Coronavirus
Fed researchers look at age-old problems in US economy
More adults are moving in with parents and retirement levels normalise post-Covid, studies find
Boris Vujčić on Croatia’s economic journey, the digital euro and the Governing Council
The Croatian National Bank (HNB) governor speaks with Christopher Jeffery about managing financial risks, the pros and cons of euro adoption, payment system reform and the use of real-time data
The future of money
Central banks may require more flexible inflation targets and facilitate wider payments interoperability to maintain trust and the ‘singleness’ of money. By Sethaput Suthiwartnarueput
Should the Fed mandate collateral pre-positioning at the discount window?
Supervisor wants lenders to be ready to access central bank facilities, but formalising pre-positioning has some drawbacks
A fractured monetary system
US policy is encouraging a transition away from a dollar-led, rules-based order
Reflections on the international financial situation
Former IMF head Jacques de Larosière writes that markets are blind to Trump's policy shocks that are fragmenting the monetary ‘system’, causing strain in the eurozone and may result in stagflation
Maurice Obstfeld on the trade war’s damage to the monetary system
The former IMF chief economist speaks about Trump’s chaotic economic policies, the erosion of Fed independence and dollar stability, difficult policy trade-offs for central banks, and the threat to the Bretton Woods institutions
Book notes: Unexpected revolutionaries: how central banks made and unmade economic orthodoxy, by Manuela Moschella
This book delves into the political science perspective of central banking since the 1970s but lacks nuance and depth
Bundesbank backs German debt brake reform
Next chancellor could try to push reform through before new parliament is sworn in
FSB: big banks could be sidelined from future rescue deals
Exacerbation of too-big-to-fail means G-Sibs could already be too large to take extra assets
Book notes: Central bank capitalism: monetary policy in times of crisis, by Joscha Wullweber
This book asks if independent monetary policy is feasible at a time when central banks prop up the poorly regulated shadow banking sector
CNB’s Aleš Michl on tackling inflation, Friedman’s legacy and ditching DSGE
The Czech governor speaks about policy mistakes, targeting M2, diversifying into equities and gold, building new models and ending interest payments on minimum reserves
Nandalal Weerasinghe on Sri Lanka’s IMF programme, central bank reforms and road to recovery
The Central Bank of Sri Lanka governor speaks about his return from retirement to aid Sri Lanka’s structural reforms and recapitalisation, reinforce central bank independence and develop financial resilience
Bank of England to review UK clearing rules
Broader collateral set and greater margin transparency could be adopted from Emir 3.0, but not active accounts requirement
Combining central banking orthodoxy with innovation
Sergiy Nikolaychuk argues the future of central banking centres on adaptability as well as independence
Mamo Mihretu on the radical reform of central banking in Ethiopia
Ethiopian governor speaks about simultaneous monetary policy and exchange rate reform, opening the country’s financial system and a fundamental reset for Africa’s second most populous economy
Suspended Bulgarian deputy claims he is fighting for central bank ‘independence’
Eurozone candidate country’s deputy breaks silence on suspension, and his fight to get reinstated
Emerging markets resilient amid global shift, governors tell panel
Smaller economies better placed to intervene during crises, say central bank heads
Malaysia’s Zeti on the key skills needed to be a successful central banker
The Bank Negara veteran speaks about leadership skills, lessons from the AFC and 1MDB crises, her scepticism of inflation targeting, and how the Asia School of Business' masters synthesises theory with practical realities
Lessons learned on macro-pru policies
Macro-prudential tools are proving their worth although use cases vary by country; integration into over-arching policy frameworks remains a challenge
Campos Neto on inflation targeting, independence and the future of financial intermediation
The Brazilian governor speaks with Christopher Jeffery about tackling inflation, the need for financial autonomy, and redefining the financial landscape with open finance, programmable Pix, deposit tokenisation and sound cross-border payments governance
Book notes: Easy money, cryptocurrency, casino capitalism, and the golden age of fraud, Ben McKenzie with Jacob Silverman
Casts light on how shady crypto characters defraud consumers but does little to identify and control such fraudsters while protecting the public
Ethiopia adopts market-based FX regime
Move follows monetary policy reform aimed at attracting IMF funding
New NBER research sheds light on ‘cheapflation’
Savings from price discounts partially offset by price hikes for cheaper products