Banking, Central Banks, and Global Economy
Posts relating to individual central banks
Speaking at the UBS High-level Discussion on the Economic and Monetary Policy Outlook, held in Zurich on 27 May 2020, Agustín Carstens, General Manager, Bank for International Settlements, discussed the economic impact of Covid-19, and policy response of advanced economies’ central banks. Continue reading “Covid-19: An induced coma for the global economy”
Philip Lowe, Governor of Reserve Bank of Australia since 2016, in his speech on 24 April 2020, gave an update on the economic and financial condition in Australia in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic. Continue reading “Philip Lowe on Australia’s response to the pandemic”
Stephen S. Poloz, Governor of Bank of Canada since 2013, stated in his speech on 4 May 2020 that the pandemic offers a “teachable moment”. He lists the following as lessons for central banking from this teachable moment: Continue reading “Stephen S. Poloz on the “Teachable moments” from the pandemic”
(Note: A much shorter version of this article appeared in Mint dated 13 July 2020. You can read it here.)
In 1872, when Phileas Fogg, Jules Verne’s enigmatic character, wagered with his whist partners at the Reform Club, including an Assistant Governor of the Bank of England, to travel round the world in eighty days, he issued a cheque for £20,000, drawn on Baring Brothers. That was security enough. That was the standing of Baring Brothers, which always paid his cheques “on sight and his account remained invariably in the black.” Moreover, he was accepted as a member of that distinguished society on the recommendation of Baring Brothers with whom he had an unlimited overdraft limit. Continue reading “25 years after Barings: Have the lessons been learnt?”
The IMF released yesterday the first chapter of its half-yearly Global Financial Stability Review (GFSR) for April 2020. The GFSR “provides an assessment of the global financial system and markets, and addresses emerging market financing in a global context. It focuses on current market conditions, highlighting systemic issues that could pose a risk to financial stability and sustained market access by emerging market borrowers. The Report draws out the financial ramifications of economic imbalances highlighted by the IMF’s World Economic Outlook.” Continue reading “IMF’s Global Financial Stability Review, April 2020: Markets in the Time of Covid-19”
On 9 April 2020, Jerome Powell, Chairman of the Federal Reserve Board, spoke at the Hutchins Center on Fiscal and Monetary Policy, The Brookings Institution, Washington, D.C. (via webcast) on Covid-19 and the Economy. Highlights of the speech: Continue reading “Powell on Covid-19 and the Economy”
The Federal Reserve on Thursday, 9 April 2020, took additional actions to provide up to $2.3 trillion in loans to support the economy. This funding will assist households and employers of all sizes and bolster the ability of state and local governments to deliver critical services during the coronavirus pandemic. Highlights: Continue reading “Federal Reserve provides additional support”
Tobias Adrian and Aditya Narain of the IMF, in their article titled “Maintaining Banking System Safety amid the COVID-19 Crisis” (31 March 2020), suggest how national band supervisors should respond to ensure continued trust and confidence in the banking system. Continue reading “Covid-19 pandemic and banking regulation”
Agustin Carstens, General Manager, Bank for International Settlements, in an op-ed piece in the Financial Times (30 March 2020), has raised concerns about the impact of the corona virus pandemic on global financial markets. Continue reading “Covid-19 pandemic: Dealing with the financial impact”
This is a dated piece going back to 1998. Narrow banks or safe banks are those whose assets are required to be invested only in safe and liquid government bonds. This was proposed as an option for weak banks in India by the Committee on Capital Account Convertibility, chaired by S.S. Tarapore, former Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of India, in the year 1997. My comment on this recommendation was published in the Op-Ed page of Economic Times dated 24 April 1998. In view of the general nature of discussion having relevance for policy makers across the world, its continuing relevance, and the fact that it is not available in soft copy form even on the website of the Economic Times, it is reproduced here. Continue reading “Narrow Banking: Is it an option for weak banks?”