In the liquidity crises since 2008, central banks have extended the ability of banks to take recourse to central bank credit operations through changes of the collateral framework. Remarkably, in March 2020, the ECB even lowered haircuts across a broad range of assets and the Fed in March 2023...

In some recent studies, the question of the origins of central banking has been revisited, suggesting that beyond Swedish and British central banking, also a number of earlier European continental institutions would have played an important role. However, it has often been difficult to access...

In parts of the German media, with the support of a number of German economists, the ECB's low nominal interest rate policy is criticised as unnecessary, ineffective and as expropriating the German saver. This paper provides a review of the relevant arguments. It is recalled that returns on...

In some recent studies, the question of the origins of central banking has been revisited, suggesting that beyond Swedish and British central banking, a number of earlier European continental institutions would also have played an important role. However, it has often been difficult to access...

This paper analyses the roles of bank asset fire sales and recourse to the central bank as lender of last resort for the equilibrium debt structure of banks and the spread between bank lending rates and the central bank policy rate (the short term risk free rate). The asset side of banks is...

Rapid and large deposit outflows from banks, their financial stability implications and possible regulatory and policy responses have regained attention in the context of the March 2023 demises of Credit Suisse, SVB and other regional US banks. Moreover, the possible introduction of CBDC or a...

Compared with the period 1920-1990, the current monetary policy implementation techniques are relatively well-focused and transparent. In particular, (i) they mostly aim at achieving a well defined operational target (typically the overnight interest rate), (ii) monetary policy operations are...