Research
Norges Bank report on the decision-making process
David Longworth, Deputy Governor of the Bank of Canada, and Asbjrn Rdseth, Professor of Economics at the University of Oslo, have evaluated the strategy documents for 2002 and other material submitted to the Norges Bank Board in connection with the…
Deutsche Bundesbank Monthly Report, May 2003
The Bundesbank said in its May 2003 monthly report that major uncertainty in the global economy and on the international financial markets, which peaked in the first quarter as the Iraq war was approaching, has since receded. This is reflected mainly by…
Bank of England Quarterly Bulletin, Summer 2003
The Bank of England released its Quarterly Bulletin, Summer 2003, on 20 June. The Bulletin includes articles entitled 'What caused the rise in the UK terms of trade?' and 'An analysis of the UK gold auctions 1999-2002'.
Bank of England Inflation Attitudes Survey, May 03
The Bank of England's May 2003 quarterly Inflation Attitudes Survey was published on 20 June. Asked for their expectations of inflation over the coming year, respondents gave the same median answer as for perceptions of current inflation: 2.0%. This is…
Philadelphia Fed Business Outlook Survey, Jun 2003
Manufacturing activity improved in June - Activity in the region's manufacturing sector improved modestly, according to the firms surveyed for June's Business Outlook Survey from the Philadelphia Fed. The reading for overall business activity increased…
Economic Review from the Atlanta Fed
The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta has published its Economic Review for the second quarter 2003. The latest edition includes an article titled 'Are On-Line Currencies Virtual Banknotes?'. This article examines the likely success or failure of on-line…
Bank of Japan Monthly Report, June 2003
The Bank of Japan published its Monthly Report of Recent Economic and Financial Developments, June 2003, on 13 June. In the report the BOJ said public investment is projected to follow a declining trend, and private consumption is likely to remain weak…
Reconciling Bagehot with Fed's response to Sept 11
Walter Bagehot, an elder statesman of central banking theory, stated that central banks should lend money at penalty rates to prevent bank panics. Yet the Fed lent for next to nothing following 9/11. Why this departure from received central banking…
HKMA Quarterly Bulletin, June 2003
The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) on 12 June published the latest issue of its Quarterly Bulletin. This issue contains four feature articles including 'The Impact of Interest Rate Shocks on the Performance of the Banking Sector' which provides an…
Fed's- Beige Book: US economy struggling
The Federal Reserve Beige Book released 11 June said the US economy has struggled to gather pace since the end of the Iraq war and the performance of output and employment has been disappointing.
ECB Monthly Bulletin halves growth forecast
The European Central Bank published its June 2003 Monthly Bulletin on 12 June. It halved its growth forecast for the eurozone this year to just 0.7 per cent from 1.6 per cent. Inflation was projected at 2.0 per cent this year, slightly above earlier…
Duisenberg to G. d'Estaing on Constitution Treaty
Letter from the ECB President Wim Duisenberg to the President of the Convention, Valery Giscard d'Estaing, regarding the draft Constitutional Treaty, 5 June.
RBNZ Monetary Policy Statement, June 2003
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand has published its Monetary Policy Statement (MPS) for June 2003. New Zealand's economic growth has been strong and comparatively stable for an extended period, but it is now slowing to a more modest pace, the report said…
Sveriges Riksbank Inflation Report, No.2, 2003
Sweden's central bank published its Second Inflation Report for 2003 on 5 June. In the report the Riksbank said CPI inflation is expected to be 1.2 per cent one year ahead and 1.8 per cent two years ahead while the degree of uncertainty in the…
Book published on ECB's 2nd conference
The European Central Bank (ECB) has published a book entitled "The transformation of the European financial system", containing the proceedings (papers, discussants' comments and summaries of the general discussions) of the Second ECB Central Banking…
Brazil's Financial Resilience
A new working paper from Ilan Goldfajn, Katherine Hennings and Helio Mori of the Brazilian Central Bank asks how Brazil has escaped more or less unscathed in recent financial crises. Few state banks and many foreign ones may be a factor they argue.
Scrutinising central bank efficiency
The Swedish Central Bank has just hosted a conference on the subject of "central bank efficiency". The workshop was organized by Marten Blix Anders Vredin, and Sonja Daltung, all of the Riksbank.
Transformation of the European Financial System
Based on an ECB conference held in October, "Transformation of the European Financial System" examines how the switch to the euro has affected European financial markets.
Sveriges Riksbank, Financial Stability Report
Sweden's central bank, the Sveriges Riksbank, published its first Financial Stability Report for 2003 on 3 June. Since the last report economic prospects have been revised downwards for Sweden as well as for other countries of economic and financial…
Statement by IMF Mission on Euro Area Policies
In the concluding statement of the IMF Mission on Euro Area Policies released 28 May the IMF saw 'considerable scope for monetary easing' but recognised that monetary policy could only play a 'supportive' role in the resumption of Eurozone growth. The…
BIS Quarterly Review, June 2003
In its June quarterly review, the BIS said that investors had become fed up with low returns on government bonds and moved to higher yielding corporate or emerging market debt, particularly in countries like Brazil and Turkey.
Chicago Fed National Activity Index, April 2003
CFNAI Shows Economy Weak in April - The Chicago Fed National Activity Index declined in April, with the monthly index coming in at -0.85. Weak employment- and production-related data were the main factors behind April's negative reading. Although the…
Economic Insights from the Dallas Fed
The latest edition of the Dallas Fed's Economic Insights, Vol 8, No 2, 2003 'The Creation of Public Choice Theory', profiles economist James M. Buchanan and examines his public choice theory.
The role of asset prices in shock transmission
The Bank of England Working Paper entitled 'The role of asset prices in transmitting monetary and other shocks' constructs a framework within which the ability of asset prices to convey information about the underlying shocks hitting the economy can be…