GDP
Bank Negara makes first rate hike since 2014
Bank Negara Malaysia is the first South-east Asian central bank to hike rates this year
Central bank of the year: Bank of Canada
The Canadian central bank has stood out for its ever-improving levels of transparency, forward-looking management and best-practice review of its policy mandate
Bank of Korea on hold amid policy dilemma
Strong won and benign inflation likely to keep the BoK on hold in the first half of 2018
Cyclical price analysis needs major improvements – ECB paper
Researchers say DSGE models’ handling of housing prices is subject to errors
First Romanian policy hike in a decade
Central bank hikes policy rate for the first time since 2008, as inflation exceeds forecasts
Older workforce will reduce Danish growth, central bank says
Reforms to expand labour supply are needed to offset negative effects of demography
Early asset purchases much more successful – BIS paper
Authors find effectiveness falls over time as the shock wears off, questioning the value of long-running quantitative easing
BoE paper lays out ‘financial conditions index’ for UK
Index proves valuable as a summary measure and also as an input to forecasting
IMF warns Chinese banks are undercapitalised
The IMF report highlights the insufficient capital of Chinese banks, conflicting tensions of growth and stability, and the financial system’s complexity
Distorted Swiss surplus not good base for policy – Jordan
Multinationals’ operations, higher nominal rates abroad and Swiss franc appreciation increase the surplus
San Francisco Fed study: cash is not dead yet
Demand for notes and coins is “strong”, says the study, with cash in circulation growing in the majority of nations
European recovery may be stronger than previously thought
If the great recession and sovereign debt crisis are considered a single shock, “recovery is in line with – or better than – historical patterns”
NY Fed economists reveal big-data approach to nowcasting
Paper sets out the New York Fed’s model for producing early estimates of major indicators
Sweden still needs loose policy – IMF
Elevated house prices, public debt and low wage growth are the biggest risks to the economy
Brexit uncertainty could shrink UK economy by 2% – BoE deputy
Negative effects of Brexit beginning to take effect, says Dave Ramsden
Kuwait could create financial stability committee – IMF
The central bank could strengthen supervision by creating a new committee, say IMF staff; the country is weathering oil shocks well
Venezuelan crisis deepens; rating agencies declare default
Russia agrees to restructure $3.15 billion to facilitate repayments to creditors
Productivity puzzles and the neutral rate of interest
Monetary policy frameworks should be subjected to internal and external reviews to ensure they remain fit for purpose
ECB article warns of possible effects of a Chinese slowdown
Looser Chinese monetary policy in response to problems could have significant effect
RBA cuts forecasts as inflation disappoints
The Reserve Bank of Australia expects to undershoot its inflation target for another year
MAS unveils plans to transform financial service sector
Authority hopes road map will boost financial services growth to nearly double that of the overall economy
BoJ lowers inflation forecast as policy stays on hold
BoJ downgrades inflation forecast again, leaving tightening unlikely anytime soon
RBA looking to handle uncertainty better, says Debelle
Reserve Bank of Australia to change way it presents forecasts in order to avoid false impression of precision
Brazil loosens prudential regulations for non-banks
Small non-banks’ regulatory processes will be made cheaper under new legislation, while capital requirements will be reduced