Central Banking
IMF sees southern European free-fall begin to slow
Mission chief for Greece says painful adjustment proceeding ‘apace’, although questions raised over potential €9.5 billion funding gap; Fund praises ‘impressive policy effort’ in Portugal
Fed researchers plot balance sheet exit strategy
Federal Reserve economists project possible routes towards returning the balance sheet to a 'normal' size, finding that the process should only have a temporary impact on the Fed's income
Dallas Fed calls for a return to 'traditional' system of smaller banks
Special report advocates limiting the size of banks; champions a return to less public support and greater market discipline
Albania governor calls for deeper European integration to fight crisis
Ardian Fullani says Europe at "opposite end of the spectrum" from China; adds integrating eastern neighbours would be mutually beneficial
Ex-BoE policymaker Goodhart favours expanding balance sheet over NGDP target
Charles Goodhart says incoming BoE governor should buy a wider range of private sector assets; warns against nominal GDP level target
People: Dijsselbloem bids for Eurogroup chair; Sanusi takes reins at WAMZ
Eurozone finance ministers to elect new chair on Monday; West African Monetary Zone chair passes to Nigeria governor; Finland picks audit head
Bundesbank deputy stresses need for SSM improvements
Sabine Lautenschläger says foundation of Europe’s single supervisory mechanism needs work; legal and governance structures unfinished at present
Monetary policy committee chairmen compared in Norwegian paper
Study finds Norges Bank and Sveriges Riksbank chairmen similar in style, despite different committee models
BoE MPC member questions efficacy of more QE
Ian McCafferty, an external Monetary Policy Committee member, says more monetary stimulus may not boost demand as much as earlier efforts
Calomiris unveils ‘Sword of Damocles’ CoCo to hold over CEOs
Columbia academic and ESRB committee member Charles Calomiris believes CoCos designed to force top bank executives to issue equity well before they are triggered would reduce systemic risk
Outgoing Hungarian governor fighting a losing battle on monetary council
Central bank governor and deputies outvoted on interest rate decision for fifth successive meeting; government minister tipped to be appointed next governor
Bank of Estonia eyes payments upgrade
Estonian central bank proposes new retail payments system that will meet incoming Sepa requirements; final selection requires approval of commercial banks
Bundesbank slams ‘excessive' Bangladesh death penalty threat
German central bank shelves co-operation plan pending Bangladesh ‘clearly and irrevocably' dropping plans to execute counterfeiters
SNB profits halve in 2012
Swiss National Bank reveals expected profits for 2012 are less than half the figure for 2011
Dallas Fed president demands end to 'too-big-to-fail'
Richard Fisher rejects Dodd-Frank provisions for too-big-to-fail institutions; urges rolling back of safety net and downsizing of banking institutions
Fed’s latest Beige Book finds post-hurricane rebound
States that bore the brunt of Hurricane Sandy report improved conditions in all but the hardest-hit areas, as ‘modest or moderate’ growth continues; unemployment remains stubborn, however
IMF paper compares sub-Saharan bond markets
Research finds a ‘steadily growing’ corporate bond market would benefit from further financial development in African countries
Sri Lankan central bank sounds positive note for 2013
Monetary policy review forecasts moderation in inflation and robust economic growth; committee votes to hold repo rate at 7.5% and reverse repo at 9.5%
RBI mulls bank supervision changes in light of IMF report
Indian central bank accepts potential for ‘moral hazard' in supervisory system; IMF report finds regime on the whole ‘well developed and largely in compliance with international standards'
Vickers lends support to ring-fence ‘electrification’
John Vickers backs powers to enable the UK’s financial regulator to forcibly split banks’ activities if they violate ring-fence
Filipino central bank launches exchange facility for nationals fleeing Syria
Filipino workers returning from Syria will have four months to change currency, as Syrian pounds and Philippine pesos are not otherwise convertible
People: Egypt deputy resigns; HKMA shuffles pack
Egypt's first female deputy governor follows her boss to the exit; HKMA assigns three executive director portfolios
Bundesbank to bring gold back home
Bundesbank will move 674 tonnes of Germany’s gold reserves, currently held in New York and Paris, to vaults in Frankfurt by 2020
Robert Pringle’s Viewpoint: Cameron’s high-risk European gamble
British Prime Minister David Cameron's high-stakes bid to renegotiate the UK’s role within the EU has rankled some officials in Europe. But both sides would lose from a UK withdrawal