![Synopsis: China’s recovery, ECB coronavirus response, and how the pandemic will change the world economy]()
March 27, 2020
In this episode of Synopsis, OMFIF Subeditor Julie Levy-Abegnoli looks back over the most recent articles published on the OMFIF website, on China's economic recovery, the European Central Bank's coronavirus response, and how the pandemic will reshape the world economy.
Articles and other items referenced:
- Resilient China can help lead global recovery: https://www.omfif.org/2020/03/resilient-china-can-help-lead-global-recovery/
- Time for 'whatever it takes' support for banks: https://www.omfif.org/2020/03/time-for-whatever-it-takes-support-for-banks/
- ECB 'only game in town' - again: https://www.omfif.org/2020/03/ecb-only-game-in-town-again/
- Coronavirus will remould world economy: https://www.omfif.org/2020/03/coronavirus-response-to-remould-the-world-economy/
- FedTalk: Communicating crisis response and the need for coordination: https://www.omfif.org/podcast/fedtalk-communicating-crisis-response-and-the-need-for-coordination/
- Global liquidity in the time of coronavirus: https://www.omfif.org/podcast/global-liquidity-in-the-time-of-coronavirus/
- Covid-19: Dispatches from London and Madrid: https://www.omfif.org/events/spanish-uk-responses-to-covid-19-financial-impact-and-implications-for-brexit/
- Identifying key risks in US credit markets: https://www.omfif.org/events/identifying-key-risks-in-us-credit-markets/
Music: Hey Mercy by Pierce Murphy is licensed under an Attribution License.
March 24, 2020
Thomas Costerg, senior economist at Pictet Wealth Management, joins Rein de Loor, programmes manager at OMFIF, to discuss the Federal Reserve's recent rate cuts in response to the coronavirus crisis. As central banks around the world ease monetary policy, questions arise about global co-ordination and communication, as well as the role of fiscal policy in tackling the global upheaval.
Music: https://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music
![Charlie Bean: Back to normality]()
March 19, 2020
Bean’s view: prevent permanent scarring
The task of economic policy confronting coronavirus disruption is to ‘provide a bridge’ between present dislocation and a new period of growth when normal activity may resume. That is the view of Charlie Bean, former deputy governor of the Bank of England, during a wide ranging OMFIF podcast comparing the pandemic and its economic effects with the 2008 financial crisis and the UK authorities’ fiscal and monetary response.
Bean – Sir Charlie since being knighted when he left the Bank in 2014 – praised the large-scale crisis measures of the Treasury and the Bank of England as showing necessary ‘joined up’ action. ‘The key thing is making sure that this hiatus doesn’t lead to permanent scarring of the UK economy and adverse effects on the supply side. What you want to avoid is perfectly viable businesses before the virus going into bankruptcy and lots of workers losing their jobs.’
Sir Charlie underlined parallels and differences with the last financial crisis, in which he was intensively involved during his time at the BoE. The last crisis centred on imbalances built up as a result of many financial institutions’ over-leveraged balance sheets, culminating in the collapse of Lehman Brothers in 2008. This time, with economic disruption caused by a medical emergency, the economy faced a shock to supply and demand which meant putting it into a ‘deep freeze’ for a while. ‘It’s a rather different task from what we faced with the great recession where one was trying to boost demand.’
Bean highlighted shortcomings in international coordination at the G20 or G7 level compared with the last upheavals.
He praised the Bank’s targeted monetary approach in this week’s announcement of unlimited purchases of commercial paper and last week’s resumption of cheap bank funding for passing on to hard-pressed companies. He did not rule out that the BoE could restart more ‘conventional’ quantitative easing through massive purchases of government bonds, but felt this was less appropriate than ‘unconventional’ QE directed at the commercial paper market. Similarly, the 0.5 percentage point cut in interest rates om 10 March, followed by a further cut on 19 March to 0.1%, was probably less potent than the other measures decided last week.
Asked about the collapse in sterling in the last few days, to a 35-year low against the dollar, Bean highlighted uncertainties about Britain’s exit from the European Union as well as the continuing current account deficit of 4% of GDP. He voiced confidence in the ability of his former colleague, Andrew Bailey, now governor of the Bank of England following Mark Carney’s departure last Monday. With most of his career spelt spent at the bank, his greatest attribute was ‘his knowledge and skills of running a central bank particularly if you come in to one of the biggest crises. I feel much more comfortable with Andrew then with some of the other candidates who were put forward.’
Music: https://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music
March 19, 2020
Bank of Japan has announced additional monetary easing measures to blunt the impact of Covid-19 on financial markets. This followed the Federal Reserve's unexpected decision on 15 March to cut the federal funds to near-zero. Sayuri Shirai, professor of economics at Keio University, and Frederic Neumann, co-head of Asian economic research at HSBC, join OMFIF's Brandon Chye to explore what options are available to central banks, amid concerns over how effective intervention can really be.
Music: https://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music
March 17, 2020
Infrastructure is the bedrock of connectivity and the smooth flow of goods and services. Quality infrastructure is a major contributor – if not an essential prerequisite – for economic development. Paul Lam, digital infrastructure strategy lead at Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, joins OMFIF's Brandon Chye to discuss the growing importance of investment in digital infrastructure. They talk about the drivers, risks and opportunities in this area and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank's draft digital strategy.
Music: https://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music
March 11, 2020
Britain has launched a £30bn fiscal stimulus to counter the coronavirus outbreak, the biggest increase in borrowing since 1992. Lord (Norman) Lamont, chancellor of the exchequer in 1992, joins David Marsh, OMFIF chairman, to discuss the end of austerity.
Music: https://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music
