Opinion/Monetary Policy
Interview with IMF Chief Economist Raghuram Rajan
The new Chief Economist at the International Monetary Fund Raghuram Rajan said in an interview, published by Business Week Online, that the IMF is extremely strong in its views on exchange rates, monetary policy, and fiscal policy and that "I suspect my…
Should central banks regulate credit card schemes?
Yes, according to Australia's federal court, which has just ruled that Visa and MasterCard should be subject to regulation by the Reserve Bank of Australia. In this weeks Monday Special CentralBankNet examines the impact of the case.
Interview with BIS General Manager Malcolm Knight
In an interview conducted on 25 September, Bank for International Settlements general manager Malcolm Knight said "It would be likely that Basel II would assign India a sovereign risk weight of 50 percent instead of the 100 percent it receives under the…
Central banks: What to achieve & how to get there
This article in the Independent newspaper says that underneath it all, central bankers are ordinary folk, and they, too, face difficulties in achieving what they want. At the Bank of England, the Monetary Policy Committee's life has been relatively short…
Outgoing Duisenberg gets the hump in Dubai
With the IMF and World Bank annual meetings at an end, this article from Bloomberg News reflects on the Dubai gathering's less formal proceedings. Caviar, foie gras, lobster and belly-dancing were on the menu while Bank of Italy governor Antonio Fazio…
Monetary Options for Postwar Iraq
On October 15th, Iraq will issue a new unified dinar under the auspices of its new, "independent" central bank. This article published by the Cato Institute, "Monetary Options for Postwar Iraq" says the move will be a half-baked affair, at best, and is…
Bank of Spain's Jaime Caruana on Basel II
In an interview with reuters, the Governor of the Bank of Spain, Jaime Caruana, said there is a unanimous understanding of the need for Basel II. .It is a completely new approach and in that sense you could say that it is a kind of revolution. He…
Why inflation targeting is an inexact science
An article in the Independent says that in the past stronger-than-expected growth might have been a good reason to raise interest rates but if, today, stronger than expected growth results from the same process as lower-than-expected inflation, all our…
Trichet's law
This article in the Financial Times accuses Jean-Claude Trichet of portraying himself on Thursday as less willing to understand the problems of the European economy than Wim Duisenberg, the current ECB president. His unfortunate choice of words was…
Slaves to the mechanical rules of central banking
Stephen Cecchetti, in an article in the Financial Times, delves into history and says it is difficult to justify the unstated extension of Alan Greenspan's argument, as made at the recent Jackson Hole conference, from flexibility in the execution of…
Interview with Bank of Thailand Deputy Governor
In an interview Bank of Thailand Deputy Governor Thirachai Phuvanat Naranubala said that since the beginning of the year the BoT has allowed the baht to be flexible to some extent "but we want to make sure that movements are in line with the real trend".
Stiglitz: Little to gain & much to lose from euro
Joseph Stiglitz says the euro has failed its first test: Swedes may vote no to the single currency - and with good reason. With a majority of Swedes likely to vote no in the upcoming referendum on the euro Stiglitz suggests in an article in the UK's…
Paper: monetary policy rules with uncertainty
What happens to Taylor rules when uncertainty in the economy increases? A recent paper by Gabriel Srour of the Bank of Canada addresses this question and analyses how the rule changes when uncertainty and time lags increase.
Guillermo Ortiz on financial reform
The governor of Mexico's central bank discusses the disappointing results of the "first-generation" reforms of the Washington consensus and emphasizes the importance of "second-generation reforms", concentrating on constructing the the right…
Perspectives on deflation
In this issue we present a variety of views on the threat of deflation. Here we offer a summary and our own conclusion.
External monetary policy adviser appointed at RBNZ
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand on Tuesday announced the appointment of Malcolm Bailey as one of the Bank's two part-time external monetary policy advisers.
'Time for clarity, Mr Greenspan'
As the Federal Reserve's FOMC meets Tuesday, this article says it's time for the Fed to be clearer about its growth and inflation targets and its plans to achieve them. Now that short-term rates can scarcely fall further, successful communication is a…
Contrasting perspectives on deflation
For this weeks CentralBankNet Special Feature we present a variety of views on the threat of deflation. The well known phrase from former Fed Chairman William McChesney Martin that the job of central bankers is "to take away the punch bowl just when the…
Undue pessimism is driving the eurozone recession
This article by Paul De Grauwe in the Financial Times says that the ECB was wrong to blame the eurozone recession on structural factors and scold eurozone politicians for doing nothing to liberalise labour markets and modernise welfare systems. "It is…
Central bank transparency - As clear as mud
Being open and being predictable are rather different things, this article in The Economist finds. Using statistics from polls conducted before central banks' policy meetings it says that the Fed's interest rate changes are the most predictable at 95%,…
The Bank of Thailand's 'Young Guns'
They're fresh, well-educated and thrilled to be serving their country, they are the Young Guns at the Bank of Thailand. This article in the Bangkok Post takes a look at the "new blood" of economists at the Bank of Thailand, who say that unlike an…
Who will be the banker bet?
This article in the Financial Times looks at the current crop of top central bankers and asks who will secure their place in history as a trustworthy custodian of the economy? Timing is everything, and while Alan Greenspan would have been a "no contest"…
What'll it be Sweden, in September's euro vote?
September's vote on adopting the euro has Sweden on edge, this article in BusinessWeek reports. So, is it ja or nej? Just a year ago, the yes side was well ahead. But a sluggish euro zone, along with a slowdown at home, has helped shift sentiment sharply.