Monetary Policy
Boston Fed's Minehan: recovery should be sustained
In her first detailed comments on the economy since March, Federal Reserve Bank of Boston President Cathy Minehan said, according to Reuters, that consumer spending seems to be on pace to grow by 4 percent this quarter, and business spending should…
Economist Franco Modigliani dies aged 85
Franco Modigliani, winner of the Nobel Prize for Economics in 1985, has died aged 85, according to the Financial Times. Modigliani made major contributions to macroeconomics - particularly the "life-cycle" savings hypothesis and taught at MIT from 1962…
Tito Mboweni addresses threats to inflation target
South African Reserve Bank Governor Tito Mboweni said on Friday 26 September, according to Finance 24, that the SARB still had much to do to conquer inflation expectations in the country, which at between 8% and 9% were currently far higher than the…
Politician calls for Bank of Canada investigation
An opposition politician in Canada has called for a full investigation by the government into the role Bank of Canada governor David Dodge may have played in a financial scandal which emerged while Dodge was deputy minister for health, Reuters reports.
Greenspan says education needed to combat fraud
Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said on Friday 26 September that the financial marketplace has grown increasingly complex since four decades ago, when all Americans needed to know was how to write a check and open a savings account, according to…
France facing heavy fines over budget excesses
EU Monetary Affairs Commissioner Pedro Solbes said on Monday 29 September that unless France changed its budget plans for 2004 by next week it faced heavy fines. according to Ireland Online."We are considering a specific set of recommendations to France,…
Central banks: What to achieve & how to get there
This article in the Independent newspaper says that underneath it all, central bankers are ordinary folk, and they, too, face difficulties in achieving what they want. At the Bank of England, the Monetary Policy Committee's life has been relatively short…
Bank of England Quarterly Bulletin, Autumn 2003
The Bank of England released its Quarterly Bulletin, Autumn 2003, on 26 September. The Bulletin includes articles titled 'Public expectations of UK inflation' and 'The optimal rate of inflation: an academic perspective'. The report also warns that…
Guynn: The economic outlook appears brighter
In the speech 'The Fog Is Lifting - and the Economic Outlook Appears Brighter' Jack Guynn of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta said the outlook for the economy is bright and he anticipates more solid and broad-based growth ahead. Boosted by higher…
Chicago Fed National Activity Index, August 2003
The latest Chicago Fed National Activity Index for August 2003 was published on 25 September indicates that economic activity slowed in August. The CFNAI was -0.28 in August, a deterioration from the upward revised July reading of +0.05.
RBA, Council of Financial Regulators Annual Report
The 2002 Council of Financial Regulators' Annual Report was released by the Reserve Bank of Australia, 25 September. The powerful Council of Financial Regulators - made up of the Reserve Bank, the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority and the…
San Francisco Fed's Parry to retire in June
Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco President Robert Parry is to retire in June 2004, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. No successor was named to Parry, who turns 65 in May, but the bank said that it has begun a nationwide search for a…
Russian central bank awards accountancy contract
The central bank of Russia has awarded a contract to the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland, Reuters reports. The aim of the project, led by PriceWaterHouse Coopers, is to increase the efficiency of the Russian central bank through the…
Brazil's cen bank: Economy showing recovery signs
The Banco Central do Brasil has said that the economy is showing signs of recovery and that they now view inflation as a lesser of the threats to the country's economy, according to MENAFN.
Banco Filipino sues BSP
The Banco Filipino Savings and Mortgage Bank plans to sue the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas and its Monetary Board for damages, according to the Manila Times. In a statement on Thursday 25 September, Banco Filipino said it filed the case because the…
Outgoing Duisenberg gets the hump in Dubai
With the IMF and World Bank annual meetings at an end, this article from Bloomberg News reflects on the Dubai gathering's less formal proceedings. Caviar, foie gras, lobster and belly-dancing were on the menu while Bank of Italy governor Antonio Fazio…
Fukui at the 2003 World Bank-IMF Annual Meeting
In a speech to the 2003 World Bank-IMF Annual Meeting given on 23 September Toshihiko Fukui of the Bank of Japan said that more than six years have passed since the outbreak of the Asian financial crisis. He welcomed the progress that the World Bank and…
Information acquisition & decisions in committees
This ECB Working Paper is a survey of the recent game theoretic literature on committee decision making. It considers theoretical work on the role of (i) strategic voting, (ii) costly information acquisition, (iii) conflicting interests, and (iv)…
Bergstrom: Monetary policy stays in Riksbank hands
Deputy Governor of the Sveriges Riksbank Villy Bergstrom took part in a panel debate organised by Skanes provinsbank in Helsingborg on 23 September. Subjects under discussion included the role of the Riksbank following the referendum and current economic…
Monetary developments in the euro area
The ECB's "Monetary developments in the euro area" published on 25 September reveals the annual rate of growth of M3 decreased to 8.2% in August, from 8.6% in July 2003 (revised upwards from 8.5%).
Fed's Kohn on Productivity and Monetary Policy
In a speech on 'Productivity and Monetary Policy' given on 24 September Donald Kohn of the Federal Reserve said our challenge as economists and policymakers remains to analyse ongoing developments and to judge the likely course of productivity and…
Duguay: Monetary policy supports Canada's economy
In a speech 'How monetary policy supports Canada's economy' given on 24 September Pierre Duguay of the Bank of Canada reviewed the recent record of the Canadian and U.S. economies and discusses the role of monetary policy. He suggests that the protracted…
Kohn says economy not strong enough to boost jobs
Fed Governor Donald Kohn said on Wednesday 24 September "it will be a while before we can be sure that a self-sustaining expansion is underway of sufficient strength and persistence to put the economy back on a path toward full employment", Reuters…
Duisenberg praises US-style labour reforms
Wim Duisenberg told the European Parliament on Thursday 25 September that to increase employment the EU must become more flexible. He compared the US labour market with that of Europe, saying "clearly they are doing better than us".