Central Banking
Czech National Bank reports resilient financial system
Financial Stability Report finds Czech financial sector well prepared for unfavourable external developments; says growth likely to stagnate in 2012
Bank of Israel review shows mixed economic outlook
Review of economic developments gives mixed assessment of economic outlook; says growth below potential but inflation on target
Norwegian governor discusses fund risk rebalancing
Øystein Olsen considers need for pension fund to rebalance its portfolio in response to changing risk; argues that rebalancing is justified
Role of FSB ramped up as Carney updates G-20 on progress
Financial Stability Board to gain legal footing under Swiss law; Carney reports “good” progress on implementation of financial reforms but says more to be done
UK ‘catching up’ on collateral eligibility, say CBP panellists
Central Banking ON AIR event sees discussion of central bank decisions to extend collateral eligibility; panellists stress diversification should be executed with care in non-crisis times
BoE minutes show dovish shift
Minutes from Bank of England monetary policy committee’s latest meeting reveal governor Mervyn King voted for an increase to the asset purchase programme in the UK; lost out in narrow vote
JP Morgan losses will be considered in Volcker rule finalisation, says Fed official
General counsel of the Federal Reserve says new comments have been received regarding the Volcker rule since JP Morgan losses were revealed; views will be considered as rule is finalised
UK inflation unexpectedly drops again
Office for National Statistics reveals CPI annual inflation fell this month; leads to renewed QE expectations and predictions of on-target inflation figure by the end of the year
Papua New Guinea welcomes mobile banking advances
Governor of the Bank of Papua New Guinea has 'no objection' to use of mobile banking product in the country; hopes system will improve financial services for unbanked population
Romanian governor examines monetary policy transitions
Mugur Isărescu considers changes to Romanian monetary policy in response to changing economic environment; says policy requires an understanding of theory but must be grounded in economic reality
IMF paper builds dynamic model of systemic risk
Working paper develops dynamic model of risk based on combination of underlying risk factors; finds this provides better warning signals than models with non-dynamic thresholds
New Zealand’s McDermott emphasises inflation targeting success
Reserve Bank of New Zealand assistant governor highlights success of central bank’s inflation targeting policy; says there is still room for improvement
Finnish business survey reports improvement in financing
Bank of Finland business survey reports slightly higher number of enterprises gaining new private external finance; but many small businesses still experiencing funding problems
Robert Pringle's Viewpoint: Fatal flaws in inflation targeting
Central bankers face a ‘lose-lose situation’ by accepting dual price and financial stability mandates when even their ability to achieve price stability via inflation targeting is in question
Syrian governor addresses banknote printing rumours
Adib Mayyaleh says new notes are produced only to replace worn-out ones; slams reports that extra currency has been added into circulation
ECB’s Cœuré urges ‘revival’ of money markets
ECB policy-maker says money markets are “vital” to the financial system; discusses steps that should be taken to reduce risk concerns to restore activity
Egyptian official recalls emergency planning during unrest
Manager of risk department at the Central Bank of Egypt describes what happened when social unrest took hold of the country; bankers decamped to a hotel in the suburbs to maintain services
RBI holds rates fearing impact of further QE abroad
Reserve Bank of India says another round of quantitative easing in advanced countries would have an adverse impact on growth and inflation; keeps rates on hold in anticipation
Former Brazilian governor takes additional advisory role
Henrique Meirelles appointed as senior adviser at Kohlberg Kravis Roberts; adds firm to a substantial list of board positions and advisory roles
Malawi central bank releases new currency
Reserve Bank of Malawi introduces series of banknotes and coins; follows decision to devalue the kwacha to appease international aid donors
Albania’s Fullani calls for greater co-operation with Europe
Ardian Fullani urges European policy-makers to pay greater attention to policy impact on aspiring members; emphasises that internal policies are also essential for stability
IMF paper examines changing bond demand
Working paper considers changes in investor demand for government bonds after the financial crisis; finds lower yields shift demand from foreign to domestic investors
BoJ’s Shirai considers eurozone impact on Japan
Sayuri Shirai examines eurozone crisis and discusses impact on Japan; sets out three main channels through which the economy is affected
Riksbank commentary challenges EC debt measure
Economic commentary assesses measure of private debt to GDP used by the European Commission in its February report on imbalances in the EU; says measure overestimates debt in Sweden