United States
Greenspan enters his surrealist period
Salvador Dali has apparently taken over as chairman of the Federal Reserve. An article in the Financial Times suggests the Fed's recent behaviour indicates a sudden conversion to surrealism in the conduct of monetary policy.
Greenspan to deliver monetary testimony 15 July
The US House Financial Services Committee has announced Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan will testify before the committee on 15 July.
IMF's Krueger on supply, demand & deadlines
In the speech 'Supply, Demand & Deadlines: A Workshop on Economics for Journalists' Anne Krueger of the IMF said economics is important-and so is reporting economics well. The IMF's role-acting alongside the World Bank, the UN, and national governments…
Fed Reserve Bank of St Louis Review, Jul/Aug 2003
The latest edition of the St Louis Fed's Review for July-August 2003 includes proceedings of the Twenty-Seventh Annual Economic Policy Conference of the Federal Reserve Bank of St Louis. The Review includes articles titled "The Real Effects of U.S…
Alan Greenspan opens Philadelphia Fed mini-museum
Alan Greenspan opened the Philadelphia Fed's new "Money in Motion" mini-museum on Wednesday 2 July, Dow Jones reports. The displays aim to make the complex history of American monetary policy visitor-friendly for tourists and local visitors.
IMF statement on new chief economist Rajan
IMF Managing Director Kohler Proposed Raghuram Rajan as Economic Counsellor and Director of the IMF's Research Department, 2 July.
Fedspeak with the Fed rate cut
An article in the Washington Times suggests that to understand what the Federal Reserve does, it's best to start with reasonably low expectations about what any central bank can do. It also suggests that the Fed's "balance of risk" assessment of the…
6 May Minutes of Federal Open Market Committee
The Federal Reserve on 26 June released the minutes of its FOMC meeting of 6 May. The minutes showed all the members indicated that they could support a proposal to maintain an unchanged policy stance. But they acknowledged that a case could be made for…
''The Fed has not avoided danger''
An article in the Financial Times argues that the Federal Reserve's decision to cut interest rates last week was a missed opportunity. Quantitative easing through an expansion of the money supply is needed, it argues, or the economic recovery could be…
Olson on bank challenges with low interest rates
In a speech on 'Bank Management Challenges in a Low-interest-rate Environment' Mark Olson of the Federal Reserve said the most pronounced effect of the current climate has not been prominent in the headlines but is well known to the industry. We have…
Chicago Fed National Activity Index, May 2003
CFNAI Indicates Economic Activity Improved in May - The Chicago Fed National Activity Index (CFNAI ) was -0.39 in May, a marked improvement from the downward-revised April level of -1.04. Most of the increase reflected better readings on the output…
Fed should focus on systemic risk from banks-Stern
Minneapolis Fed President Gary Stern said in an article on regulatory reform this week that "Risk is not evenly distributed across banks", according to a report from Reuters, and that the largest banks, or those focused on payments system processing,…
Minutes show some on FOMC wanted rate cut in May
Minutes from the Fed's May 6 policy meeting, reported by the Washington Post, showed that members would not wait indefinitely for the clouds to clear before lowering rates again in response to falling inflation rates and sluggish economic growth. The…
Federal Reserve cuts federal funds rate to 1%
Statement from the Federal Reserve released 25 June on the decision to lower the federal funds rate by 25 basis points to 1 percent.
'Money in Motion' from the Philadelphia Fed
"Money in Motion" is a new financial and historical exhibition that is free, fun, and interactive. The exhibit's 16 displays feature interactive games, rare artifacts, and historical narrative that trace the history of money and central banking in the U…
Fed cuts funds rate to lowest level since 1958
The Federal Reserve's 13th rate cut on Wednesday 25 Junecould be the last in a cycle that began in January 2001, analysts said, according to Associated Press. However, the Fed signalled its intention to avoid the threat of deflation, suggesting rates…
Fed Reserve Bank of St Louis - Annual Report 2002
The Federal Reserve Bank of St Louis has published its Annual Report for the year ended 2002. In his message President William Poole described the previous year as a good one for the St. Louis Fed, in almost all regards.
Fed's Bernanke on soft hearts, hard data
In a speech entitled 'Soft Hearts, Hard Data: The Use of Quantitative Analysis in Community Development' Ben Bernanke of the Federal Reserve said the collection and especially the analysis of data present difficult challenges to community organizations…
Central Bank Talk: Does it Matter and Why?
Paper 'Central Bank Talk: Does it Matter and Why?' presented by Donald Kohn and a senior Federal Reserve economist. Statements released by the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) and congressional testimony by Chairman Greenspan are found to…
Philadelphia Fed Business Outlook Survey, Jun 2003
Manufacturing activity improved in June - Activity in the region's manufacturing sector improved modestly, according to the firms surveyed for June's Business Outlook Survey from the Philadelphia Fed. The reading for overall business activity increased…
Ferguson testimony on Basel II and H.R. 2043
In testimony on 'Basel II and H.R. 2043' Roger Ferguson of the Federal Reserve said plans for U.S. negotiators to meet with their international counterparts in November may not leave enough time for U.S. agencies to consider feedback from domestic banks…
Economic Review from the Atlanta Fed
The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta has published its Economic Review for the second quarter 2003. The latest edition includes an article titled 'Are On-Line Currencies Virtual Banknotes?'. This article examines the likely success or failure of on-line…
Fed awards contract for bank data modernisation
Regulators award contract in first step to modernize and streamline how federal bank regulators collect, process and distribute quarterly bank financial reports, 17 June.
Ferguson on some issues for Basel II
In a speech on 'Basel II: Some Issues for Implementation' Roger Ferguson of the Federal Reserve said that Basel I must be replaced, particularly in a world whose financial markets are so interrelated that substantial difficulties at any one of the…