United States
O'Neill signals hands-off stance on world economy
Paul O'Neill, the U.S. Treasury secretary, on Feb 14, 2001 indicated the new Bush administration would take a strongly skeptical view of official intervention in global markets to help stabilize the world economy, the Financial Times reported in its Feb…
Fed's Broaddus-Odds high US economic recovery near
The odds that the U.S. economy will recover soon are "reasonably high," Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond President Alfred Broaddus said on Feb 15, 2001. Broaddus told reporters after addressing a forum sponsored by Bennett College and the Greensboro…
Fed Poole- forecasts subject to significant error
The consensus view of private sector economists that U.S. gross domestic product will grow 2.1% in 2001 is "reasonable," but also subject to significant error, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis President William Poole said on Feb 15, 2000. Thus it's…
Fed's Stern sees improved economy in Jan 2001
Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis President Gary Stern said on Feb. 14, 2001 that slower growth in business inventories in December 2000 and improved retail sales and employment data in January 2001 were constructive indicators for the economy. "It…
Ferguson speech-US undergoing inventory adjustment
The U.S. economy "is clearly undergoing a stock adjustment" to reconcile the supply and demand of capital goods, Federal Reserve Vice Chairman Roger Ferguson said on Feb 14 at a speech at Vanderbilt University. Ferguson said it is unclear how long the…
Dollar mood jittery ahead of Greenspan remarks
The dollar's near-term fate hung in the balance on Feb 13, 2000 ahead of potentially market-movingcomments by Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan in Congress. Dealers generally expect Greenspan to adopt a cautiously optimistic tone on the U.S…
'Modernizing Financial Systems' - D. Papadimitriou
The modernization of the financial system is a buzz phrase at the moment, especially in America. In this wide-ranging collection of essays, Professor Papadimitriou has gathered together many of the most informed and most readable commentators on this…
Greenspan-Fed may expand debt types in portfolio
The Federal Reserve continues to explore its options for implementing monetary policy as the stock of its preferred instrument, U.S. Treasury debt, declines, Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan said on Feb 13, 2001. Two of the options on the table include debt…
Bank of Canada cuts growth forecast
Canada's central bank said officially for the first time on Feb 13, 2001 that the U.S. economic slowdown may cut Canada's growth rate to below 3 percent, but it remained positive about the country's economic prospects. "Primarily because of the spillover…
Greenspan said the U.S. was not in recession
Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said on Feb 13, 2001 the U.S. economy was not in a recession but may face a rocky transition as it downshifts from super-charged growth rates of the past several years. When asked point-blank in a Senate Banking…
Fed's Minehan sees 2001 U.S. growth near 2 pct
Boston Federal Reserve President Cathy Minehan said on Feb 12, 2001 she expects U.S. economic growth to start accelerating again later in 2001, helped by the central bank's January 2001 rate cuts."I expect activity to increase later in the year, and…
US plan to widen euro debt holding is logical-ECB
The European Central Bank said on Feb 9, 2001 plans by the U.S. monetary authorities to widen their holdings of government securities in the euro zone to include countries other than Germany were a logical step following the arrival of the euro. "This is…
Slowdown in the US Economy- HKMA's Joseph Yam
The suddenness of the recent slowdown in the US economy has taken many by surprise. But policymakers have plenty of scope for turning this inevitable adjustment into a more sustainable growth path. By Joseph Yam, chief executive of the Hong Kong Monetary…
Information Technology and US Productivity Revival
Information Technology and the U.S. Productivity Revival: What Do the Industry Data Say? byKevin J. Stiroh at the New York Federal Reserve. This paper examines the link between information technology (IT) and the U.S. productivity revival in the late…
'Greenspan stirs a tempest' - John Berry
"Mr Greenspan sauntered up to the Hill and wasn't bashful about putting the Fed smack in the middle of the most controversial issue of the day", complained Senator Byron L. Dorgan of North Dakota. Whatever the wisdom of Greenspan's support for big…
Treasury's O'Neill courts Wall Street on tax cuts
U.S. Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill courted Wall Street support on Feb 7, 2001 for President George W. Bush's $1.6 trillion tax cut plan, saying huge budget surpluses left ample room to give taxpayers a break. Bush is due to propose the cuts on Feb. 8…
'The Greenspan Effect' by Sicilia and Cruikshank
If Alan Greenspan is God, then this is the biblical exegesis. The latest book to delve into the Greenspan phenomenon takes the great man's words and then picks them apart in an exhaustive search for meaning. Sicilia and Cruikshank, apparently without a…
'Inventing Money:story of LTCM' by Nicholas Dunbar
One of the first books relating the story of the rise and fall of the ironically named Long-Term Capital Management. Written by Nick Dunbar, the editor of Risk magazine.
US Federal Reserve cuts interests by 0.5%
The US central bank, the Federal Reserve, has cut interest rates by 0.5% to 5.5%. This is the second rate cut during January 2001, as Fed chairman Alan Greenspan seeks to stop the slowing US economy plunging into recession. The Fed took the markets by…
NY Fed extends triparty collateral for repos
The Federal Reserve on Jan. 31, 2001, extended for another year the use of agency debt and mortgage-backed securities as collateral, along with U.S. Treasuries, for repurchase agreements in daily open market operations. The Fed's policy-setting arm…
Cleveland Fed announce Advisory Council appointees
The Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland on Jan 31 announced the following appointments to its main office and branch boards of directors and to the Federal Advisory Council. All appointments were effective January 1, 2001.
Fed meets, seen cutting rates sharply Jan. 31
The U.S. Federal Reserve began a two-day meeting on Jan. 30 amid widespread conviction it will cut interest rates by another half a percentage point to pump life into the world's largest economy.While the meeting started at 9 a.m. (1400 GMT) Jan. 30, an…
Bush says will no longer comment on Fed
President George W. Bush said on Jan. 30, 2001, he had learned his lesson and will no longer comment on actions on short-term U.S. interest rates taken by the Federal Reserve. With the powerful central bank expected this week to cut borrowing costs by a…
Greenspan surprises with support for tax cuts
Federal Reserve Board Chairman Alan Greenspan delivered some surprising support for President George W. Bush's call for a $1.6 trillion tax cut, saying tax cuts will benefit the economy in the long run."In today's context, where tax reduction appears…