Economics
MEPs criticise ECB appointment
Following the approval of Jurgen Stark's nomination to the ECB's board by the European Parliament's Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee on Wednesday 19 April, some centre-left MEPs have criticised the go-ahead.
Padoa-Schioppa 'serious' candidate for econ min
Romano Prodi, Italy's election winner, said on Friday 21 April that former European Central Bank board member Tommaso Padoa-Schioppa was a "serious" candidate to become his economy minister, but that nothing had been decided yet.
Deutsche Bundesbank - Annual Report 2005
According to the Deutsche Bundesbank's Annual Report 2005, last year saw cyclical improvements in the German economy, which coped fairly well with the substantial increase in crude oil prices.
Can the new Fed keep eyes off rear-view mirror?
According to this article published Thursday 20 April, the minutes from the last FOMC meeting, released on Tuesday 18 April, had something old, something new -- and something borrowed from former Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan.
Indian central bank must let housing bubble be
This article published Thursday 20 April asks, is the Reserve Bank of India trying to prick the housing bubble, something that both Alan Greenspan and Ben Bernanke have shied from doing in the U.S.?
Interactive access to Fed statistical data
The Federal Reserve Board on Wednesday 19 April announced its new Data Download application, which provides interactive access to Federal Reserve statistical data in a variety of electronic formats.
SF Fed's Yellen on prospects for the economy
In the speech 'Prospects for the economy' given on 18 April Janet Yellen of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco said the U.S. economy is likely to slow back toward trend growth after a "hot" first quarter, and runs the risk of slowing more based on…
Issing: Inflation forecasts may rise with oil
European Central Bank chief economist Otmar Issing said in an interview that the ECB may have to revise its inflation forecasts upwards after the latest increase in oil prices.
Chicago Fed's Moskow on the auto industry
In the speech 'Issues for carmakers and parts suppliers and challenges for the seventh district's auto industry' given on 18 April Michael Moskow of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago said the U.S. auto industry faces a string of issues as market share…
Fed's Fisher says economy in a sweet spot
Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas President Richard Fisher said on Wednesday 20 April that the U.S. economy can cope with a housing slowdown and that the effect of oil prices on inflation had been manageable.
PBOC taking measures to add flexibility
China's central bank is taking measures to increase the flexibility of its exchange rate, an official with the National Bureau of Statistics said on Thursday 20 April.
BoJ's Muto says rate shift depends on data
Bank of Japan Deputy Governor Toshiro Muto said Thursday 20 April that the central bank will decide on when to end its zero rate policy by analysing various economic data.
Chicago Fed National Activity Index, March 06
The Chicago Fed National Activity Index for March 2006, published 20 April, was +0.37 in March, up from +0.19 in February.
IMF's Rajan says 10% growth feasible in India
The International Monetary Fund's chief economist said on Wednesday 19 April that India's medium-term goal of growing its economy 10 percent a year is realistic if it can boost infrastructure and job creation.
Bank of Finland - Annual Report 2005
According to the Bank of Finland's Annual Report 2005, monetary policy for the euro area in 2005 was conducted in conditions of slower economic growth and higher inflation than expected.
Chile paper on central bank independence
The Central Bank of Chile Working Paper "Central bank independence and monetary policymaking institutions: Past, present, and future" published April 2006 reviews the institutional changes that occurred over the last two decades in the area of central…
Fed's Olson: Update on the U.S. economy
In the speech 'Update on the U.S. economy' given on 13 April Mark Olson of the Federal Reserve said a low unemployment rate and high rates of resource use did not so far seem to be combining to push underlying inflation up.
Bank of England Inflation Attitudes Survey, Apr 06
The Bank of England published its April 2006 Inflation Attitudes Survey on Tuesday 18 April. Inflation expectations in the UK have risen to their highest level in seven years, the survey said.
Sweden's Rosenberg on inflation targeting
In the speech 'The Riksbank's inflation targeting policy - the significance of the new interest rate assumption' given on 19 April Irma Rosenberg of the Sveriges Riksbank said that the strong level of economic activity in conjunction with current…
U.S. may rethink size of IMF stake
According to this article published on Wednesday 19 April, the United States will consider reducing its voting stake in the International Monetary Fund as part of an overhaul that would require the lender to increase scrutiny of nations' currency…
Bernanke sees energy effects fading
Fed chairman Ben Bernanke said in a letter published on Monday 17 April that the increase in energy prices since late 2003 will not have a lasting impact on U.S. inflation as long as the Federal Reserve conducts policy appropriately.
IMF World Economic Outlook, April 2006
The International Monetary Fund published its World Economic Outlook April 2006 on 19 April. In the report the IMF said the ECB shouldn't "rush" to raise interest rates even as the eurozone economy expands this year by the most since 2004.
Comment: IMF reform checklist
The International Monetary Fund on Wednesday 19 April released its latest World Economic Outlook. Its central projection sees global growth at 4.75 percent in 2006 and 2007. The distribution of risks, however, is increasingly slanted to the downside.
Bank of France - Annual Report 2004
According to the Bank of France's Annual Report 2004, despite persisting risks, the international environment was buoyant in 2004 and monetary policy remained very accommodating within the euro area.