Central Banking
Irish economy to shrink by 7%: central bank
The Irish economy is set for an even worse year than previously thought, according to the latest forecast by the country's central bank.
Congress clamps down on Fed opacity
Pressure on the Federal Reserve to declare the recipients of its loans stepped up on Thursday after the Senate backed legislation which supports the outlawing of Fed borrowers' anonymity.
Fed bailout critic Stern to step down
Gary Stern, the president of the Minneapolis Federal Reserve and a vociferous critic of the Fed's recent bailouts, is to retire. He is the longest-serving senior Fed official.
RBI prepares for 75th anniversary
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) commemorated entering its 75th year on Wednesday with a speech by the governor, who announced plans to mark its platinum jubilee.
Foreclosures a worry in NY state
The number of home mortgages in foreclosure in upstate New York continues to be a concern, notes a report from the New York Federal Reserve.
Depth of Icelandic cut limited on krona concern
Members of the Central Bank of Iceland's monetary policy committee decided unanimously to cut the key policy rate by a full percentage point to 17% but resisted a steeper move owing to caution about the impact on the currency, the minutes for the 17 and…
BoE - Credit Conditions Survey
Lenders reduced the availability of secured credit to households in the three months to mid-March, according to the latest Bank of England Credit Conditions Survey.
Tarp could cost taxpayers more
The Congressional Budget Office has raised its estimate of the ultimate cost to taxpayers of the $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program (Tarp) by 51%.
FSF details reform proposals
A leverage ratio, less risky pay deals and closer work on cross-border contingency planning are among the measures for a new global regulatory code outlined by the Financial Stability Forum on Wednesday.
Markets surge on G20 $1 trillion recovery package
Equity markets in Europe and the United States soared on Wednesday on news that global leaders had pledged an extra $1 trillion to spur an economic recovery.
Harsh standards prompt drop in secured UK loans
Tighter lending conditions have sparked the steepest-ever climb in British housing equity in the last quarter of 2008.
Denmark's Bernstein plans to stock up on reserves
The National Bank of Denmark will need to maintain a larger foreign-exchange reserves stockpile than in recent years, said Nils Bernstein, the governor of the central bank.
Long-run forecasts a good anti-deflation tool
The Federal Open Market Committee's new long-run inflation forecast reduces the chance of a deflationary spiral, a new paper form the San Francisco Federal Reserve posits.
Agenda set for derivatives industry
A meeting at the New York Federal Reserve on Wednesday of the major players in the over-the-counter derivatives market culminated in a four-point agenda for the industry.
Fiji appoints new financial markets head
Faizul Ariff Ali is the new chief manager of the Reserve Bank of Fiji's financial markets division, the central bank announced on Wednesday.
The effect of China's fiscal stimulus on output
China's fiscal spending of Rmb2 trillion ($293 billion) in 2009 could lead to Rmb1.7 trillion ($249 billion) direct increase of output, a new paper from the Hong Kong Monetary Authority posits.
A model for market expectations about inflation
The Bank of Spain has devised a new model for market expectations about the inflation rate.
All US states contract for first time on record
The economies of all of the 50 American states shrank in February for the first time since records began in January 1979.
Monetary union could improve British stability
The British economy's stability would be enhanced by euro adoption, a new paper from the St Louis Federal Reserve posits.
G20 protests converge on Bank of England
The Bank of England on Wednesday was surrounded by anti-capitalist protesters, converging on Threadneedle Street to vent their anger at the crisis on the eve of the London G20 summit.
Banks reforming pay deals, says industry group
The Institute of International Finance (IIF), a global organisation for the banking industry, has said that financial firms are overhauling their compensation practices to reflect a longer-term outlook.
Mexico may tap Fed, IMF credit lines
Felipe Calderon, Mexico's president, said on Tuesday that the country was eligible to take a $40 billion credit line with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as speculation mounted that the Bank of Mexico would soon use its $30 billion arrangement with…
A guide for an ideal communique
For Marc Uzan, an executive director on the Reinventing Bretton Woods Committee, the perfect G20 communique would note the long-term ramifications of the crisis.
IMF to enhance borrowing terms for the poor: Lipsk
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is redesigning its lending policies for low-income countries, said John Lipsky, the first deputy managing director of the fund.