Growth
Chicago Fed National Activity Index, December 2002
REPORT - CFNAI shows continued softness in economic growth in December - In December, the Chicago Fed National Activity Index (CFNAI) remained below zero for a fifth consecutive month. The monthly index came in at -0.49 in December, a small improvement…
Minutes of the Federal Open Market Committee
MINUTES - The Federal Reserve on 30 January released the minutes of its FOMC meeting of 10 December. The information reviewed at this meeting suggested that economic growth had been sluggish on balance since midsummer. Industrial production dropped…
December FOMC saw monetary policy well positioned
Federal Reserve policymakers believed they had already laid a foundation for a pickup in U.S. economic growth when they decided in December to hold interest rates steady, FOMC minutes released on Thursday showed.
France warned over stability pact violation
France's intention to effectively ignore the EU's stability and growth pact brought warnings on Wednesday to stop challenging the rules underpinning the euro, or risk causing long-term harm to the credibility of the single currency.
Does the Beige Book move financial markets?
RESEARCH - In the Atlanta Fed Working Paper 'Does the Beige Book Move Financial Markets?' the authors examine whether the descriptive content of the Beige Book affects asset prices. Their results indicate that more positive Beige Book reports on economic…
Interview with Nobuyuki Nakahara
INTERVIEW - Currently an adviser to Japan's Financial Services Agency Nobuyuki Nakahara is a favourite to land the job of governor of the Bank of Japan in March. In the interview he said the introduction of a 1-3 per cent inflation target would serve as…
Fed's McTeer says new recession unlikely
Dallas Federal Reserve Bank President Robert McTeer said on Thursday the U.S. economy was unlikely to fall back into recession, saying the stage for continued growth is "set reasonably well."
Takenaka says govt, BOJ should share policy goal
Japanese Economics and Financial Services Minister Heizo Takenaka on Thursday called on the Bank of Japan to foster more growth in money supply and said the government and central bank should share a policy goal.
Philadelphia Fed Business Outlook Survey, Jan 2003
REPORT - Growth in the region's manufacturing sector remains sluggish, according to firms surveyed for the January 2003 Business Outlook Survey. Manufacturing activity in the region is showing improvement, according to this month's Business Outlook…
Philadelphia Fed Business Outlook Survey, Dec 2002
REPORT - Growth in the region's manufacturing sector remains sluggish, according to firms surveyed for the December 2002 Business Outlook Survey. Although indexes for general activity and new orders remained positive for the second consecutive month,…
Dodge on Staying the Course
SPEECH - In the speech 'Staying the Course' David Dodge of the Bank of Canada said the current uncertainties will dissipate, and stronger growth will resume, provided we continue to pursue sound macro, trade, and structural policies. What is important is…
Hot Topics from the Dallas Fed, January 2003
REPORT - The latest Hot Topic from the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, 'Can the World Economy Give Ours a Boost?' looks at whether we're going to see a surge in foreign economies that might pave the way for more growth in the United States. It discusses…
Takenaka upbeat on Japan growth after Bank reform
Japan's economy and banking minister said Tuesday the economy could eventually return to growth as high as 2.5% after a slow-growth period of painful reform. Heizo Takenaka spoke at the Australian National University and maintained pressure on the Bank…
Issing: CPI risks balanced, downside growth risks
The European Central Bank still believes euro-zone economic growth will gradually recover this year, while inflation will slowly fall back below 2%, ECB Chief Economist Otmar Issing said in a speech on Monday.
Eurozone interest rates held steady at 2.75%
The European Central Bank on Thursday left interest rates in the eurozone unchanged following a half-point cut in December, despite a series of data which have suggested stuttering growth in the 12-nation bloc.
Germany to face warning on deficit rules breach
Gerhard Schroder will today, Wednesday, be told by Brussels officials to increase efforts to tackle Germany's economic problems as speculation increases that the country will break the euro's budget deficit rules, the stability and growth pact, for a…
Garganas calls for ECB to change its rules
The eurozone's policy framework suffered a further blow when a leading central banker called for a key change in the way interest rates are set. The criticism comes after the ECB was forced to defend the stability and growth pact. However this time the…
Chicago Fed's Economic Outlook Symposium
REPORT - Economic growth in 2003 will be slightly above the rate in 2002, while the unemployment rate will be unchanged and inflation will be higher next year, according to the median forecast of participants at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago's…
Solans on EMU macroeconomic stability and growth
SPEECH - In the speech 'Macroeconomic stability and growth in the European Monetary Union' Eugenio Domingo Solans of the ECB defended the ECB's 'two pillars' saying that having a flexible and all-encompassing monetary policy strategy like the Eurosystem,…
Minutes of the Federal Open Market Committee
MINUTES - The Federal Reserve on 12 December released the minutes of its FOMC meeting of 6 November. The minutes reveal last months half-point interest rate cut was taken "to ensure that the current soft spot in the economy would prove to be temporary"…
Dollar at lowest level against euro since Jan 2000
The dollar plunged to its weakest level in almost three years against the euro and fell against the yen after a U.S. government report on declining producer prices raised concerns profit growth will slow.
ECB cuts growth outlook, with ongoing uncertainty
The European Central Bank Thursday slashed its forecasts for growth in coming years, citing the "persistently high degree of uncertainty" as the main reason. The publication of the ECB's monthly report reveals more on the motivation for its recent half…
Growth fears push Norway to cut interest rates
Norway's central bank surprised economists and cut interest rates on Wednesday as growth concerns outweighed stubborn wage inflation. Business leaders had called for a cut to kickstart the economy. The Bank's accompanying press release appeared to…
Snow nominated as new US Treasury secretary
Following Paul O'Neill's forced resignation on Friday the Bush administration signalled that boosting US jobs growth with tax cuts was at the top of its agenda for next year as it nominated John Snow as O'Neill's replacement as Treasury secretary.