United States
Philadelphia Fed Business Outlook Survey, Dec 2006
According to the firms surveyed for the Philadelphia Fed's December 2006 Business Outlook Survey, overall economic conditions in the region's manufacturing sector declined slightly in December. Indicators for general activity, new orders, and unfilled…
Richmond Fed's Lacker on the economic outlook
In the speech 'Economic outlook' given on 21 December Jeffrey Lacker of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond said it's too soon to say price increases have moderated enough to put policymakers at ease.
Chicago Fed National Activity Index, November 2006
The Chicago Fed National Activity Index for November 2006, published 21 December, was -0.26 in November, slightly up from -0.30 in October. All of the four broad categories of indicators in the index made negative contributions.
Dallas Fed's Fisher: a wrap-up of the economy
In the speech 'A year-end wrap-up of the economy and a peek ahead' given on 19 December Richard Fisher of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas said rising inflation is a greater concern than a slowing economy and monetary policymakers may be forced to…
IMF's Kato on communications
In the speech 'Enhancing macroeconomic policies through communications' given on 18 December Takatoshi Kato of the IMF said the world economy has now seen several years of strong growth.
US, China agree reforms but differ on timing
Following the talks in Beijing last week U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said China and the US have agreed basic principles on a wide range of issues including economic times, but the timing of any moves remains a stumbling block.
Fed's Bernanke on the Chinese economy
In the speech 'The Chinese economy: Progress and challenges' given on 15 December Ben Bernanke of the Federal Reserve said Chinese policy-makers risk losing control of their economy unless they let the yuan rise in value and strengthen their financial…
Philadelphia Fed Business Review, 4th Quarter 2006
The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia published its Business Review for the Fourth Quarter 2006 on 13 December. The latest issue has articles on housing, exports, and segmented markets. Written by Senior Economic Analyst Tim Schiller, the housing…
Trust me, Ben, if Mervyn can do it, so can you
This article published Friday 15 December by Bloomberg, compares the Bank of England's communication strategy with the Federal Reserve's. In less than a decade of independence the BoE has leapfrogged the Fed in terms of clarity, it says.
Paulson calls on China for looser yuan
U.S. treasury secretary Henry Paulson, called on China to reduce currency controls and clamp down on software piracy in the first round of talks held Thursday 14 December.
'The Region' from the Minneapolis Fed, Dec 06
The Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis has published its regular magazine, The Region, for December 2006. The latest edition carries an interview with University of California, Berkeley economist David Card, on immigration, labor supply, minimum wage…
US Fed keeps benchmark rate unchanged
The U.S. Federal Reserve held key interest rates steady at 5.25 percent for a fourth straight meeting on Tuesday 12 December, while renewing a warning that risks from inflation remain.
Fed's FOMC likely to hold US interest rates
The US economy is in fairly good shape despite the flagging housing and auto industries, suggesting the Federal Reserve will leave US interest rates unchanged at its meeting Tuesday 12 December.
Bernanke promotes Fed's profile, not his
According to this article published by Bloomberg on Monday 11 December, deflating the aura around his job may be Ben Bernanke's greatest triumph so far at the Federal Reserve.
Bernanke may clash with democratic Congress
According to the article 'Bernanke may clash with democratic Congress on wages, inflation' from Bloomberg, published Thursday 7 December, Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke may be heading for a showdown with congressional Democrats over warnings from…
NY Fed: Deflationary shocks & monetary rules
The New York Fed Staff Report "Deflationary shocks and monetary rules: An open-economy scenario analysis" considers the macroeconomic transmission of demand and supply shocks in an open economy.
Dallas Fed's Fisher on German economic decline
In the speech 'Is German economic decline exaggerated or inevitable?' given on 20 November Richard W. Fisher of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas said Germany has embarked upon what is certain to be a long and difficult journey to secure its future in a…
IMF's Rajan on a global shortage of fixed assets
In the speech 'Is there a global shortage of fixed assets?' given on 1 December Raghuram Rajan of the IMF said investment does seem to be picking up steadily.
Fed's Fisher:The extended importance of the euro
In the speech 'The extended importance of the euro' given on 17 November Richard Fisher of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas said challenges remain for the euro area.
'Irrational exuberance' may now be more rational
According to this article from Bloomberg, published Tuesday 5 December, ten years after Alan Greenspan's "irrational exuberance" statement, share prices are rising again, but this time it might be more rational.
Fed's Bies on Basel II implementation
In the speech 'A U.S. perspective on Basel II implementation' given on 30 November Susan Schmidt Bies of the Federal Reserve defended a new capital plan for large U.S. banks but signalled that some cumbersome parts of the plan could be streamlined.
Bernanke programmes dilute Greenspan's intuition
According to this article published by Bloomberg on Monday 4 December, a small team of Federal Reserve staff is testing a new "factor model'' programme that does the work of hundreds of economists.
Chicago Fed's Moskow says US economy 'solid'
Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago President Michael Moskow said in an interview Monday 4 December that the U.S. economy is still "solid" and poised to approach 3 percent growth next year.
Fed's Kohn on monetary policy and uncertainty
In the speech 'Monetary policy and uncertainty' given on 1 December Donald Kohn of the Federal Reserve said policy makers should avoid relying on any single indicator because of uncertainties surrounding the accuracy of economic data and public behaviour.