Europe
Duisenberg urges reforms
EUROPE - Wim Duisenberg, head of the European Central Bank, on Tuesday said a lack of confidence in markets and uncertainty are the bigger problems for the European economy rather than the ECB's oft-criticized hold on interest rates.
IMF's Kohler calls for ECB rate cut
EUROPE - International Monetary Fund Managing Director Horst Koehler said the European Central Bank should cut interest rates soon to help boost the economy.Koehler said he believes a drop in rates would stimulate growth, adding that central bankers must…
Duisenberg rules out imminent interest rate cut
EUROPE - The president of the European Central Bank, Mr Wim Duisenberg, has ruled out any imminent cut in interest rates to accelerate economic growth across the euro zone.
European Central Bank Publication
PUBLICATION - The European Central Bank has published it's euro banknotes and coins, brochure, August 2002.
The Euro 50 Group Roundtable: Monetary implications of accession
Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz discusses challenges to monetary policy that central banks in candidate countries will face. Governments should be wary of too early an entry.
The Euro 50 Group Roundtable: The monetary dimension of European enlargement
Introduction by Edmond Alphandéry, former French finance minister and chairman of the Euro 50 group1.
Why Britain should not join the euro
Janet Bush rejects the economic benefits of monetary union and argues that there is insurmountable opposition to the necessary complementary institution, a European government.
The price of a common currency
ARTICLE - Europe would soon regret any relaxation of the stability pact, argues Horst Siebert in the Financial Times, Tuesday.
Gold rises as dollar slips back
UK - Gold shone on Friday morning in Europe as the dollar slipped against other currencies and producer selling seen earlier this week eased off, leaving prices with a chance to head up, traders said.
ECB Working Paper No. 155
RESEARCH - ECB Working Paper 'Youth unemployment in the OECD: demographic shifts, labour market institutions, and macroeconomic shocks' by Juan F. Jimeno and Diego Rodriguez-Palenzuela, June 2002. It gauges the relevance of the relative size of…
Euro goes to court over trade mark dispute
EUROPE - The European Commission will be forced to defend the design of the euro symbol in court today less than six months after the introduction of the single currency. The emblem has become the subject of a trademark battle with Thomas Cook and…
Eurozone inflation falls within ECB target of 2%
BELGIUM - Inflation in the euro zone slowed sharply to 2% in May, Eurostat confirmed on Tuesday. The drop put inflation within the upper limit of the European Central Bank's inflation target of 2%.
Speech Wim Duisenberg, ECB president, 13 June
SPEECH - In a speech on 'The euro as a catalyst for integration and competition in EMU', Wim Duisenberg talks about the link between European integration and the euro, explaining the need for further structural reforms and their importance for the smooth…
Eurozone inflation falls but M3 grows
GERMANY - A marked drop in euro zone inflation in May strengthened beliefs that the ECB will hold fire on interest rates, although its key money gauge M3 moved further away from its benchmark of 4.5%, growing to 7.5% from 7.3% in March.
Swedish central bank governor resigns
SWEDEN - Sweden's central bank governor said Tuesday he will resign at the end of the year, two years before his term expires, as the Scandinavian country considers adopting Europe's common currency.
Europeans aim for joint rate rises
UK - Europe's central banks are set to raise interest rates simultaneously on 6 June, say leading economists. The Bank of England, the European Central Bank and the Swedish Riksbank are likely to hike rates at their respective policy-making meetings in…
Speech by Sirkka Hamalainen of the ECB, 30 Apr
SPEECH - In the speech titled 'Consolidation in the European securities infrastructure - what is needed?' Hamalainen said that "By eliminating currency segmentation, the introduction of the euro has naturally been a major factor in the integration of…
Speech by T Padoa-Schioppa of the ECB, 29 Apr
SPEECH - In the speech titled 'Competition, co-operation, public action: Three necessary drivers for European financial integration' Padoa-Schioppa expressed the benefits of the euro when saying "Market segmentation - the opposite of integration - is…
Eurozone interest rates left unchanged
EUROPE - Interest rates in the 12-nation eurozone have been kept on hold as expected at a regular ECB meeting held Thursday.
European Central Bank - Annual Report 2001
ANNUAL REPORT - The European Central Bank has published its Annual Report for the year ended 2001.
ECB Press Release
PRESS RELEASE - The European Central Bank's Annual Report 2001, 23 April 2002.
ECB Press Release
PRESS RELEASE - New ECB Regulation in the field of minimum reserves, 23 April.
Bank of England leaves key lending rate at 4.0 pct
UK - The Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee on Thursday left its key lending rate unchanged at 4.0 percent for the fifth month in a row despite signs Europe's second biggest economy is recovering.
Keep floating, stop worrying
FEATURE - The real case for an independent pound has nothing to do with ultra-nationalism or hostility to Europe writes Samuel Brittan in Thursday's Financial Times. He suggests the British government allow use of the euro as a parallel currency and…