Central Banking
Argentina lifts capital controls as peso's slide continues
Argentina lifts capital controls a day after central bank quits trying to prop up the currency
Bank of England will recalibrate forward guidance next month
Governor Mark Carney tells an audience in Davos he would prefer the next stage of forward guidance not to focus solely on unemployment, but on ‘overall conditions' in the economy
Restrictions on capital outflows more effective when supported by strong fundamentals and institutions
IMF working paper finds tightening of restrictions fails to reduce net outflows when macroeconomic fundamentals, good institutions, or comprehensive existing restrictions are lacking
Research shows CEE firms bribe bankers to get credit
Paper finds correlation between the prevalence of bribery in an economy and firms' bank debt ratios - suggesting firms bribe bank officials in order to secure loans
IMF board laments US-induced impasse on quota reform
Executive board asks the IMF board of governors to adopt resolution calling for ratification of reform package that would double quotas and overhaul fund's governance ‘without further delay'
Major central banks phase out dollar liquidity operations
ECB, BoE, BoJ and SNB will start scaling back the amount of dollar liquidity they offer to market participants in April in response to waning demand
Banks with more interbank relationships meet liquidity needs ‘more efficiently’, finds Bundesbank paper
Discussion paper examines the link between interbank relationships and liquidity needs, using data from German banks’ use of ECB main refinancing operations
Downside risks to Canadian inflation put central bank in a quandary
Uncertainty over inflation's next move leaves Bank of Canada waiting for more information before it decides to move rates
Colombian paper examines women in the workplace
Researchers say the large increase in the number of urban women participating in the workforce is predominantly a result of married women with low education levels getting jobs
Central Bank of Venezuela sees third president in nine months
Nelson Merentes, currently finance minister, will return to the bank, which he led for four years before leaving in April; meanwhile, the finance and ‘banking system' ministries are being merged
Solomon Islands wins IMF support for ‘contractionary’ monetary policy
Central Bank of Solomon Islands maintains tight monetary policy in face of excess liquidity; IMF welcomes stance but tells authorities to implement a wider exchange rate band
BoE's Fisher says falling unemployment needn't mean rate rises
Bank of England's monetary policy committee must plot a course between choking off the recovery and allowing inflationary pressures to rise excessively, says head of markets Paul Fisher
Swiss National Bank tightens controls on mortgage lending
Switzerland’s Federal Council approves central bank proposal to double the size of the counter-cyclical capital buffer and cool the housing market
Central Bank of Turkey sells $2.5bn in attempt to halt lira freefall
Central bank buys local currency for an estimated $2.5 billion in one day, upping stakes on strategy that has seen it spend one-third of net reserves since June
BoE prudential regulator wrestles with early warning indicators calibration
Calibration for general insurers and with-profits funds frustrates regulator's progress
BoE's McCafferty says 'lagging' investment recovery ready to start
Worries over a lack in business investment growth are misplaced, according to MPC member Ian McCafferty, who says it is normal for it to lag growth in other sectors
Lautenschläger nominated as SSM vice-chair
The European Central Bank has nominated Sabine Lautenschläger as the vice-chair of the supervisory board; if appointed she will join Danièle Nouy at the top of the SSM
Prices transmit information from the informed to the uniformed, say researchers
Bank of Italy working paper examines how the price system affects companies’ demand for information on the macroeconomy; contributes to business cycle theory
Cœuré wants to fast-track resolution fund
Benoît Cœuré calls for single resolution fund to be established within five years; Axel Weber predicts that some of the eurozone banks will fail the ECB’s asset-quality review
Head of the Central Bank of Nicaragua removed by decree
Alberto Guevara was transferred to a different, as yet unknown, position within the government last week; the general manager is standing in and the bank is expected to comment publicly on Friday
RBI report recommends inflation target under new monetary policy framework
Committee set up by Raghuram Rajan in September calls for formal nominal inflation target of 4% to be phased in over two years; also recommends sweeping changes to bank's organisational structure
Vaguer guidance in vogue as unemployment continues to confound
As UK and US unemployment brushes the thresholds of monetary policy forward guidance, central banks' next moves are anything but straightforward
Dombret questions benefit of breaking up banks
Doubts that separation between investment and commercial banking would ensure that lenders can fail 'without disrupting the system'; says 'pure commercial banks' were at centre of crisis
Central banks found research prize in honour of Carl Menger
Deutsche Bundesbank, National Bank of Austria and Swiss National Bank announce the creation of a new prize for economic research, named after Austrian economist Carl Menger