United States
Fed's Ferguson on lessons from productivity booms
In a speech on 'Lessons from Past Productivity Booms' given on 4 January, Roger Ferguson of the Federal Reserve said that there are signs that the impetus behind much of the recent robust gains in U.S. productivity will remain for some years.
Greenspan congratulated for good year's work
Alan Greenspan, chairman of the Federal Reserve and his colleagues havebeen praised for their work in 2003 by private economists in a survey.
Greenspan on widened trade deficit
Alan Greenspan, chairman of the Federal Reserve talks before the World Affairs Council of greater Dallas about the wider trade deficit of recent years, in the context of a prolonged bout of job loss in the United States.
International Research Forum on monetary policy
The second conference organised by the International Research Forum on Monetary Policy was held at the Federal Reserve Board on November 14-15, 2003.
Is There a Digital Divide?
The new edition of the San Francisco Fed's "Economic Letter" asks whether the region enjoys an advantage over the rest of the US in terms of the digital literacy of the population.
Big cutback at New York Fed
The New York Fed's Buffalo regional office has announced that it will cut 60 of its 130 jobs in a nationwide restructuring of its retail securities business, officials said on Thursday 18 December.
Chicago Fed National Activity Index, November 2003
The Chicago Fed National Activity Index (CFNAI) November 2003 was published on 18 December. The November CFNAI points to solid gains in economic activity and reached its highest value since March 2000 at +0.55. Three of the four broad categories of…
Philadelphia Fed Business Outlook Survey, Dec 2003
Activity in the region's manufacturing sector continued to expand, according to the firms surveyed for the Philadelphia Fed's Business Outlook Survey, December 2003. Noteworthy increases were recorded for key indicators shipments, new orders, and…
Philadelphia Fed index rises dramatically
The Philadelphia Fed's general economic index this month registered 32.1 compared with 25.9 in November. It represents the highest level in a decade with more factories hiring workers than at any time since April 1973, the report said.
SF Fed says regional economy on the upswing
The San Francisco Fed said in its quarterly update on Tuesday that information from District contacts suggests that the pickup in employment is not transitory but indicative of a more fundamental change in business conditions. The San Francisco Fed has…
History will remember Chairman Greenspan
By reacting forcefully from 2001 onwards, Alan Greenspan prevented the Federal Reserve from making a third big blunder and set the stage for the current turnaround, this article in The Business Times says. "The Fed can never deliver the economy into…
U.S. inflation still no worry - Fed's Broaddus
In a speech on Monday 15 December Richmond Fed president Alfred Broaddus said a short-term rise in inflation would be nothing to worry about and the prospects of deflation were lower than a few months ago. "Accommodative monetary policy could mean, could…
Boston Fed's Minehan: Inflation pressures low
Cathy Minehan, president of the Boston Fed, said on Tuesday 16 December that the economic recovery seems to be "picking up steam", according to Reuters, and she suggested the Federal Reserve is content to watch the firming economy, without acting on…
Chicago Fed conf. sees US GDP up 4.1 pct in 2004
The Chicago Fed's Economic Outlook Symposium forecast an economic growth rate of 4.1 per cent for the US next year, Reuters reports. Chicago Fed senior economist William Strauss said the consensus outlook among conference participants was for the…
Foreign c banks' slow buying of U.S. debt - Fed
Figures released by the Federal Reserve showed purchases of US debt slowed by foreign central banks last week, according to Reuters. Total holdings of Treasuries and agencies for foreign central banks rose just $102 million to hit another record at just…
Kansas Fed's Hoenig appointed to Kauffman board
The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation's board has named Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City President Thomas Hoenig as a director, effective immediately, reports the Business Journal. The Foundation supports programs in entrepreneurship and education in…
Greenspan-Capitalism and the role of globalization
In a speech on 'Capitalism and the role of globalization' given on 11 December, Alan Greenspan of the Federal Reserve said debates on the pros and cons of market capitalism have waged for generations. The collapse of the Soviet empire, and with it…
Oct. minutes of Federal Open Market Committee
The Federal Reserve on 11 December released the minutes of its FOMC meeting of 28 October. Federal Reserve policy-makers expressed concerns at their October meeting that the battered job market might not fully recover until at least 2005 even if the…
Fed minutes suggest low rates until 2005
The Federal Reserve's latest FOMC minutes released on Thursday 11 December, reinforced their regular statement that interest rates could remain low for a "considerable period" saying that they should not raise interest rates until they saw concrete signs…
IMF sees US growth sprinting ahead of eurozone
IMF chief economists Raghuram Rajan has told a German newspaper that the International Monetary Fund had increased its previous forecast for US growth by 0.1 percentage points to 4.0 percent, according to an AFP report.
Federal Reserve leaves rates unchanged
The Federal Reserve kept interest rates unchanged at its meeting on Tuesday. In a statement it retained the phrase "considerable period" in reference to its accommodative monetary policy. The FOMC also said the threat of deflation was receding.
Philadelphia Fed Business Review, 4th Quarter 2003
The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia has published its regular Business Review for the Fourth Quarter 2003. In the latest issue President Santomero outlines what the Federal Reserve is doing to promote economic education and explains why knowledge is…
Fed upbeat about economic rebound
In their final meeting of the year on Tuesday 9 December, Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan and his colleagues offered their most upbeat assessment of the economy in recent months, reports Associated Press. In another encouraging note, Fed policy-makers said…
Poole: Perspective on U.S. International Trade
In a speech on 'A Perspective on U.S. International Trade' given on 19 November, William Poole of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis said free trade is a policy that increases economic well being for a country as a whole. Specialization and exchange…