United States
Are we in recession? No we're on the planet Pluto
US - Amid the was it or wasn't it debate about the U.S. recession, a senior Federal Reserve official has coined a new phrase for the economic downturn that began last March, dubbing it: "the Pluto recession."
James Tobin, Keynesian economist of first rank
OBITUARY - James Tobin, the most influential Keynesian theorist of his generation, who became famous for his proposed tax on currency trading, has died aged 84.
Speech by Fed Reserve Governor Mark Olson, 12 Mar
SPEECH - In the speech titled 'Current Industry Issues' Olson agreed with views many central bankers have expressed recently when he said that "for the past few months we have seen clear indication that economic conditions are improving and we are either…
Olson - US economy at or near end of down phase
US - Federal Reserve Governor Mark Olson said on Tuesday recent reports over the past few months show the downturn that hit the U.S. economy last year has likely bottomed out.
Speech by A Santomero of Philadelphia Fed, 6 Mar
SPEECH - In the speech titled 'The Recovery - Has It Begun?' Santomero said the U.S. economy's recovery from recession "may indeed have already begun," and called recent statistics on the economy "heartening, in fact, surprisingly strong".
A very big shoe to fill - A successor to Greenspan
FEATURE - The Economist magazine, 9 March, reports on the search to replace the chairman of the US Federal Reserve - Time to groom an heir for Alan Greenspan.
Speech by Fed Reserve Governor Ed Gramlich, 7 Mar
SPEECH - In the speech titled 'Macroeconomic Policy in Recessions--and Other Times' Gramlich said Government reaction to economic hard times should keep long-term strategy in mind, particularly when considering whether to launch a fiscal stimulus program.
Federal Reserve Board - Beige Book
REPORT - Prepared at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston and based on information collected before February 26, 2002. This document summarizes comments received from business and other contacts outside the Federal Reserve and is not a commentary on the…
US finance chief backs steel moves
US - US Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill has rejected suggestions from Europe that America's push to protect the domestic steel industry is simply a matter of treating the symptoms of an overvalued dollar.
Gramlich- fiscal stimulus should be reversible
US - A Federal Reserve official on Thursday said measures the government takes to ward off recession should meet several criteria, including being easily reversible.
Why Central Banks Announce their Objectives
RESEARCH - Why Central Banks Announce their Objectives: Monetary Policy with Discretionary Signalling by Stefan Palmqvist of the University of California, Berkeley and Institute for International Economic Studies, Stockholm University.
Greenspan upbeat on US recovery
US - Alan Greenspan, the chairman of the US central bank, has said that the US economic recovery is well under way.
Testimony of Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan, 7 Mar
TESTIMONY - Testimony of Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan before the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, U.S. Senate, 7 March.
Beige Book shows limited economic improvement
US - The US economy showed scattered "signs of improvement" through January and early February, but was not barrelling out of the gates, according to the latest anecdotal survey released on Wednesday by the Federal Reserve.
Speech by Roger Ferguson, Federal Reserve, 4 Mar
SPEECH - In the speech titled 'Back to the Future in Managing Banking Risk' Ferguson said "after nearly a decade of steady improvement, earnings from core bank operations and other measures of financial strength for the U.S. banking system have taken an…
Fed's Ferguson - Banks shouldn't become complacent
US - A top Federal Reserve official on Monday warned banks against complacency in taking risks as they deal with slowing growth, though he said there was no reason to be alarmed about the downturn in earnings.
Speech by M Moskow, President, Chicago Fed, 5 Mar
SPEECH - In the speech titled 'Perspectives on the Economy' Moskow said that he believes a U.S. economic recovery "may very well be under way," although the strength and shape of the resurgence is hard to predict.
IMF News Brief
NEWS BRIEF - IMF Sending Mission to Argentina, 4 March.
IMF did help Argentina
LETTER - A Letter to the Editor by Thomas C. Dawson, Director, External Relations Department, International Monetary Fund, The Daily Yomiuri, 25 February.
Technology Shocks and Monetary Policy
RESEARCH - Technology Shocks and Monetary Policy: Assessing the Fed's Performance, Jordi Gali; J. David Lopez-Salido; Javier Valles, National Bureau of Economic Research.
Speech by Roger Ferguson, Federal Reserve, 4 Mar
SPEECH - In the speech titled 'A Supervisory Perspective on Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity' Ferguson said "We must view 11 September as a wake-up call to improve the resilience of financial markets and institutions. We cannot afford to ignore…
Speech by H Kohler, Managing Director, IMF, 28 Feb
SPEECH - In the speech titled 'Inflation Targeting' Kohler said that there has been a widespread desire to avoid excessive volatility in the exchange rates of the world's major currencies ever since the breakdown of the Bretton Woods system.
Regulators relax rules for some foreign banks
US - Federal regulators are easing the rules for some foreign banks operating in the US, freeing up about $1.6bn (Euros 1.8bn, £1.1bn) in assets and reducing some administrative costs.
Speech by Fed Reserve Governor Ed Gramlich, 1 Mar
SPEECH - In the speech titled 'Lending to lower-income households' Gramlich expressed hope on Friday that the U.S. central bank's recent moves against abusive home mortgage loans will be successful.