Central bank news
Central banks turn to RMB assets
Central banks in Asia are diversifying their holdings into RMB, marking the latest stage in the currency’s internationalisation
Markets recoil as major central banks ease policies
Chinese, European and UK central banks take monetary policy action; moves leave no doubt about gloomy global economic picture as eurozone stock markets fail to rally
The quasi-extinction of free-floating exchange rates
Imran Ahmad and David Petitcolin of the emerging markets FX strategy team at Royal Bank of Scotland in London say the quest for growth by emerging and developed market nations has led to the quasi-extinction of free-floating exchange rates
Reserve managers cling to the dollar but shun the euro, survey finds
Many central banks have reduced their holdings of euro reserves and looked to diversify into non-traditional currencies as a result of the ongoing eurozone crisis
Eurozone members expected to decrease, Bloomberg survey finds
The results of the vendor’s latest industry poll suggest the number of countries in the eurozone will fall within the next five years
Profile: CLS Bank's Bozian on regulatory co-ops and CCP settlement risk
Regulators are struggling to ensure they have oversight of over-the-counter market infrastructure without losing the benefits of centralisation. CLS Bank’s council of supervisors could be the precedent they follow. By Michael Watt
Central banks shy away from euro reserves
New data from the IMF’s currency reserves database suggests reserves accumulation has slowed during 2011 and the appetite to hold euro reserves has also waned, particularly on the part of emerging market central banks
Intervention: friend or foe?
If the trend is your friend, is central bank intervention your enemy? The answer is not so clear cut, say Christopher Cruden and Purnur Schneider, not least because of the breadth of interventions, which challenges attempts at uniform analysis
Spot USD/CNH fixing in HK poised to become derivatives benchmark
Hong Kong interbank participants have created the first US dollar to offshore renminbi price fixing giving the city first-mover advantage in becoming an offshore centre for renminbi products such as derivatives, say market participants
RBC continues Asia-Pacific build and globalises Fic central bank sales
RBC Capital Markets has hired Glenn Anson as a managing director and global co-head of central bank sales, from Nomura in London.
RBC gets bullish on USD
RBC Capital Markets tops this week’s one-month currency forecast rankings due to a bullish view on the yen.
Vol drops as BoJ intervention proves successful
TOKYO - Yen volatility dropped sharply as intervention by the Bank of Japan (BoJ) last Wednesday (September 15) proved successful, leaving the dollar/yen range-bound into the end of the week.
US employment: Settling for less
The US August employment report came in better expected, removing some near-term risk of a double dip but still pointing to pervasive weakness, says Julia Coronado, senior US economist at BNP Paribas in New York
Malaysia liberalisation sparks ringgit rise
KUALA LUMPUR - The Malaysian ringgit reached 13-year highs against the dollar last Thursday, as officials relaxed currency controls on corporate hedging and international trade settlement on August 18.
Russia shifts focus from dollar to euro
MOSCOW -- The move by Russia’s Central Bank (CBR) to manage the rouble against both the euro and dollar is a step towards the free floating of the currency, but will lead to increased volatility against the US dollar, analysts said last week.
MAS move could pre-empt peg changes
SINGAPORE -- The Monetary Authority of Singapore’s surprise move last week towards a "policy of modest and gradual appreciation" for the Singapore dollar may be a pre-emptive move to counter Asian peg revaluations.