Eurozone
Buba's Weber says inflation risks remain
Bundesbank president Axel Weber told a conference on Monday 20 February that inflation risks still exist in the eurozone and a forward-looking monetary policy is needed to counter these risks at an early stage.
Trichet sees strengthening eurozone economy
European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet said on Monday 20 February he sees economic activity in the eurozone strengthening. He warned, however, that risks to price stability have increased.
ECB's Gonzalez-Paramo on the National Accounts
In a speech on the measurement of economic phenomena, with special reference to the System of National Accounts given on 2 February Jose Manuel Gonzalez-Paramo of the ECB said undoubtedly, globalisation is proceeding at a rapid pace, and statisticians…
Buba's Remsperger sees medium term inflation risk
Bundesbank chief economist Hermann Remsperger said in an interview that inflationary risks for the euro zone remain high in the medium term.
Papademos on the euro area economy & emerging Asia
In the speech 'The euro area economy and emerging Asia - current issues and policy challenges' given on 10 February Lucas Papademos of the ECB said market expectations for an ECB rate hike next month are 'reasonable'.
BNB's Quaden sees rates as exceptional, temporary
Belgian National Bank governor Guy Quaden told a news conference on Thursday 17 February that the Eurozone's historically low interest rates "should be exceptional and temporary".
ECB is wrong to stamp on Europe's property boom
The ECB is wrong to be complaining about house prices, according to this article published Wednesday 15 February. You can't target anything unless you know what you are aiming at, it says.
EU's Almunia says Slovenia meets euro criteria
EU economic and monetary affairs commissioner Joaquin Almunia has said Slovenia stands alone as the only euro entry candidate that currently qualifies for membership of the single currency.
ECB Monthly Bulletin, February 2006
The European Central Bank published its February 2006 Monthly Bulletin on Thursday. In the report the ECB said it sees tentative signs that the euro zone housing market is becoming overvalued following recent sharp price rises in some countries.
Euro group set to nominate Buba's Stark to ECB
Eurozone finance ministers are set to nominate Bundesbank vice-president Juergen Stark next week for the European Central Bank executive board post, an EU official told reporters Thursday 9 February.
Issing says ECB ready to act on inflation risks
European Central Bank Chief Economist Otmar Issing said the bank is not necessarily embarking on a predetermined course of raising interest rates successively but that it is ready to act to contain higher inflationary risks.
IMF letter to the FT
In this letter to the Financial Times on 8 February, 2006, the IMF's assistant director Ashoka Mody, and the Fund's senior resident representative for central Europe and the Baltics, Christoph Rosenberg, question FT columnist Wolfgang Munchau assertion…
Interview with ECB's Bini Smaghi
In a recent interview, Lorenzo Bini Smaghi, member of the Executive Board of the European Central Bank, said that unless private consumption picks up there will be no sustained growth. The high price of oil is an important factor, as it is taking away…
Trichet says rate hike expectations 'reasonable'
European Central Bank president Jean-Claude Trichet told a press conference on Thursday 2 February that markets' near-term expectations for ECB interest rates are 'reasonable'.
Comment: Trichet's new strategy
Jean-Claude Trichet, president of the European Central Bank (ECB), on Thursday 2 February cemented expectations of a 25 basis point rate hike next month. The manner in which he has gone about flagging the move underlines the central bank's new…
Trichet renews call for eurozone reforms
Jean-Claude Trichet, president of the European Central Bank, urged euro zone governments to speed up structural reforms of their labour markets and welfare systems, telling a conference in Davos on Saturday that it was the best way to ensure economic…
Buba's Weber says ECB 'ready to act' on rates
The European Central Bank is ready to act again any time if necessary on interest rates in the eurozone, Bundesbank chief Axel Weber said in a newspaper interview.
Bank interest rate pass-through in the euro area
The European Central Bank Working Paper 'Bank interest rate pass-through in the euro area: a cross country comparison' investigates the pass-through between market interest rates and bank interest rates in the euro area.
Bini Smaghi calls for excess liquidity halt
Central banks must act in a timely way to halt excess liquidity, a senior European Central Bank official said in the advance release of a newspaper interview Wednesday 25 January.
ECB's Trichet on euro area structural reforms
In the speech 'Growth performance, labour productivity and structural reforms in the euro area', given on 20 January Jean-Claude Trichet of the ECB said that when looking at the necessary structural reforms in Europe the key word is "flexibility".
IMF's Rajan sees a very promising 2006
The International Monetary Fund's Chief Economist on Friday 20 January predicted better global economic growth in 2006 but warned the European Central Bank against raising interest rates too quickly.
ECB Monthly Bulletin, January 2006
The European Central Bank published its January 2006 Monthly Bulletin on Thursday 19 January. In the report the ECB said its interest rates remain low and it is therefore keeping a close eye on inflation risks in the euro zone.
ECB's Issing sees no let up in euro zone growth
European Central Bank chief economist Otmar Issing told a conference on Wednesday 18 January that there are no signs that euro zone growth is slowing.
Bini Smaghi says rate to rise if justified by data
European Central Bank board member Lorenzo Bini Smaghi said on Wednesday 18 January that the ECB will raise its interest rates if new economic data justifies this move.