Central Banking
Beijing downplays hot money flows
China’s State Administration of Foreign Exchange says hot money flows are “ant-like” relative to size of economy; analysts say results downplay risks of emerging markets overheating
Zhou and Carstens new co-heads of IIF crisis prevention group
People’s Bank of China governor Zhou Xiaochuan and Bank of Mexico governor Agustín Carstens to co-head Group of Trustees at Institute of International Finance working group
Central banks should consider price-level targeting: CentralBanking.com poll
Fifty-three percent of voters in CentralBanking.com poll think central banks should mull switch to price-level targeting framework
Household attitudes are changing: RBA’s Lowe
Reserve Bank of Australia assistant governor Philip Lowe says restraint in household consumption may be a long-term trend
No more bailouts under Dodd-Frank: FDIC’s Bair
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation chair Sheila Bair says Dodd-Frank Act ensures taxpayer will no longer bear cost of bank failures
Mortgage discounting slows monetary policy pass through: Bank of Canada
Bank of Canada Winter Review 2010–2011 says mortgage-rate discounting slows monetary policy pass-through to lending rates
Bernanke on progress of Dodd-Frank reforms
Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke outlines Dodd Frank reforms in financial stability area
Boston Fed paper on measures of bank output
Boston Federal Reserve study finds bias in methodology statistical agencies’ measurement of bank output
Rebalancing growth in Asia: IMF paper
Fund study examines case for rebalancing growth in Asia through investment-oriented policies
FOMC minutes on why yield curve is steepening
Federal Open Market Committee meeting minutes explain steep rise in long-term Treasury yields
Bank of Finland paper on boom and bust
Bank of Finland proposes model to measure financial frictions in the Finnish economy
UK Treasury fleshes out new regulatory set-up
UK Treasury details powers of the new macroprudential body; rebrands Consumer Protection and Markets Authority to reflect underlying purpose
ECB overnight lending rockets to 19-month high
Banks’ borrowing from the European Central Bank’s marginal lending facility climbs to $21 billion on Wednesday; sudden move has sparked speculation on bank troubles, analysts say
RBA spends $18,000 on governor’s table; refurb could cost up to $68m
Reserve Bank of Australia says refurbishment could set it back A$68 million; big-ticket items include A$18,000 desk for governor Glenn Stevens
Fed’s Kohn appointed to Bank’s FPC
UK government names four external members to interim Financial Policy Committee; former Fed vice-chair Donald Kohn among three ex-central bankers appointed to macroprudential body
Dallas Fed paper on SNB crisis measures
Dallas Federal Reserve case study on success of Swiss National Bank liquidity provisions to foreign banks
RBA minutes: rates on hold as flood damage assessed
Minutes of Reserve Bank of Australia rate-setting meeting relay concerns over impact of floods on economic outlook; cautious over rising commodity prices
Central Bank of Chile paper links instability to austerity
Central Bank of Chile study finds positive correlation between austerity and instability in Latin American countries
Buba study on robustness of monetary policy
Bundesbank research examines whether misspecification may have consequences on robustness of monetary policy decisions
Inflation may hit 5%, but we couldn’t have done it different: King
Bank of England’s Inflation Report says inflation will likely soar further; medium term outlook shifts slightly as spare capacity margin revised downwards
Merkel names Weber’s successor
German chancellor Angela Merkel nominates economic adviser Jens Weidmann to replace Axel Weber as president of Bundesbank; picks BaFin director Sabine Lautenschläger-Peiter as new vice-president
Without better data, we risk a repeat of the crisis
More analysis of the nature of cross-border financial flows and a global risk map are essential in countering systemic threats, Bernd Braasch argues
High US unemployment suggests greater search frictions: Nobel Prizewinner Pissarides
London School of Economics professor says fact that rising vacancies have failed to temper unemployment signifies “something wrong” in labour market
PBoC to lend to drought-wracked agricultural sector
People’s Bank of China says it will lend for agricultural purchases and drought relief to stymie effects of continuing drought