Research
Deutsche Bundesbank Monthly Report, November 2004
The Deutsche Bundesbank's November 2004 Monthly Report said the economic upswing ran into difficulties during the third quarter of 2004 after the recovery process had gained considerable momentum in the two preceding quarters.
Reserve Bank of New Zealand Bulletin, Dec 2004
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand has published the December 2004 issue of its Bulletin. An article in the latest issue reports on recent work examining foreign exchange hedging practices by New Zealand exporters and importers. A second article provides a…
How far must US dollar fall?
A new paper, entitled "How much depreciation of the US dollar for sustainability of the current accounts?" by Eiji Ogawa and Takeshi Kudo of Hitotsubashi University Research Unit considers various scenarios for the future path of the dollar.
Bank of England Quarterly Bulletin, Winter 2004
The Bank of England released its Quarterly Bulletin Winter 2004, on 17 December. In the report the bank said it has underestimated the strength of the pound in the past 18 months, while another article concludes that UK household debt "remains affordable…
IMF paper on central bank governance
This IMF Working Paper published on Friday 17 December identifies issues to consider when designing the structure, size, and composition of the governing boards and management of a central bank. While central bank autonomy and accountability are…
ECB's Financial Stability Review, December 2004
The European Central Bank published its first ever Financial Stability Review on Wednesday 15 December. In the report the ECB expressed some concern about the risks posed by the large US current account deficit, warning that a "disorderly rebalancing"…
HKMA Quarterly Bulletin, December 2004
The Hong Kong Monetary Authority has published the December 2004 issue of its Quarterly Bulletin. This issue contains the regular Half-Yearly Monetary and Financial Stability Report, which analyses recent external and domestic influences on Hong Kong's…
St Louis Fed's Central Banker, Winter 2004
The Winter 2004 edition of the St. Louis Fed's Central Banker magazine has been published. In the Feditorial, St. Louis Fed President Bill Poole announces several interactive features that facilitate debates and discussions on issues important to its…
Phil Fed's Survey of Professional Forecasters
The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia has published its Fourth Quarter 2004 Survey of Professional Forecasters. Growth over the next five quarters looks slower now than it did three months ago, according to 34 forecasters surveyed by the Federal…
SARB, Quarterly Bulletin, December 2004
The South African Reserve Bank said in its latest Quarterly Bulletin for December 2004 that the South African economy appears to have adjusted to the combination of a stronger world economy, favourable terms of trade, lower interest rates and less…
Bank of England Financial Stability Review, Dec 04
The Bank of England published its latest Financial Stability Review for December 2004 on Monday 13 December. Near-term credit, market and liquidity risks to UK financial stability have remained subdued since the June Review, and the immediate prospects…
Sveriges Riksbank Inflation Report, No. 4, 2004
Sweden's central bank, the Sveriges Riksbank, has published its Fourth Inflation Report for 2004. The assessment in the October Inflation Report still stands, although new statistics received since October indicate a slightly weaker development than…
Bank of Canada Financial System Review, Dec 2004
The Bank of Canada published its semi-annual Financial System Review on 9 December. The report says continued strong global economic growth has reduced financial vulnerabilities in Canada and elsewhere. Higher oil prices have, however, raised questions…
'The Region' from the Minneapolis Fed, Dec 2004
The Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis has published its regular magazine, The Region, for December 2004. In "The private and public risks of banking" Gary Stern warns that banking policy continues to shift too much risk taking onto the public. The…
RBNZ Monetary Policy Statement, December 2004
Speaking at the release of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand's December 2004 Monetary Policy Statement on Thursday 9 December, RBNZ Governor Alan Bollard said "As indicated in our October Review, we continue to expect that the current policy position will…
Sveriges Riksbank, Financial Stability Report 2:04
Sweden's central bank, the Sveriges Riksbank, published its second Financial Stability Report for 2004 on 2 December. Household sector indebtedness has continued to rise during the autumn. At the same time there are currently no indications that this…
Bank of Canada, Business Outlook Survey, Autumn 04
The Bank of Canada's Autumn 2004 Business Outlook Survey reports that businesses remain essentially as optimistic about the economic outlook as they were in the summer survey. Although they have marked down their growth forecast for the US economy,…
State Street on the dollar
John Nugee of State Street Global Advisors, formerly of the Bank of England, has today released an analysis of the dollar problem. The paper argues that the main effect of the dollar weakness on central banks' willingness to hold dollars may be felt not…
BIS Quarterly Review, December 2004
Improved macroeconomic data and the stabilisation of oil prices encouraged investors to become more optimistic about the strength of the global economy, the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) said in its Quarterly Review, December 2004.
OECD Economic Outlook, November 2004
The OECD's Economic Outlook for November 2004 reports that sharp rises in oil prices have slowed the global expansion, but barring further increases, the world's major economies should regain momentum in 2005.
Bank of Canada Review, Autumn 2004
The Bank of Canada has published its Review for Autumn 2004. The Review contains four articles including "Asset prices and monetary policy: A Canadian perspective on the issues". This article addresses the extent to which monetary policy in Canada should…
Recommendations for Central Counterparties
The Committee on Payment and Settlement Systems (CPSS) and the Technical Committee of the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) released a report entitled Recommendations for Central Counterparties on Wednesday 24 November.
Philadelphia Fed Business Outlook Survey, Nov 2004
According to the firms surveyed for the Philadelphia Fed's Business Outlook Survey, November 2004, activity in the region's manufacturing sector continues to expand. Manufacturing executives are more optimistic than they were last month about future…
Exchange rate policy and sovereign bond spreads
A recent IMF working paper claims to be the first empirical study on the impact of exchange rate policy on sovereign bond spreads in developing countries. The choice of exchange rate matters, the authors argue. They find that real exchange rate…