This compares with a 1.5 percent year-over-year rate for the PCE deflator and 1.4 percent rate for the core PCE deflator, which excludes food and energy prices. Low and falling inflation is a problem for several reasons. First, low and declining inflation makes it harder to accomplish needed balance sheet adjustments. That is because, all other things being equal, lower inflation means slower nominal income growth. Slower nominal income growth, in turn, means that less of the needed adjustment in household debt-toincome ratios will come from rising incomes. This puts more of the adjustment burden on paying down debt. 1  Chairman Ben S. Bernanke, Addendum: Addressing the Financing Needs of Small Businesses, Monetary Policy Report to Congress, July 21, 2010. 4  BIS Review 127/2010  Second, and even more importantly, low and falling inflation can cause inflation expectations to decline. This is important because inflation expectations are an important factor that influences actual future inflation. Moreover, when inflation expectations decline, the expected real cost of credit increases – a subject I will return to in a moment. So what could the Federal Reserve do? As I see it, there are two potentially complementary avenues. First, we could take steps to make our current highly accommodative stance of monetary policy more effective in stimulating economic activity by providing additional guidance about what we are trying to achieve today and in the future. Second, we could find ways to increase the amount of stimulus we currently provide via our balance sheet.
In all options, the Bank of Cyprus will need to create an organisation to manage nonperforming loans. The bank is already moving in this direction, and should it remain as a single entity it is likely that there will still be a dedicated focus on managing the workout of troubled loans. Splitting the Bank of Cyprus into a commercial bank and an asset management/development bank would create a legal and management separation. This – as any other option – has a number of merits and challenges. Two institutions would provide specialisation. The asset management/Development Bank could focus on maximising value through the restructuring of the loan book with no immediate time pressures. It could also act as a specialist bank focussed on real estate and development related activities. The remaining commercial bank could focus on serving the domestic economy. However, a split could be operationally disruptive in the immediate term, even if it was beneficial over time. Substantial progress in the restructuring of the banking system has been made. This has not been easy, and market conditions remain fragile. In determining the way forward any solution should look to meet four objectives; Restoration of Confidence – It is essential that any solution furthers the restoration of confidence. Customers must have confidence in the future of the Bank of Cyprus whether it is one bank or two. As confidence is re-established we can further ease and ultimately lift capital controls. Funded Balance Sheet – The Bank of Cyprus’s reliance on emergency support is well known.