Monetary Policy
Brazil's Fraga trusts next govt to make right call
BRAZIL - Brazilian Central Bank President Arminio Fraga on Thursday moved to calm markets rattled by persistent concerns about this month's presidential election, saying he expects the next government to make the right economic policy decisions.
Ferguson - the third Fed Branch building, Houston
SPEECH - In a speech at the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Houston Branch building made on 16 October, Roger Ferguson of the Federal Reserve said as Houston has grown both in size and in economic importance, so have the operations of the local…
Gramlich on methodology of benefit-cost analysis
SPEECH - In the speech 'The Methodology of Benefit-Cost Analysis' made on 16 October, Edward Gramlich of the Federal Reserve said scandals and outrages in the newspapers could easily lead one to be cynical about public policymaking and skeptical that the…
RBA Bulletin - October 2002
REPORT - The Reserve Bank of Australia published its October 2002 Bulletin on 17 October. The Bulletin contains articles on Developments in the Trade-Weighted Index, Dual-listed Companies and The Changing Composition of the Australian Workforce.
BOJ should create inflation to fight deflation
INTERVIEW - The best way to fight deflation is to create inflation, according to Kikuo Iwata, professor at Gakushuin University, who suggests the Bank of Japan set an inflation target of 1 to 3 percent for the next 12 months.
Japan already has its very own Greenspan
ARTICLE - "Japan needs an Alan Greenspan," some Japanese intellectuals recently demanded, and then went on to debate who the nation's own Greenspan might be. Given the country's dire economic straits, it is understandable that Japanese eyes are being…
Sveriges Riksbank Press Release
SWEDEN - Repo rate left unchanged at 4.25 per cent, 17 October.
Sveriges Riksbank Press Release
PRESS RELEASE - The general public's confidence in the Riksbank remains high, 14 October.
Sveriges Riksbank Press Release
PRESS RELEASE - Jan Bergqvist appointed new Chairman of the General Council of the Riksbank, 18 October.
UK Treasury cool on Gibraltar making a mint
UK - While Gordon Brown expounds his policy on the euro, efforts by Gibraltar to set up a lucrative sideline in minting the coins have run into resistance from the UK chancellor, Gordon Brown.
Ireland set for yes vote on Nice Treaty
IRELAND - Ireland looks to be on course to ratify the Nice Treaty, which paves the way for enlargement of the European Union, according to the last opinion poll before tomorrow's referendum.
Bank of Canada's Dodge softens rate hike stance
CANADA - David Dodge, the Bank of Canada governor, said yesterday economic growth would likely ease over the next three quarters so interest rates need not be raised as quickly as previously thought.
Balcerowicz: Maastricht convergence opportunity
INTERVIEW - Summary of an interview with Leszek Balcerowicz, governor of the National Bank of Poland and chief of its Monetary Policy Council. The interview was published in a recent issue of Gazeta Wyborcza.
Gulf asks ECB to study benefits of GCC currency
OMAN - Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries have entrusted the European Central Bank (ECB) to conduct a study on the modalities to be followed while integrating the economies of member countries and to switch over to a common currency, said the…
Kozlov - legal protection would boost confidence
RUSSIA - Russia's Central Bank has come out for greater legal protection of deals involving derivative securities on the national securities market and for introducing Russian depository receipts.
Japan's Koizumi vows 'bold' action on economy
JAPAN - Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi vowed Friday to take "bold" action to pull Japan's economy out of its slump and stressed the importance of dialogue to resolve concerns over North Korea's nuclear weapons program.
Fed's McTeer says U.S. recovery so far jobless
US - Dallas Federal Reserve President Robert McTeer said on Thursday the U.S. economic recovery had so far been jobless, but the unemployment rate here still has stayed well below Europe's.
Through the looking glass into deflation
SPEECH - DeAnne Julius, a former member of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee, assesses the risk of global deflation as quite high in her keynote speech at The Banker Awards 2002 dinner.
US Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill - Time to go?
ARTICLE - Just what a fragile global economy doesn't need is a loose cannon as a US Treasury Secretary. Yet after a succession of gaffes that have sunk markets and offended presidents, Paul O'Neill remains unrepentant. Now is the time for him to resign…
Ferguson on financial stability, central bank role
SPEECH - In the speech 'Should Financial Stability Be an Explicit Central Bank Objective?' made on 17 September and published on 16 October, Roger Ferguson of the Federal Reserve said that financial stability is and always will be of vital interest to…
Bank of Japan Stock Purchase Guidelines
GUIDELINES - At a regular board meeting held 11 October, the Policy Board of the Bank of Japan approved basic guidelines on the purchase of stocks held by commercial banks.
Bank of Japan Stock Purchase
REPORT - The Outline of the Stock Purchasing Plan, 11 October.
Bank of Japan report on non-performing loans
REPORT - Japan's Non-Performing Loan Problem, 11 October.
ECB Monthly Bulletin, October 2002
REPORT - The European Central Bank published its October 2002 Monthly Bulletin on 17 October. In the bulletin the ECB states that although liquidity is currently ample, there is a low risk of this translating into inflationary pressures in the near…