Research
Gold may sustain highs over 2003
Research from Macquarie Research Equities argues that gold will maintain its strength throughout 2003, supported not only be war fears, but wider geopolitical worries.
IMF paper on Caribbean currency board idea
A currency union, based around a currency board model, is the way forward for the Caribbean region, a working paper released today by the IMF argues.
Banking - Hong Kong style
BOOK - The HKMA yesterday published the second of a series of background briefs designed to explain the workings of Hong Kong's monetary and banking systems. "Banking Supervision in Hong Kong" describes the main features of Hong Kong's banking system and…
HKMA Quarterly Bulletin, March 2003
The Hong Kong Monetary Authority's Quarterly Bulletin for March 2003 includes articles on the 'External Demand for Hong Kong Dollar Currency' and 'Alternative Measures of the Real Effective Exchange Rate'.
Richmond Fed top discount-rate hawk
Recent analysis of FOMC voting between 1993 and 2002 has shown that the Richmond Fed is the most hawkish of the regional Fed banks whilst the Dallas Fed was the greatest dove, according to a Reuters report. The research also showed that recommendations…
BIS Quarterly Review March 2003
REPORT - BIS Quarterly Review, International Banking and Financial Market Developments, March 2003. In the report the BIS paints a depressed picture of the global economy with the threat of a war in Iraq reducing investor confidence and equities in…
Role of expectations in estimates of the NAIRU
RESEARCH - The Bank of England Working Paper, "The role of expectations in estimates of the NAIRU in the United States and the United Kingdom" examines evidence for a change in the relationship between inflation and unemployment. Inflation expectations…
RBNZ Monetary Policy Statement, March 2003
REPORT - The Reserve Bank of New Zealand has published its Monetary Policy Statement (MPS) for March 2003. The report reflects on New Zealand's strength compared to other leading world economies. The expected slow down in NZ's economy has not occurred as…
Norges Bank Inflation Report, March 2003
REPORT - Norway's central bank published its latest Inflation Report on 5 March. The Bank says the outlook for growth has deteriorated since the October report and there are no signs of an imminent recovery. On the domestic front, the Norwegian economy…
Federal Reserve Board - Beige Book, March 2003
REPORT - The Federal Reserve Beige Book released 5 March said the U.S. economy "remained subdued" in the past two months as the prospect of war with Iraq constrained consumer and business spending, the Federal Reserve said in its latest survey of…
Chicago Fed National Activity Index, January 2003
REPORT - CFNAI Shows U.S. Economy Improved in January - In January, the Chicago Fed National Activity Index (CFNAI) moved above zero for the first time since last July. The January reading was +0.38, a substantial improvement from December and the…
New York Fed on Current Issues
RESEARCH - The February 2003 edition of the New York Fed's 'Current Issues in Economics and Finance' contains an article titled 'New York City's Economy before and after September 11'. An analysis of employment and income trends suggests that the…
Survey of Professional Forecasters
SURVEY - The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia has published its Survey of Professional Forecasters for the First Quarter 2003. The economy will grow slowly over the first half of the year, according to 37 forecasters surveyed. However, the…
Basel Committee Publications - Operational risk
REPORT - This paper, "Sound practices for the management and supervision of operational risk" prepared by the Risk Management Group of the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision, outlines a set of principles that provide a framework for the effective…
EU banking sector stability report
REPORT - The European Central Bank (ECB) released on 24 February a report on the stability of the EU banking sector. The report was prepared by the Banking Supervision Committee of the European System of Central Banks, which comprises representatives…
Economic Perspectives, First Quarter 2003
REPORT - The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago has published its regular quarterly journal of in-depth articles reporting on the Bank's economic research for the Fourth Quarter 2002. This edition includes an article 'Inflation and monetary policy in the…
Philadelphia Fed Business Outlook Survey, Feb 2003
REPORT - Activity in the region's manufacturing sector was mostly flat, according to firms surveyed for February's Business Outlook Survey. Although one-third of firms reported higher new orders in February, one-fifth reported lower orders, and other…
Bank of Canada Working Paper, February 2003
RESEARCH - In the Working Paper "Managing Operational Risk in Payment, Clearing, and Settlement Systems" Kim McPhail describes the key features of systemically important PCSS in Canada and the oversight role of the Bank of Canada with respect to those…
Bank of Canada Review, Winter 2002-2003
REPORT - The Bank of Canada published its Review for Winter 2002-2003 on 19 February. The Review contains articles titled Recent Changes to Canada's Financial Sector Legislation, Exchange Rate Regimes in Emerging Markets, Transparency and the Response of…
Origin and Procedures of Central Banking
BOOK - The Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland's Central Bank Institute has published the introduction to a new book called "Origin and Procedures of Central Banking". The papers in the accompanying volume were first presented at the Institute's first…
The Art of Targeting Inflation
RESEARCH - The Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland's Central Bank Institute has published the paper "The Art of Inflation Targeting" by Lars Heikensten and Anders Vredin. The paper describes the Riksbank's transition to inflation targeting and explains how…
Fed Reserve Bank of St Louis Review, Jan/ Feb 2003
PUBLICATION - The latest edition of the St Louis Fed's Review for January-February 2003 includes articles titled "The Impact of Changes in FOMC Disclosure Practices on the Transparency of Monetary Policy: Are Markets and the FOMC Better "Synched"?" and …
Bank of Finland Discussion Paper
RESEARCH - Central bank spending on the operation of inter-bank funds transfer systems may range from below one million to nearly a billion US dollars annually. The paper "Payment systems efficiency, policy approaches, and the role of the central bank"…
Bank of Japan Monthly Report, February 2003
REPORT - The Bank of Japan published its Monthly Report of Recent Economic and Financial Developments, February 2003, on 18 February. "Economic activity remains flat amid substantial uncertainty about the outlook for the economy," the report said. One…