Central Banking
Stress testing in central banks - a comparison
A new paper from the Bank of Italy reviews the quantitative methods used at selected central banks to stress testing credit risk.
ECB on originate and distribute
A new paper from the European Central Bank looks at the incentive structure of the originate and distribute model and suggest policies that could be used to mitigate conflicts of interest surrounding the model.
India's Subbarao: fundamentals strong
The fundamentals of the Indian economy continue to be strong, said Duvvuri Subbarao, the governor of the Reserve Bank of India.
Bank of Canada - Financial System Review Dec '08
The latest Financial System Review from the Bank of Canada focuses on five key sources of risk to the strength and stability of the Canadian financial system.
Assets are better kept with SWFs
Countries with a large foreign asset base tend to establish sovereign wealth funds as central banks' portfolio diversification tends is limited, says a new paper from the San Francisco Federal Reserve.
How high is inflation? Depends how you ask
Seemingly small differences in how inflation is referred to in a survey can lead respondents to consider significantly different price concepts, says a paper from the New York Federal Reserve.
Paulson wants more cash as Tarp bails out Detroit
Hank Paulson, the US treasury secretary, has called for Congress to hand over the remainder of the $700 billion in taxpayer funds allocated to the Troubled Asset Relief Plan (Tarp). Paulson's pleas followed news that George W. Bush, the US president,…
Pound could sink to par with euro "within weeks"
The pound will reach parity against the euro on the back of a stream of poor news on the macro front and expectations on interest rates, market participants say.
Japan acts to ease lending strains, cuts to 0.1%
The Bank of Japan has shaved two-tenths of a percentage points off its key rate and introduced a raft of measures aimed at easing financing tensions in the run-up to the year-end, including outright purchases of commercial paper.
Turkey cuts by 125 basis points
The Central Bank of Turkey cut its key rate by 125 basis points on Thursday after the slowdown in the Turkish economy showed signs of intensifying.
Finland names acting head for new regulator
Anneli Tuominen, will become the first head of the Financial Supervisory Authority, Finland's new financial regulator.
ECB to keep one-governor, one-vote system for now
The European Central Bank's (ECB) Governing Council has gone back on the voting structure set out in its statute and opted to keep its one-governor, one-vote regime until the number of eurosystem central banks exceeds 18. The central bank also said that…
Obama picks SEC head and Fed governor
Barack Obama, the US president-elect, has named Mary Schapiro, the chief executive of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), as the new head of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The president-elect also appointed Daniel Tarullo,…
Philippines cuts as World Bank pledges $200m food
The Central Bank of the Philippines lopped half a point off its key rate on Thursday as the World Bank approved a $200m loan to ensure the country's poor would have basic foodstuffs amid the growth slowdown.
Demand soars for high-value euro notes
The value of €500 ($715) notes in circulation surged past a quarter of a trillion euros in 2008 to reach €262 billion in November.
Indian inflation plummets as fuel prices drop
India's key inflation measure has dipped by more than a percentage point over the course of a week.
Central Bank of Swaziland - Annual Report 2007/200
In 2007, the government of Swaziland and the central bank strengthened the coordination of monetary and fiscal policy, notes the latest Annual Report from the Central Bank of Swaziland.
A new model for long-run risks
A paper from the Kansas City Federal Reserve devises a model long-run risks model where inflation risks and volatilities are in line with survey data.
IMF needs to step up surveillance: Italy's DG
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) should significantly step up international surveillance, said Fabrizio Saccomanni, the director general of the Bank of Italy.
Monetary policy should respond to risk-taking
Unless monetary policy regimes respond to increased levels of risk-taking by market participants, fluctuations in the business cycle might be amplified in future, argues a paper from the Bank for International Settlements.
Russia, Nigeria devalue, shun "losing battle"
The Nigerian and Russian central banks have both said that they will allow their currencies to depreciate to protect their reserves stockpile. The actions signal Moscow and Abuja have acknowledged that the real values of their currencies have weakened in…
Norway slashes rates on "major shocks"
Norges Bank has followed the Riksbank's lead in chopping 175 basis points off its key rate. Exposure to "new major shocks" sparked the move, which leaves the central bank's key rate at 3%. Elsewhere, three other central banks cut their key rate by 50…
Fed cut a psychological boost but little more
At face value, Tuesday's Federal Open Market Committee statement was an historic move that underlined the US central bank's commitment to do all it can to counter the crisis. But, though the statement met with widespread approval from the markets, it…
Norwegian SWF looks to block Buffett takeover
Norway's sovereign wealth fund has filed a lawsuit to block a proposed takeover of a company it part-owns by Berkshire Hathaway, the holding company headed by Warren Buffett, an investor.