Research
Federal Reserve Board - Beige Book, March 2003
The Federal Reserve released its March 2004 survey of Current Economic Conditions, known as the Beige Book, on 3 March. The report said economic activity continued to expand in January and February but on the jobs front the report found employment …
IMF Working Paper on inflation targeting
In the IMF Working Paper "Inflation Targeting and Exchange Rate Rules in an Open Economy" published on 24 February, the authors find that the exchange rate regime and measure of inflation targeted have crucial implications for the effect on output and…
Phil Fed's Survey of Professional Forecasters
The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia published its First Quarter 2004 Survey of Professional Forecasters on 23 January. Prospects for economic growth look stronger now than they did just three months ago, according to the 32 forecasters surveyed.
Philadelphia Fed Business Outlook Survey, Feb 2004
According to the firms surveyed for the Philadelphia Fed's Business Outlook Survey, February 2004 activity in the region's manufacturing sector continues to expand although indicators for general activity, new orders, and shipments fell from their…
Bank of Canada Review, Winter 2003
The Bank of Canada published its Review for Winter 2003 on 19 February. The Review includes articles titled "The Comparative Growth of Goods and Services Prices" and "Current Account Imbalances: Some Key Issues for the Major Industrialized Economies".
The East Asian Dollar Standard
This article by Prof. Ronald McKinnon of the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research says that calls for China to revalue the yuan or allow it to float upward are not the answer. East Asian countries would be better served pegging to the dollar…
St Louis Fed's Central Banker, Winter 2003
The Winter 2003 edition of the St. Louis Fed's Central Banker magazine has been published. The latest issue carries a report on Check 21 which, it says, will speed up and simplify check processing. The Winter edition also reveals why the Bank is…
Forex volatility in EU accession countries
This IMF Working Paper analyses foreign exchange market volatility in four Central European EU accession countries in 2001-2003. It shows that periods of high volatility seem to be cross-correlated for Hungary, Poland and Czech, Slovak Republics. It…
Auditors Report on ECB's operational efficiency
The European Central Bank on 12 February published the report by the European Court of Auditors on the operational efficiency of the management of the ECB for 2002, together with the ECB's reply to it.
Philadelphia Fed Business Review, 1st Quarter 2004
The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia has published its regular Business Review for the First Quarter 2004. In the latest issue President Anthony Santomero discusses how some extraordinary events, including the bursting of the tech bubble, the…
Bank of England Inflation Report, February 2004
In its latest Inflation Report, the Bank of England revised upwards its growth forecast over the next two years, saying the risks to the overall outlook were broadly even. Mervyn King told a news conference that inflation was expected to rise steadily to…
RBA Statement on Monetary Policy, February 2004
The Reserve Bank of Australia released its February 2004 Statement on Monetary Policy on 9 February. The report painted a positive picture of domestic and global growth but said that while inflation is currently tailing off, it is likely to rise next…
Singapore's unique monetary policy
This IMF Working Paper looks at the Monetary Authority of Singapore and the way it conducts monetary policy. Instead of relying on short-term interest rates or monetary aggregates as its monetary policy instrument it conducts policy by managing the trade…
Bank of Japan Monthly Report, February 2004
The Bank of Japan published the English version of its February 2004 Monthly Report of Recent Economic and Financial Developments on 9 February. In its report the BOJ upgraded its view of Japanese exports, saying they were "increasing substantially." It…
Chicago Fed National Activity Index, December 2003
The Chicago Fed National Activity Index (CFNAI) December 2003 was published on 29 January. The December CFNAI was +0.13 in December, the fourth consecutive positive monthly reading.
'The monetary policy of the ECB': 2nd edition
The European Central Bank published the second edition of "The monetary policy of the ECB" on 30 January. The publication aims to provide the public with a comprehensive overview of the ECB's monetary policy and its economic and institutional background.
Basel: Changes to the securitisation framework
In response to public comments on the third consultative paper (CP3) of the New Basel Accord, the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision announced in October 2003 plans to revise the internal ratings-based (IRB) approach to securitisation exposures. The…
Sveriges Riksbank Economic Review 4th Quarter 2003
The Sveriges Riksbank has published its Economic Review for the 4th Quarter 2003. The Review includes articles "Crisis exercises make for crisis readiness," "Payment system efficiency and pro-competitive regulation" and asks "Is 'wage drift' a problem?".
Bank of Japan's Monetary Policy Meeting Minutes
Minutes of the Bank of Japan's Monetary Policy Meeting on 15 and 16 December 2003, released 23 January. The bank's Policy Board agreed that the currency market needed close monitoring although some members felt the economic impact of the high yen had…
Bank of Japan Monthly Report, January 2004
The Bank of Japan published the English version of its January 2004 Monthly Report of Recent Economic and Financial Developments on 22 January. It raised its assessment of the economy, saying strong exports are boosting output and beginning to filter…
ECB Monthly Bulletin, January 2004
The European Central Bank published its January 2004 Monthly Bulletin on 22 January. In the report the ECB spelt out its concern over currency volatility but showed no sign it might change its outlook for a gradual economic upturn in the eurozone.
Bank of Canada Monetary Policy Report Update
The Bank of Canada released its Update to the October Monetary Policy Reporton 22 January. The report discusses economic and financial trends in the context of Canada's inflation-control strategy.
Philadelphia Fed Business Outlook Survey, Jan 2004
The recent improvement in the region's manufacturing sector continued into the new year, according to the firms surveyed for the Philadelphia Fed's Business Outlook Survey, January 2004.
Federal Reserve Board - Beige Book, January 2004
The Federal Reserve released its January 2004 survey of Current Economic Conditions, known as the Beige Book, on 14 January. The survey suggested the rebound in the U.S. economy is gaining momentum, fuelled by last-minute holiday shopping in December.