Central Banking
Bernanke stresses importance of Fed independence
Chairman of the Federal Reserve highlights provisions in place to safeguard independence of the US central bank; discusses common fiscal authority for Europe
Indian government appoints new RBI director
Arvind Mayaram appointed as new member of Reserve Bank of India’s central board of directors; becomes one of two government representatives on the board
Irish financial accounts highlight increase in government liabilities
Quarterly financial accounts for Ireland show levels of government liabilities rising to historic peak; household debt declines slightly over the quarter
SNB reveals scale of latest foreign exchange purchases
Swiss National Bank posts large increase in foreign exchange holdings from June to July; purchases represent efforts by central bank to prevent safe-haven flows into country
Banque de France paper highlights risks of financial markets opacity
Researchers find imperfect information on financial intermediaries’ exposures encourages risk-taking; suggest low interest rates and ‘gambling for resurrection’ raise systemic risk
Governor of Bank of Ghana becomes vice-president
Kwesi Bekoe Amissah-Arthur sworn in as deputy to president John Dramani Mahama; no news on replacement at the helm of the central bank
Senior official exodus continues at National Bank of Serbia
Chairmen and two members of the National Bank of Serbia’s Council of the Governor resign in protest at amendments to central bank law; parliament appoints Jorgovanka Tabakovic governor
Kenyan governor under fire over banknote printing contracts
Njuguna Ndung’u faces second public attack from politicians this year; latest complaint concerns handling of tender process for printing Kenyan banknotes
National Bank of Belgium paper studies effect of shocks on US trade balance
Working paper analyses link between shocks to the marginal efficiency of investment and the US trade balance; argues this constitutes a significant element in forecasting US trade fluctuations
Central Bank of Ireland paper outlines changes to country’s European funding
Quarterly bulletin examines Ireland’s reliance on funding from Europe; highlights a decline in borrowing from Europe and an increase in Target2 liabilities
Israel’s Fischer expresses hope that living standards will overtake the West
Stanley Fischer says growth in Israel remains reasonable and above that of the West; warns government must press ahead with agreed fiscal measures to create ‘position of strength’
Australia and Sri Lanka leave rates on hold
Reserve Bank of Australia and Central Bank of Sri Lanka highlight worsening economic conditions around the world as they announce benchmark rates will remain unchanged
Serbian vice-governor resigns as amended central bank law passed
Bojan Marković follows Dejan Šoškić and quits central bank; amendments to central bank law passed despite opposition from IMF, European Commission and World Bank
Fed’s Bernanke looks beyond broad market indicators
Fed chairman warns key aggregate metrics can miss economic pain felt by individuals and households; encourages development of economic measures to better assist with policy decisions
China hints at policy adjustments to support economy
People's Bank of China pledges to strengthen the 'fine-tuning' of monetary policy in the country; latest indication of growing anxiety over slowing economy
New Jamaican banknotes mark 50 years of country’s independence
Bank of Jamaica introduces new notes commemorating 50 years of political independence for the country; hybrid substrate used for first time
Troika maintains pressure on Greece
Officials from the European Commission, ECB and IMF will return to Greece in September to check on reform progress; central bank chief reportedly tells government the country is being 'defamed'
Central Bank of Colombia paper finds delayed monetary policy responses
Working paper develops new models of output gap and neutral interest rate; argues interest rate changes by central bank lag behind movements in output
RBNZ governor weighs impact of debt burden on growth
Alan Bollard says large accumulation of private debt prior to financial crisis contributing to a ‘tepid’ recovery; argues a rebalancing of the economy is still to come
IMF paper studies effect of global environment on domestic bond yields
Working paper analyses link between global economic conditions and emerging market domestic bond yields; finds financial market turmoil raises sensitivity to government spending increases
Bank of Israel warns of ‘lack of clarity’ in government fiscal policy
Report assesses domestic and external economic conditions affecting the Bank of Israel’s interest rate decision; low CPI, weak shekel and fiscal policy uncertainty contribute to rate hold
IMF urges Russian central bank to tighten policy
Article IV consultation recommends ‘gradual further tightening’ of monetary policy; preparation needed for informal inflation targeting in 2014
BoE’s Tucker says bail-ins part of too-big-to-fail solution
Paul Tucker says bail-ins are an ‘important topic’ for policy-makers trying to address the issue of ‘too-big-to-fail’ banks; hints others are considering similar options
RBI’s Subbarao discusses regulating banking innovation
Duvvuri Subbarao outlines Reserve Bank of India’s efforts to regulate innovation in payments systems; says 'foresight and wisdom' are needed by both innovator and central bank