Central Banking
Vietnam unveils leadership board for new FSAP
State Bank of Vietnam reveals people selected to lead the country’s first Financial Sector Assessment Programme; in-depth analysis will be used by the IMF in surveillance work
RBA’s Stevens confident Australian growth will continue
Reserve Bank of Australia governor discusses factors behind Australian growth outperforming other advanced economies; argues country’s economic position likely to remain strong
Nigeria’s Sanusi urges innovative infrastructure financing
Nigerian governor says country must find new ways of raising $10 billion each year for infrastructure investment; argues this requires both private and public funding
IMF paper finds stronger and more complex fiscal rules following crises
Working paper compiles dataset of national and supra-national fiscal rules; suggests rules were strengthened after crises in the 1990s and after the financial crisis
Fed governor explains dissenting vote on Volcker Rule implementation
Sarah Raskin justifies her vote against Volcker Rule implementation; argues rule’s provisions unlikely to have significant impact on liquidity
Central Bank of Colombia paper develops early warning model of credit booms
Working paper tests model of credit booms that includes macroeconomic indicators in addition to credit growth; finds the model performs well across a number of Latin American countries
Indonesia enters China interbank bond market
Bank Indonesia and People's Bank of China reach agreement allowing Indonesian central bank access to China's interbank bond market; part of Chinese strategy towards internationalisation of the yuan
Sarb annual report notes ‘pedestrian’ growth days after rate cut
Annual economic report shows South African output ‘losing some momentum’ in 2012; follows 50bp rate cut by central bank
Central Bank of UAE enhances security features in banknotes
Fifty dirham note reprinted to include new colour-shifting thread; rest of design to remain the same
Bank of Canada paper warns of shock transmission multipliers
Working paper finds financial integration between countries leads to multiplier effects in the transmission of shocks; suggests greater investment causes greater correlation of output
Central Bank of Iceland chief warns of foreign exchange intervention risks
Már Guðmundsson discusses problems posed by free-floating exchange rates; says central bank actions to lean against capital flows may fragment financial system
BoE paper studies information in sticky and flexible prices
Working paper studies the usefulness of sticky and flexible prices in showing firms’ estimates of the output gap and inflation expectations
BoJ deputy governor highlights benefits of financial co-operation
Kiyohiko Nishimura emphasises positive results of co-ordinated macro-prudential policy action in Asia; says links between Latin America and Asia are also important
Fault found in new Namibian banknotes
Bank of Namibia investigating ‘cracking’ in new banknotes; asks public to handle currency with 'care and pride' and use wallets to limit damage to notes
ADB economist moots idea of common currency in Asia
Principal economist at Asian Development Bank says common currency possible in ‘long run’; panellists outline possibilities for greater Asian economic integration
Asian central bank reserves surpass optimal levels, says IMF’s Zavadjil
Reserves held by Asian central banks are rising past optimal levels even if cover for longer-term foreign fund and FDI ouflows are added to import and short-term debt coverage metrics, says IMF expert
World Gold Council says disinflation may support gold demand
Statistical commentary argues gold price may increase due to disinflation; says current economic environment ‘supportive’ of gold demand
Central bankers discuss cooperation in times of crisis
Fed’s Duke and ECB’s Cœuré offer thoughts on pros and cons of central banks working together during periods of economic turmoil; both take the chance to defend their institution’s actions
UK Treasury proposes payments regulation overhaul
Government sets out options for changes to payments regulation in UK; favours creation of new ‘Payments Strategy Board’ to monitor industry and make recommendations
ECB governing council approves T2S board members
Board includes members from several eurozone central banks; chairman of temporary board in place during development phase reappointed to take the project forward
Fed paper finds ‘surprising’ impact of monetary policy on long-term real rates
Working paper suggests reasons for the unexpected effect of short-term monetary policy on long-term real rates; argues this is driven by demand from ‘yield-oriented’ investors
Bank of Italy’s economic overview paints bleak picture
Italian statistics show worsening of main economic indicators in first quarter of 2012; however government bond yields below levels at end of 2011
IMF paper suggests policies to sustain fast growth in India
Working paper applies lessons from fast growth in 2000s to current Indian growth slowdown; warns that progress will continue to slow if policy-makers do not act quickly
Bank of Israel paper underlines importance of fiscal discipline
Research paper compares policy responses to two crises; finds weak fiscal discipline prior to crisis can create significant problems for use of counter-cyclical fiscal and monetary policy