United States
Carstens on reshaping the IMF's role in the 21st C
In the speech 'Reshaping the IMF's role in the 21st century' given on 29 June Agustin Carstens of the IMF said the development of a medium-term strategy for the IMF has been a process rich in debate within and, more importantly, outside of the…
Fed Reserve Bank of St Louis Review, Jul/Aug 2006
The latest edition of the St Louis Fed's Review for Jul/Aug 2006 includes the article 'Is the United States bankrupt?' The paper offers three policies to eliminate the nation's enormous fiscal gap and avert bankruptcy.
Kohn with reflections on globalization & policies
In the speech 'Reflections on globalization and policies' given on 6 July Donald Kohn of the Federal Reserve said he was aware of the risk of raising rates more than necessary but saw a need for higher global interest rates to maintain stability.
Bies on the challenges of Basel II implementation
In the speech 'Addressing challenges raised by Basel II implementation' given on 4 July Susan Schmidt Bies of the Federal Reserve said US bank regulators are moving smoothly through proposed rules implementing Basel II bank capital standards and are on…
Richmond Fed's Economic Quarterly, Spring 2006
The Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond has published its Economic Quarterly for Spring 2006. The latest issue includes the article 'Implementation of optimal monetary policy'.
St Louis Fed's Regional Economist, July 2006
The Regional Economist, July 2006 edition, from the St Louis Fed includes the article "Inflation's economic cost: How large? How certain?" Central bankers believe that low inflation and long-term economic growth go hand in hand. The evidence about the…
Decoding Fed's statements requires experts
According to this article published Sunday 2 July, trying to decipher the Federal Reserve's policy statements can be like trying to understand hieroglyphics.
Comment: Bernanke's ally
The nomination of Frederic Mishkin to fill one of the two vacant seats on the Fed's board of governors will bolster the chairman, Ben Bernanke, in his attempts to quantify the central bank's inflation objective and move towards a more rule-based monetary…
Mishkin nominated to Fed board
US president Bush nominated Frederic Mishkin, a professor at Columbia University, to join the Federal Reserve Board on Friday 30 June.
Fed raises rates, suggests may be nearing end
The Federal Reserve raised US interest rates to the highest point in more than five years Thursday 29 June and suggested the rate hike cycle may be nearing the end.
Fed views on U.S. inflation targeting
This article from Reuters, published Wednesday 28 June, provides summaries of views voiced by Federal Reserve policy-makers on the merits of stated numerical inflation targets.
Consultation paper on Payments System Risk Policy
The Federal Reserve has published a consultation paper to seek information from financial institutions and other interested parties on their experience in managing intraday liquidity, credit, and operational risks relating to Fedwire funds transfers and…
Federal Reserve expected to raise rates
Federal Reserve policymakers were widely expected to finish a two-day meeting on Thursday 29 June, by raising US interest rates for the 17th consecutive time to 5.25 percent.
Comment: Passing the buck
The current outcry over American intelligence officials' access to private information linked to international money transfers has raised some thorny issues over who regulates the international messaging and financial telecommunications group, SWIFT.
Paulson has strong confidence in Bernanke
Henry Paulson, President Bush's nominee as the next US Treasury Secretary, has thrown his weight behind Ben Bernanke, the new chairman of the Federal Reserve.
Fed confronts failure to comprehend
According to this article from Bloomberg published Tuesday 27 June, five months into the term of Ben Bernanke at the Fed he and his colleagues haven't figured out how to get financial markets to understand what they are trying to do with monetary policy.
US monetary policy
The course of U.S. monetary policy is "appropriate" and the country's rate of economic growth should slow in the second half of the year, International Monetary Fund Managing Director Rodrigo Rato said in Madrid.
Donald Kohn appointed Chairman of the CGFS
At their meeting in Basel this weekend, the Governors of the central banks of the Group of Ten (G10) countries appointed Donald L Kohn as Chairman of the Committee on the Global Financial System (CGFS).
Bernanke tops Greenspan as market mover
This article from CNN Money, published Thursday 22 June, reports that a new study reveals that new Fed chief Ben Bernanke has provoked more movement than his predecessor, accounting for 27 basis points of variation in two-year yields.
Comment: Wanted: experienced US central banker
The perception of a "Fed in flux" has been strengthened by the departure of two more senior officials. With the unprecedented rate of turnover in personnel, the Fed now appears somewhat short of experience. Chairman Ben Bernanke's job could be made…
'The Region' from the Minneapolis Fed, June 2006
The Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis has published its regular magazine, The Region, for June 2006. The latest edition includes an interview with Stanford economist, John B. Taylor, on inflation targets, exchange rates and the eponymous rule.
Study says markets on Fed's wavelength
According to a recent study by the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, better communication by the U.S. central bank has dramatically cut mistakes by markets betting on future interest rate moves.
Toothless Fed
According to this article from CNN Money, published Thursday 22 June, the Federal Reserve's ability to control the host of things that are driving inflation higher is rather limited.
Chicago Fed National Activity Index, May 2006
The Chicago Fed National Activity Index for May 2006, published 22 June, was -0.16 in May, down from +0.26 in April.