United Kingdom
House boom 'should not deter Bank' from rate cut
ARTICLE - The house price boom should no longer stand in the way of a cut in interest rates, according to Stephen Nickell, the longest-serving external member on the Bank of England's monetary policy committee.
Expectation increases of UK interest rate cut
UK - The odds against a cut in interest rates before the end of the year have shortened sharply after it emerged that three members of the Bank of England's monetary policy committee voted for a cut earlier this month.
Lobby group warns UK on delaying euro entry
UK - Eight out of the 10 states poised to join the European Union could be ready for euro membership by 2007, increasing the risk that the UK will be isolated unless it joins soon, according to Britain in Europe.
Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee Minutes
MINUTES - Minutes of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee Meeting released on 23 October for the meeting of 9 and 10 October 2002. The nine MPC members voted on a proposal to maintain the repo rate at 4.0%. Six voted in favour of this, however…
Britain would be stupid to join the euro
LETTER - Letter published in the Financial Times, UK edition, 22 October, from Theresa Villiers MEP.
Talk of banks 'capturing' Basle II wide of mark
LETTER - Letter published in the Financial Times, UK edition, 19 October, from Simon Wills, Director, wholesale and regulation team, British Bankers' Association, London.
The inconsistency of the anti-euro lobby
ARTICLE - Consider these two assertions. We cannot possibly join the euro because sterling is grotesquely overvalued - locking in today's exchange rate would condemn the economy to stagnation. Giving up sterling would be madness - robbing Britain of a…
Complexity will not cut banks' risk
LETTER - Letter published in the Financial Times, UK edition, 21 October.
UK Treasury cool on Gibraltar making a mint
UK - While Gordon Brown expounds his policy on the euro, efforts by Gibraltar to set up a lucrative sideline in minting the coins have run into resistance from the UK chancellor, Gordon Brown.
Through the looking glass into deflation
SPEECH - DeAnne Julius, a former member of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee, assesses the risk of global deflation as quite high in her keynote speech at The Banker Awards 2002 dinner.
Why the euro numbers do not add up
UK - Baffled voters waiting to be persuaded by the economic evidence how they should vote in a referendum on the euro have been left in a state of even deeper confusion this week.
Banks put themselves at risk in Basle
ARTICLE - The Basle committee on banking supervision is once again consulting banks over the impact of its draft new capital accord. Basle II will have an important bearing on bank lending within and between countries. Despite its good intentions, the…
ECB source not aware of Duisenberg G7 rate comment
UK - A European Central Bank (ECB) source told Reuters on Thursday that he was not aware of ECB President Win Duisenberg's having told international financial leaders the central bank was ready to cut interest rates.
Ignore the ghost of deflation past
ARTICLE - Financial market crystal ball gazers are focusing on the danger of a double-dip world recession.
George on the current state of the UK economy
SPEECH - In a speech made on 15 October, Sir Edward George of the Bank of England said internationally and in the UK the monetary policy debate has shifted back to the possible need for monetary stimulus. He said There had been a "nervous breakdown" in…
The Exchange Rate and Inflation in the UK
RESEARCH - External MPC Unit Discussion Paper No.11, The Exchange Rate and Inflation in the UK by Amit Kara and Edward Nelson. The paper looks at the evidence from the UK on inflation behaviour and examines the propositions from several theoretical…
A hard test for Britain's euro advocates
ARTICLE - The euro is not just about our economy but our destiny. We should only join the euro if the economic tests are met. That is clear. But if the tests are passed, we go for it." Thus did Tony Blair state his goal and the constraint upon it in his…
Bank defends its position on interest rates
UK - Members of the Bank of England's rate-setting body on Monday defended it against criticism that it has not done enough to prevent escalating house prices in Britain.
Britain will pay the price of exclusion
ARTICLE - Does a single market really require a single currency? Europhiles say yes, Eurosceptics no. Until recently it was not easy to prove who was right. But now we know for sure. Professor Richard Layard puts the case for the UK's entry to the euro.
Bank of England News Release
NEWS RELEASE - Monetary Policy - A Perpetual Dilemma?, 14 October 2002.
Kate Barker on monetary policy and asset prices
SPEECH - In the speech 'Monetary Policy - A Perpetual Dilemma?' made on 14 October Kate Barker of the Bank of England questioned whether it was the role of monetary policy to protect individuals from the risks asset price bubbles pose and whether such…
Leader makes anti-euro view clear at UK conference
UK - Iain Duncan Smith made a clear reference yesterday to his anti-euro stance - only the second time during the week the issue that divides the Tory party had been raised by a platform speaker.
French bank chief hits at government
FRANCE - Jean-Claude Trichet, governor of the Bank of France, on Friday added his weight to criticism of the centre-right government of Jean-Pierre Raffarin for not being more ambitious in its efforts to cut its budget deficit in line with European Union…
Bank of England News Release
NEWS RELEASE - Bank of England Maintains Interest Rates at 4.0%, 10 October.