United Kingdom
Bank of England MPC Minutes, 6 & 7 April
The minutes from the 6 & 7 April meeting of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee published on Wednesday 20 April showed policy makers voted 7- 2 to keep interest rates unchanged this month, the same split as in March, with the majority saying…
UK's Brown rejects IMF recommendations
The Statement by the IMFC, the Fund's governing body, released on SaturdayApril 16 calls for surveillance by the Fund over all countries to remaincentral to its work.
Before & after the Bank of England's independence
This Working Paper investigates how the increase in transparency brought about by the Bank of England's operational independence has changed the way in which markets react immediately after economic announcements.
Bank of England Inflation Attitudes Survey, Mar 05
The Bank of England's February/March 2005 Inflation Attitudes Survey asked about the future path of interest rates, with 56% expecting rates to rise in the next 12 months, only slightly down from the 57% recorded in November.
BoE's King: Treasury Committee Opening Statement
In a statement to the Treasury Committee on Thursday 24 March, Bank of England governor Mervyn King said that consumer spending has turned out to be significantly weaker than policymakers had expected.
Bank of England MPC Minutes, 9 &10 March
The minutes from the 9 &10 March meeting of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee published on Wednesday 23 March showed Paul Tucker voted for the second month in a row to raise interest rates, and was joined by deputy governor Andrew Large,…
BoE's Barker on monetary policy in the UK
In a speech on 'Monetary policy in the UK - The framework and current issues' given on 21 March, Kate Barker of the Bank of England said the operational independence of the Bank is crucial, but the need to command wide spread public support for central…
BoE's Lomax on inflation targeting in practice
In a speech on 'Inflation targeting in practice: Models, forecasts and hunches' given on 12 March, Rachel Lomax of the Bank of England said inflation forecasts are "highly fallible" and the BoE should ignore calls from bodies such as the IMF to produce a…
Bank of England Quarterly Bulletin, Spring 2005
The Bank of England released its Quarterly Bulletin Spring 2005, on 14 March. The Bulletin includes the article "Inside the MPC" in which Richard Lambert explains what life is like as a member of the MPC.
BoE's Bell on real interest rates and inflation
In the speech 'A matter of no small interest: Real short-term interest rates and inflation since the 1990s' given on 2 March, Marian Bell of the Bank of England said the level of interest rates consistent with full employment and a stable economy has…
The Bank should act soon
The Bank of England should act soon to raise interest rates, according to this article published on Friday 4 March by the Financial Times. With a general election expected in May, the Bank risks being accused of political motivations if it doesn't hike…
RTGS & hybrid payment systems: a comparison
This Bank of England Working Paper published on Tuesday 1 March contrasts Real-Time Gross Settlement and hybrid payment systems that are based on payment offset, using a two-period, multi-bank model. It finds that hybrid payment systems outperform RTGS…
BoE's Tucker on monetary policy and stability
In a speech on 'Monetary policy, stability and structural change' given on 1 March, Paul Tucker of the Bank of England said that excess demand in the UK economy was expected to boost inflation over the next few years.
BoE's Lomax: Mon. stability matters to Merseyside
In the speech 'Why monetary stability matters to Merseyside' given on 24 February Rachel Lomax of the Bank of England said the Bank sees a rebound in household spending and may not be able to wait before increasing interest rates.
BoE's Bean: Monetary policy in an uncertain world
In a speech on 'Monetary policy in an uncertain world' given on 22 February, Charles Bean of the Bank of England said that uncertainty is an ever-present feature of the economic landscape that monetary policy makers cannot escape.
Bank of England MPC Minutes, 9 &10 February
The minutes from the 9 &10 February meeting of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee published on Wednesday 23 February showed eight members voted to hold interest rates unchanged, with Paul Tucker voting against, preferring a rise in the repo…
BoE's Barker says uncertainty prevented rate rise
Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee member Kate Barker was reported as saying in an interview that the uncertain short-term outlook for the UK economy prevented the nine-member MPC from raising interest rates in February.
Bank of England Inflation Report, February 2005
The Bank of England published its February 2005 Inflation Report on 16 February. In the report the Bank raised its forecast for economic growth and inflation over the next two years after manufacturing rebounded and commodity prices rose.
Greenspan the economic detective
Receiving his honorary degree in Edinburgh on Monday 7 February, Alan Greenspan said that as an economic detective he has long found inspiration in the wisdom of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes.
Letters reveal 'low point' for Sir Eddie
Letters released this week by the UK Treasury showed that Gordon Brown's decision to remove responsibility for banking supervision from the Bank of England almost prompted Sir Edward George, the Bank's governor to resign.
BoE cancels 2005 governors' symposium
The Bank of England has cancelled its 2005 governors' symposium due to the UK's overcrowded international schedule. Mario Blejer, head of the Bank's centre for Central Banking Studies, wrote to central bank governors recently to tell them the news.
Bank of England's Chief Cashier John Page dies
John Page, who was the last person to hold the post of Chief Casher of the Bank of England before the position was downgraded in the 1980s, died on 2 February aged 81.
BoE's King on the International Monetary System
In a speech on 'The International Monetary System' given on 4 February, Mervyn King of the Bank of England urged members of the Group of Seven industrial nations to agree "on the nature of the risk" and collaborate with China and India to rebalance…
Greenspan and King to receive Scottish honour
The University of Edinburgh will present Alan Greenspan and Mervyn King with honorary degrees at a graduation ceremony on 7 February.