Financial crisis
IMF's Kato adds voice to calls for transparency
Investors need greater transparency of the on- and off- balance sheet exposures of financial institutions, as well as of the interrelationships between asset managers, and special purpose vehicles, said Takatoshi Kato, a deputy managing director of the…
Imbalances to gradually decline despite turmoil
The unwinding of global imbalances is still likely to continue gradually in spite of the increased risks posed by the recent financial turmoil, says John Lipsky, the first deputy managing director at the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Credit channel has bigger effect on big banks
Rate hikes have a greater impact on the lending behaviour of bigger banks than smaller institutions, research published by the Chicago Federal Reserve finds.
Korean rates on hold amid uncertainty
The Bank of Korea's rate-setting monetary policy committee kept the benchmark uncollateralised overnight rate at 5% despite an increase in inflation.
Subprime aftermath risks exacerbating imbalances
Financial market turbulence, together with a significant slowdown in the United States, could lead to and be exacerbated by a disorderly resolution of global current account imbalances, says the Bank of Canada's latest Financial System Review.
Old Lady cuts rates to 5.5%
The Bank of England's rate-setting Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted on Thursday to cut its benchmark bank rate by 25 basis points after data suggested the UK economy was weakening.
Japan must not be too late in hiking rates
The Bank of Japan needs to ensure that the pace of rate hikes in Japan is not too slow to risk the economy overheating, says Miyako Suda, a board member at the central bank.
UK's King gloomy on economic conundrum
Mervyn King, the governor of the Bank of England, said on Thursday that the economic outlook is "uncomfortable" because the problems of the credit crisis are now coupled with burgeoning inflationary pressures.
Subprime crash has tarred all structured products
The subprime crisis has led to all securitised products being sold at a discount, regardless of whether they hold bad debt, says Guy Debelle, the assistant governor responsible for financial markets at the Reserve Bank of Australia.
Unanimity required in subprime response: Noyer
Central banks needed to act unanimously to provide liquidity in the wake of the subprime turmoil because of the globalisation of interbank markets, Christian Noyer, the governor of Banque de France said on Tuesday.
Mexico holds rates at 7.5%
The Bank of Mexico's rate-setting board voted on Friday to hold its benchmark rate at 7.5%.
US downturn's impact limited in East Africa
An economic slowdown in the United States would have ramifications for East Africa but many factors can limit its impact, says Emmanuel Tumusiime Mutebile, the governor of the Bank of Uganda.
Canada virtually unscathed by credit crisis
Canada, has, so far, come through the recent bout of market turmoil reasonably well, says Pierre Duguay, the deputy governor of the Bank of Canada.
A troubling lesson of Northern Rock
The Northern Rock crisis has revealed a fundamental change in the nature of bank runs, says Robert Pringle, the editor of Central Banking journal.
G20 predicts "modest" global slowdown
Central bank governors and finance ministers from the G20 economies said that the credit turmoil would likely have a "modest" effect on global growth, but added that it remained difficult to judge the eventual impact.
Growth slowdown to follow crunch: Japan's Fukui
Toshihiko Fukui, the governor of the Bank of Japan, said he expected global growth to fall to 5% this year as a result of the financial turmoil.
Chile holds rates at 5.75%
The Central Bank of Chile's rate-setting board voted on Tuesday to keep its monetary policy interest rate at 5.75% despite CPI inflation of more than 6%.
European central bank response wins plaudits
The reaction of European central banks to the credit crisis gained International Monetary Fund (IMF) approval on Monday.
New Zealand economy stable despite turmoil
New Zealand's financial system remains sound in spite of the recent global banking crisis, the Reserve Bank of New Zealand said on Wednesday.
Fed finally gives Basel II the green light
The Federal Reserve Board on Friday approved the American version of the Basel II framework on risk-based capital requirements. It is the last of the Group of Ten countries, which developed the framework, to do so.
Why policy should take account of asset prices
One lesson of the current crisis is that monetary policy should respond to asset prices, whether the movement is up or down and regardless of its cause, argues Tim Young
Risky business
Avinash Persaud argues that the crisis was largely caused by the risk-transfer models championed by the investment banks, credit rating agencies and regulators
Information crunch: a 21st century crisis
Central banks have in general conducted themselves well in the current crisis, but should have acted earlier. Now they have to help overcome the prevailing “information crunch”, says Marco Annunziata
Clipping central bankers’ wings
Willem Buiter argues that central banks should “stick to their knitting” and become minimalist monetary authorities