Canada
Bank of Canada prepares to open redesigned museum
Museum set to reopen in July after “complete reimagining”, including interactive exhibits on the central bank’s mandate, inflation-based games and a two-tonne “Yap stone”
Wilkins offers optimistic assessment of Canadian economy
Carolyn Wilkins says Bank of Canada will assess whether current “considerable” monetary stimulus is still required; growth across sectors is an “encouraging” sign for the economy
Bank of Canada wary of hotter housing market
The central bank lists household indebtedness and regional price increases as two of its top concerns; Poloz says it is too early to say if more macro-pru needs to be implemented
Central banks should test robustness of their main macro models – paper
Bank of Canada paper says users of large-scale macroeconomic models should develop tools to assess whether non-linearities could be distorting results
Pure DLT systems not yet suitable for wholesale payments – Bank of Canada
The current state of distributed ledger technology makes it too inefficient to run as a pure system, though elements could still be useful, researchers say; details of RTGS project emerge
LTV ratio more effective than DTS in Canada – BIS paper
Paper examines the effect of recent macro-prudential policies targeting the housing market, finding households will borrow more if they can
Trade uncertainty is harming growth prospects – Poloz
Bank of Canada governor says uncertainty surrounding US trade policies is harming investment in both Canada and Mexico; Poloz is “not surprised” investors are reacting cautiously
Bank of Canada’s Vardy and Harrison on the move to ‘peacetime’ communications
Central bank has reshaped its communications approach post-crisis, embedding it into the policy process and encouraging markets to think for themselves
New paper examines central bank digital currency models
Bank of Canada experiment proves distributed ledger networks can be used to settle payments; paper examines the difference between retail and wholesale models
Schembri: mix of factors holding back Canadian investment
The outlook is improving, the deputy governor says; openness to trade and immigration are likely to boost growth
Bank of Canada’s C$460m refurbishment on time and on budget – Poloz
Construction workers have spent past three years gutting old head office and renewing interior to meet modern standards; annual report sheds light on costs
Transparency: Bank of Canada
Communications embedded in the policy process, fresh thinking on shared content and an expanded senior team show the central bank’s commitment to staying at the leading edge of transparency
Canada’s Schembri highlights new inflation communication method
Bank of Canada has adopted three-pronged core inflation approach but now only publishes forecasts of headline inflation in its reports
Poloz considers the future of economic modelling
Theoretical and empirical two-pronged approach likely to stay, governor says, though economists are still on the hunt for the “holy grail” single model
People: uncertainty over Tetangco’s future; Minneapolis Fed appoints new COO and head of research
Future of Philippines governor unclear; Minneapolis Fed poaches Chicago Fed researcher and appoints COO
Bank of Canada re-modelling export links to US – Poloz
Previous approach may have over-estimated importance of US when modelling exports, governor says; uncertainties over US fiscal policy makes forecasting challenging
Terms-of-trade shocks affect house price fluctuations – paper
Bank of Canada research shows terms of trade shocks explain large percentage of variance in house price growth; most of the variation associated with changes in real import prices, authors say
Civil rights activist to appear on new Canadian $10 banknote
Viola Desmond will appear on new C$10 note, to be printed in 2018; Bank of Canada to repeat "bankNOTEable” campaign when seeking candidates for new C$5 note
Poloz urges economists to create new economic models
The rise of the service sector has changed the way productivity and output can be calculated, the Canadian governor says, musing on whether the relationship between inflation and growth could change over time
Bank of Canada paper explains decision to dilute ELA solvency requirement
Economists say emergency liquidity can play an important role in a resolution process, which led the Bank of Canada to amend its rules to allow for temporary insolvency
Financial globalisation only good within limits, says Canada’s Lane
Timothy Lane flags the dangers of an open capital account for some countries, saying monetary policy in some countries may be “overwhelmed”
Canada opts to retain 2% inflation target
Bank of Canada will continue with current target in new five-year deal with government, though other aspects of the policy framework are changing
Bank of Canada considered adding monetary stimulus, says governor
Balance of risk still within zone of current 'appropriate' policy, says Canadian governor; uncertainties surrounding exports and mortgage rules may be 'temporary' he says
Savers must adjust their plans amid low rates – Poloz
Bank of Canada governor illustrates harsh reality for savers with rates so low, underlining the need for people to put aside more funds or work for longer than anticipated