Federal Reserve System
St Louis's Central Banker, Summer 2003
The Summer 2003 edition of the St. Louis Fed's Central Banker magazine has been published. The latest issue carries a feature about the St Louis Fed's "There's a Lot to Learn about Money" campaign. The Fed and the Treasury are once again teaming up to…
Fed Reserve Bank of St Louis - Annual Report 2002
The Federal Reserve Bank of St Louis has published its Annual Report for the year ended 2002. In his message President William Poole described the previous year as a good one for the St. Louis Fed, in almost all regards.
Fed's Bernanke on soft hearts, hard data
In a speech entitled 'Soft Hearts, Hard Data: The Use of Quantitative Analysis in Community Development' Ben Bernanke of the Federal Reserve said the collection and especially the analysis of data present difficult challenges to community organizations…
Central Bank Talk: Does it Matter and Why?
Paper 'Central Bank Talk: Does it Matter and Why?' presented by Donald Kohn and a senior Federal Reserve economist. Statements released by the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) and congressional testimony by Chairman Greenspan are found to…
Philadelphia Fed Business Outlook Survey, Jun 2003
Manufacturing activity improved in June - Activity in the region's manufacturing sector improved modestly, according to the firms surveyed for June's Business Outlook Survey from the Philadelphia Fed. The reading for overall business activity increased…
Ferguson testimony on Basel II and H.R. 2043
In testimony on 'Basel II and H.R. 2043' Roger Ferguson of the Federal Reserve said plans for U.S. negotiators to meet with their international counterparts in November may not leave enough time for U.S. agencies to consider feedback from domestic banks…
Economic Review from the Atlanta Fed
The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta has published its Economic Review for the second quarter 2003. The latest edition includes an article titled 'Are On-Line Currencies Virtual Banknotes?'. This article examines the likely success or failure of on-line…
Fed awards contract for bank data modernisation
Regulators award contract in first step to modernize and streamline how federal bank regulators collect, process and distribute quarterly bank financial reports, 17 June.
Ferguson on some issues for Basel II
In a speech on 'Basel II: Some Issues for Implementation' Roger Ferguson of the Federal Reserve said that Basel I must be replaced, particularly in a world whose financial markets are so interrelated that substantial difficulties at any one of the…
Reconciling Bagehot with Fed's response to Sept 11
Walter Bagehot, an elder statesman of central banking theory, stated that central banks should lend money at penalty rates to prevent bank panics. Yet the Fed lent for next to nothing following 9/11. Why this departure from received central banking…
Kansas City Fed gets approval to move to new HQ
President Thomas M. Hoenig of the Kansas City Fed said on Monday 16 June that the Federal Reserve had approved plans for an estimated $200 million project to build a new headquarters for the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, according to the Kamsas…
Minneapolis Fed president upbeat about economy
Gary Stern of the Minneapolis Fed said he thinks there is a low probability of deflation in the US, but would not rule it out, according to Associated Press. The problem in Japan, he said, is inadequate growth of the money supply and allocation of too…
Rate commitment could hit Fed credibility-Broaddus
Richmond Fed president Alfred Broaddus has warned the Federal Reserve may lose credibility if a commitment to hold interest rates down to fight deflation becomes difficult to maintain due to an unexpected shift in the economy's fortunes, according to…
Fed Res Bank of Minneapolis - Annual Report 2002
The Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis has published its Annual Report for the year ended 2002. The Annual Report contains an article 'Between Two Worlds How Do Credit Markets Work? - An investigation into credit availability in the Minneapolis-St. Paul…
Fed can push harder against deflation- Fed's Poole
St. Louis Fed President William Poole told Reuters in an interview that the Federal Reserve "can push harder" if necessary to prevent a deflationary spiral from happening.
Fed's- Beige Book: US economy struggling
The Federal Reserve Beige Book released 11 June said the US economy has struggled to gather pace since the end of the Iraq war and the performance of output and employment has been disappointing.
Ferguson - Economic challenges facing US and Japan
In a speech on 'Uncertain Times: Economic Challenges Facing the United States and Japan' Roger Ferguson of the Federal Reserve described the country's near-term economic prospects as "still somewhat clouded" and said "preventing deflation remains…
Greenspan on natural gas supply and demand issues
In testimonyto the Committee on Energy and Commerce, U.S. House of representatives, on 'Natural gas supply and demand issues' Alan Greenspan of the Federal Reserve said high natural gas prices are likely to last into next year, and could weaken some key…
Fed Reserve Bank of Dallas - Annual Report 2002
The Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas has published its Annual Report for the year ended 2002. Following the 2001 recession, the report says, economic activity expanded throughout 2002, but not vigorously enough to sustain or promote employment growth…
Fed and Bank of Mexico announce clearing system
The Federal Reserve and the Banco de Mexico on Tuesday 10 June announced a new clearing-house system that will lower transaction costs for banks handling an estimated $200bn in commercial payments and remittances each year, according to a report in the…
Greenspan found learning a 'troublesome activity'
Alan Greenspan has been providing encouragement to school children, but when they asked whether rates are going up or down he replied smilingly, "Yes", according to a report from This is London.
Fed's Bernanke on monetary policy in Japan
In a speech on 'Some Thoughts on Monetary Policy in Japan' Ben Bernanke of the Federal Reserve said the US economy does not face an immediate threat of deflation but slowing inflation means the major world economies must remain on guard. On the Japanese…
Chicago Fed National Activity Index, April 2003
CFNAI Shows Economy Weak in April - The Chicago Fed National Activity Index declined in April, with the monthly index coming in at -0.85. Weak employment- and production-related data were the main factors behind April's negative reading. Although the…
Olson on the prospects for economic growth
In a speech on 'Assessing Prospects for Economic Growth in the United States' Mark Olson of the Federal Reserve said the recent news from oil and financial markets and about consumer confidence clearly suggests that the reduction in risks associated with…