Central banks find post-crisis bubble tool helping to tame financial risks

Singapore

CENTRAL bankers are starting to see promising results from one of the recent additions to their monetary policy toolbox.

Lending curbs to stem financial risk - so-called macroprudential limits - have helped slow risky borrowing and temper property price bubbles in countries from New Zealand to Canada, a host of financial stability reports showed this week. While there hasn't been uniform success - Hong Kong's housing market shows no signs of cooling - it's given central banks some breathing space to be more gradual in tightening monetary policy.