Paul McCaffrey

The Bank of England will not resort to printing money to lessen the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic, Governor Andrew Bailey says. "Using monetary financing would damage credibility on controlling inflation by eroding operational independence," Bailey says. Reuters (05 Apr.)

Securities and Exchange Commission member Allison Herren Lee wants the agency to pause pending rule changes but not rush into regulatory relief without analysis amid the coronavirus pandemic. "Relevant considerations in that analysis include whether an action is directly responsive to COVID-19 and whether an action represents an appropriate use of agency resources at a time when we are routinely called upon to take emergency actions," she says. Reuters (04 Apr.)

If the US has any shortage of drugs, it is because of high demand and not because China or any other country is preventing the supply of ingredients, says Stephen Hahn, head of the US Food and Drug Administration. "We don't have any evidence that there is a drug in short supply because of anyone blocking the active pharmaceutical ingredients in the drugs," he says. BNN Bloomberg (Canada) (05 Apr.)