and says SEC should strengthen money market fund regulation
Moderate economic expansion reported in Fed’s Beige Book
Survey of economic conditions in Fed districts finds moderate increase in economic activity; New York district bucking trend
IMF says urgent action required in eurozone
Fund’s Global Financial Stability Report highlights progress with reforms in Europe but warns risks have increased since April; says eurozone policy-makers must act quickly to ensure stability
Iosco calls for tighter regulation of money market funds
Recommendations aimed at reducing systemic risk posed by money market funds; report published despite opposition from the US Securities and Exchange Commission
Most countries set to miss Basel III deadline
Progress report on Basel III implementation reveals no country has yet adopted final rules; Stefan Ingves says it is clear some jurisdictions will miss January 1 deadline
Fed paper studies impact of fiscal reform within a monetary union
Research published by the Federal Reserve considers the effects of a unilateral shift in taxation policy within a monetary union and finds that risk of spillovers only comes with full integration
New rate-setting communication deliberated by Fed
Minutes from the FOMC’s September meeting show consideration of a switch in the way interest rate decisions are disclosed as well as motivation behind QE3