Federal Reserve System
Fed will raise rates and indicate more to come
According to an article published on Monday 19 September, the Federal Reserve's FOMC committee will increase interest rates on Tuesday, with financial markets gradually accepting that the effect of Hurricane Katrina won't deter them.
Fed schedule suggests Greenspan January exit
The Federal Reserve has shortened its planned two-day monetary policy meeting for 31 Jan - 1 Fed down to one day, suggesting Alan Greenspan will leave the Fed then.
Greenspan successor to face tough economic climate
Until recently it seemed that Alan Greenspan's successor at the Federal Reserve would have a fairly easy ride at first. But according to an article published this week, that seems like a distant memory now that Hurricane Katrina has sent gasoline,…
Greenspan, the Wizard of Bubbleland
This lengthy article published on Wednesday 14 September covers a lot of central banking ground. Greenspan's measured-paced interest-rate policy is a reversal back to the Fed's tradition of gradualism, it says, but the debt cancer is spreading faster…
If the Fed stops pushing, might bond yields rise?
A recent article looks at the potential effect on the bond market if the Federal Reserve doesn't raise interest rates when it meets next week. The bond market could at last give us some of the higher longer- term interest rates that the Fed has been…
Fed may pause for political reasons
Following the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina, the outcome of the Federal Reserve's next FOMC meeting is up for grabs, this article published on Tuesday 6 September suggests. The answer isn't just a question of policy, politics may be involved as…
Chicago's Moskow on the U.S. economic outlook
In the speech 'U.S. economic outlook' given on 7 September Michael Moskow of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago said the Federal Reserve will face "a number of judgment calls" in assessing the impact of Hurricane Katrina on the U.S. economy.
Report says Fed rate pause 'not ruled out'
Federal Reserve officials say they are watching to see how financial markets and the economy react to the destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina before deciding on what action to take at their policy-setting meeting on Sept. 20, the Wall Street Journal…
Fed may raise rates even after Hurricane Katrina
According to this article published on Tuesday 6 September, the outcome of the next Federal Reserve meeting scheduled for two weeks from today, is not a foregone conclusion, for the first time in nearly two years.
Greenspan the 'risk manager'
The recent Jackson Hole conference provided another peek into the mind of a central banker who has kept Wall Street guessing for two decades, this article writes. The essence of Greenspan's approach, it says, is to anticipate and accommodate possible…
Fed's Lacker says US can cope with Katrina shock
The US economy can absorb the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina because the Federal Reserve will not repeat the mistake of the 1970s of allowing an energy shock to fuel inflation expectations, Richmond Fed chief Jeffrey Lacker said on Friday 2 September.
On tap for the next Fed chief: Trouble
The recent three-day gathering of central bankers in Jackson Hole was capped with an extended standing ovation for the Fed chief from the traditionally straitlaced crowd. But the challenges awaiting Alan Greenspan's successor may be far tougher than the…
Fed Reserve Bank of St Louis Review, Sep/Oct 2005
The latest edition of the St Louis Fed's Review for Sep/Oct 2005 includes an article "Targeting versus instrument rules for monetary policy" which advances arguments that contradict all of the four objections forwarded in Lars Svensson's 2003 paper on…
Chicago's Moskow on the US economic outlook
In the speech 'U.S. economic outlook' given on 24 August Michael Moskow of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago said the United States needs higher interest rates to keep inflation down as the job market tightens and energy prices remain high.
Fed's Kohn on financial markets
In a speech given on 27 August Donald Kohn of the Federal Reserve defended the central bank's practice of signalling interest rate moves, saying less-clear statements may hurt the economy.
Fed after Greenspan will need skillful handler
An article published on Wednesday 31 August asks whether the next Fed chairman can possibly be as skillful as Alan Greenspan has been in using a discretionary approach to monetary policy.
ECB's Trichet on monetary policy
In the speech 'Monetary policy and 'credible alertness'' given on 27 August, Jean-Claude Trichet of the ECB defended the ECB's infrequent intervention in interest rates compared to the US Federal Reserve.
Atlanta Fed paper on credit and identity theft
This working paper from the Atlanta Fed looks at the phenomenon of identity theft. It says that ultimately society may have to find a level of theft that balances its preference for privacy with its tolerance for transaction fraud.
Olson says 'too early' to judge impact of Katrina
Federal Reserve Governor Mark Olson told reporters on Wednesday 31 August it was "too early" to make any comment on the impact of Hurricane Katrina on the U.S. economy.
Papers from 29th Kansas Fed Symposium
Papers presented at the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City's 29th annual economic policy symposium, The Greenspan Era: Lessons for the Future, held August 25 - 27 in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, were published on Wednesday 31 August.
Atlanta Fed on the origins of central banking
This Working Paper from the Atlanta Fed outlines a model of the first true central bank, the Bank of Amsterdam, founded in 1609. It describes how it was able to control inflation in seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Netherlands.
Greenspan's legacy - 'Greatest central banker'
This article published Monday looks at a paper presented at the recent conference held by the Kansas Fed in Jackson Hole. Although the paper criticises that "much of the secret of Greenspan's success remains a secret" - according to the article this is…
Greenspan on the Fed and the future
In closing remarks to the Jackson Hole symposium given on 27 August, Fed chairman Alan Greenspan said he will miss debates on the conduct of monetary policy with members of the Federal Open Market Committee.
Greenspan on the central banker's art
Alan Greenspan attributed the recent increase in asset values to investors' willingness to accept lower compensation for risk, as part of his opening remarks to the annual central bank symposium in Jackson Hole.