United States
Madigan appointed as key aide to Bernanke
The Federal Reserve Board yesterday named Brian F. Madigan as the chief adviser on interest rates to its chairman, Ben Bernanke.Madigan will take over as director of the division of monetary affairs on 23 July.
Holograms keep currency real
A special report by the US National Research Council entitled "A Path to the Next Generation of US Banknotes: Keeping them Real," suggests that holograms have a definitive role in combating banknote counterfeiting.
Shift to e-payments leads to Fed job cuts
The US Federal Reserve reductions in cheque processing is likely to result in more than 210 jobs being cut at the Minneapolis Fed, as consumers shift from paper checks to electronic payments.
Fed keeps rates at 5.25% for 12th month
The Federal Reserve held interest rates steady 28 June, citing "modest" improvements in recent inflation readings. Fed rates have now remained at 5.25% for 12 months.
Fed to streamline cheque processing
As consumers shift to electronic payments, the Federal Reserve Banks set out plans to streamline cheque processing.
Chicago Fed's National Activity Index improves
The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago announced on 25 June that its gauge of the national economy, the National Activity Index, although negative in May, was stronger than it was a month ago because as a number of indicators showed an improvement.
Fed under fire in Washington over supervision
In spite of the successes of his first 16 months in office, the relations of Ben Bernanke, the chairman of the US Federal Reserve, with the American Congress are deteriorating as the country's central bank is threatened with having some of its authority…
Geithner on lessons from the Asian crisis
That crisis countries had fixed but adjustable pegs, was one of the main lessons Tim Geithner, the president of the New York fed, highlighted ned in a recent speech.
US treasury points to dangers of sovereign wealth
Clay Lowery, acting under-secretary for international affairs at the US treasury, has asked the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank to compile best-practice guidelines for sovereign wealth funds.
Banks still matter most - Bernanke
Federal Reserve Chairman, Ben Bernanke, says the Fed has retained the ability to control financing costs, despite the fact that nonbank lenders and capital markets have replaced banks as sources of credit for many households and businesses.
New head for Boston Fed
Eric Rosengren will become president and chief executive officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston on 23 July. He will succeed Cathy Minehan who retires after 13 years as president of the Boston Fed, and nearly 40 years of service in the Federal…
Fed's Beige Book
There was continuing weakness in residential real estate and construction but increasing strength in the commercial real estate sector, including both office and industrial space, reports the Fed's 4th Beige Book of the year.
Fed's Hoenig on recent economic developments
US economic conditions will improve in the coming months, said an optimistic Tom Hoenig, CEO of the Kansas City Fed.
Chicago Fed paper on mobile payments
Will mobile payments go the way of the stalled smart-card revolution of the 1990s? This Chicago Fed letter looks at these new payments fit into the larger payment system.
Federal Reserve: Annual Report
The Federal Reserve released its 93rd annual report on 6 June, in which it said "The US economy turned in another solid performance in 2006, although the pattern of growth was uneven."
Ball: globalisation does not affect inflation
A recent paper by Laurence Ball for the National Bureau of Economic Research suggetss that "globalisation has had little effect on the rate of inflation in the United States."
Bernanke: US inflation slowing, but risks remain
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke says US core inflation "seems likely to moderate gradually over time", but there are "upside" risks to this forecast.
Former Fed No 2, Preston Martin, dies
Preston Martin, the former deputy chairman of the Federal Reserve died last week, aged 83.
Kroszner on risks and outlook for US economy
Economic growth will in the US pick up through 2007, rising to close to potential by 2008, said Randall Kroszner, a member of the Board of Governors, at the spring meeting of the IIF in Athens, adding that the risks to the inflation outlook are primarily…
Fed announces FOMC's 2008 schedule
The US Federal Reserve, the American central bank, on 1 June announced the tentative schedule for next year's Federal Open Market Committee meetings.
Fed minutes reveal worries over inflation, housing
The minutes of the latest monetary policy meeting of the Federal Reserve contained few surprises, but underlined the fact that policymakers remained concerned about an "upward drift in inflation expectations".
Johnson leaves the Fed
Karen Johnson, director of the Division of International Finance at the Federal Reserve Board, will step down after nearly a decade in this position.
Why is the dollar so high?'
In this paper, Martin Feldstein, once considered a frontrunner to replace Alan Greenspan as chairman of the US Federal Reserve, argues that a decline of the real value of the dollar that is large enough to reduce the current account deficit significantly…
Estimating potential output - Fed's Mishkin
In this speech, Frederic Mishkin, a governor at the Federal Reserve Board in Washington, provides a non-technical overview of academic research on the estimation of potential output, and important concept in monetary policy analysis.