Central Banking
Ireland copies UK in new central bank law
Central bank can now order financial services providers to have an independent expert prepare a report on any regulatory matter; similar to UK provision
Belarus new chief hails from biggest state bank
Nadezhda Yermakova leaves Belarusbank to take over as head of the central bank
Cross-border flows stalling in euro area: ECB paper
European Central Bank study highlights concerns over resumption in euro area cross-border financial flows
IMF paper observes heterogeneous interest rate pass-through
Fund study identifies factors that both facilitate and impede monetary policy pass-through to economy and financial markets
Thailand’s Trairatvorakul offers guidance to new government
Bank of Thailand governor Prasarn Trairatvorakul says government will need to boost productivity as competition globally intensifies
Federal Reserve – Beige Book (July 2011)
Federal Reserve July Beige Book shows United States experienced slowdown in economic activity on east coast
Draghi backs ‘consistent’ implementation of Basel III
In his foreword to a new book, Mario Draghi says consistent implementation of Basel III rules must be achieved
Lagarde sets out ‘four-C’ plan to keep IMF relevant
Christine Lagarde says IMF must focus on clients and connections, be comprehensive and credible; reform of voting system is a top priority
Greek debt guarantees were vital for monetary policy: Estonia’s Lipstok
Bank of Estonia chairman Andres Lipstok says pledge by eurozone leaders to provide European Central Bank with guarantees for Greek collateral was very important for its price stability mandate
South Sudan currency exchange begins in earnest: images
Senior officials in South Sudan exchange Sudan pound for new South Sudan currency; central bank sets deadline for public to exchange old banknotes for new ones
RBA’s Stevens on need for productivity-driven growth
Reserve Bank of Australia governor Glenn Stevens says Australia should capitalise on its good terms of trade and boost productivity growth
College drop-out rate is strongly correlated to income: Boston Fed
Boston Federal Reserve study shows poor students are 27% more likely to drop out of college than wealthier students
Hungary holds as inflation moves closer to target: minutes
National Bank of Hungary minutes shows decline in inflation suggested return to 3% target would not necessitate a monetary tightening
Microfinance lenders' global exposure increasing: IMF paper
Fund study shows that microfinance lenders are becoming more affected by events in international markets post-crisis
Afghanistan denies oversight failures
Afghanistan’s government defends itself against claims it failed to co-operate with auditors to safeguard US funds; says relationship with US watchdog is “strained”
Robert Mundell: How to save the euro
Nobel laureate Robert Mundell says eurozone can be saved with three-pronged policy solution, ‘for the short run, intermediate run and long run’
Political impasse raises US default concerns
As the August 2 deadline to raise the US debt ceiling looms, Blair Baker looks at what the prospect of a default in the US means for the world and whether the Fed can play a pivotal role in Washington
Hawkish RBI in ‘surprise’ rate hike
Reserve Bank of India shocks markets with 50-basis point rate hike in a bid to curb rising inflationary pressures; further rate hikes expected this year
CIC adopts more bullish investment strategy
China Investment Corporation 2010 Annual Report shows major shift in sovereign wealth fund's investment strategy towards equities and alternative assets
South Korea monetary policy talks between government and central bank
Finance ministry official meets with central bank deputy governor to discuss macroeconomic policy; fears central bank may be losing independence
BoJ’s Shirakawa says ‘rebuilding demand’ will foster growth
Bank of Japan governor Masaaki Shirakawa says that while supply-side constraints are vital to the recovery in Japan, 'demand-side' factors were necessary to drive growth in the near term
Risky lending driven by largest banks: ECB paper
European Central Bank study shows that larger banks are the most likely to apply aggressive pricing strategies in syndicated loan markets
BoE paper identifies drivers of energy price volatility
Bank of England study says risk premium and productivity shocks operated in inverse directions on inflation in the UK
St Louis Fed paper observes high government reallocation costs
St Louis Federal Reserve study says governments come up against high capital and labour reallocation costs when responding to a negative demand shock