CB In Depth
Book notes: Hole in the Wall, by James Shepherd-Barron
Cash machines have changed the way cash is managed, but is there a future for such machines in a world looking to go cashless?
Making the most of big data
Per Nymand-Andersen, adviser to senior management at the European Central Bank, discusses how central banks can benefit from embracing big data and what this could mean for the industry in the near future.
Sponsored forum: Tapping into big data's potential
Central Banking convened a panel of experts to discuss how central banks can harness big data for their needs, hopefully without falling foul of some of the many pitfalls that await.
A new era for the BIS
As Basel III inches towards closure and a new BIS general manager prepares to move into his post, Jaime Caruana talks to Daniel Hinge about his eight years at the helm
Teaching machines to do monetary policy
Machine learning may not yet be at the stage where central bankers are being replaced with robots, but the field is bringing powerful tools to bear on big economic questions
The optimal size for central bank balance sheets
As the Fed seeks to reduce the assets on its balance sheets, Charles Goodhart examines the role between monetary and fiscal policy, central bank and debt office, and the optimal size of a central bank’s balance sheet
Interview: Edward Prescott
The Nobel Prize-winner speaks to Daniel Hinge about time inconsistency and real business cycle theory, and explains why there is no ‘productivity puzzle’
Kenya’s digital transformation
The use of innovative digital financial services has transformed financial inclusion in Kenya, writes the chairman of the Central Bank of Kenya
Japan’s ineffective efforts at monetary easing
A study of the natural rate of interest indicates the Bank of Japan’s QQE may not have been as accommodative as claimed, Sayuri Shirai argues. The failings appear to be related to effectiveness, rather than scale
Book notes: Econometrics as a Con Art, by Imad Moosa
Every central bank should have a copy of this interesting study, which holds common econometric practice under the microscope, writes Graham Bannock
Perng Fai-nan on how Taiwan has eluded crisis for 20 years
Taiwan’s governor explains how pragmatic interventions have engendered two decades of financial stability, despite the island’s status as a small, open economy
John Williams on the neutral rate of interest and mandate change
The president of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco speaks about the plunge in the natural rate of interest, and why it means central banks should work together to review their price stability targets
Financial regulation, the PBoC and Zhou’s legacy
Zhou Xiaochuan failed to secure a new ‘super-regulator’ under the PBoC, but has ensured the central bank has a strong voice on China’s new apex stability committee at a time of increased regulatory scrutiny
Book notes: Advice & Dissent: My Life in Public Service, by YV Reddy
An engaging look into the private life and career of a former governor of the Reserve Bank of India, and arguably one of the best central bankers of the twentieth century, YV Reddy
Book notes: The Myth of Independence, by Sarah Binder and Mark Spindel
Politicians would do well to heed the authors’ lessons, but their economic analysis could be stronger, writes Niels Bünemann
Archive – EMU: a sceptical US view
Allan Meltzer of the American Economic Association explains why he is worried about a union by the back door; first published in November 1997
Archive – Interview: Allan Meltzer
Robert Pringle talks to Allan Meltzer, Carnegie Mellon professor and chair of the US Congress’s International Financial Institution Advisory Commission (the “Meltzer Commission”); first published in February 2003
Book notes: The Limits of the Market, by Paul de Grauwe
De Grauwe has produced a concise analysis into how markets and governments react with one another; but his lack of familiarity with the history of economic thought is surprising
“What would Allan say?”
Central Banking Publications founder Robert Pringle finds pearls of wisdom in his email correspondence with the late Allan Meltzer
Where have all the women gone?
The number of women working at central banks has increased substantially, but a glass ceiling appears to remain for those reaching for senior management positions
Book notes: The Spider Network, by David Enrich
A thrilling exploration of how currency trader Tom Hayes and confederates managed to corrupt the UK banking system in what has become one of the largest financial scandals in history
The changing composition of central bank balance sheets
Quantitative easing may have been necessary, but it has created worrying distortions and has probably discouraged structural change, while deflecting attention away from ever-greater levels of debt leverage
Brexit drives a wedge between BoE and markets
Market expectations of future UK interest rates appear out of line with views expressed by the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee. It comes at a time when Brexit ‘news’ often trumps economic data
Piecing together a financial theory of stagnation
Ideas presented at recent BIS annual meetings reveal an emerging framework that explains how the financial system may be dragging down the real economy; Hélène Rey was the latest to contribute