Economics
Comment: Output losses from financial crises
Central bankers and regulators, like other professionals, naturally spend a lot of time on the technical details of their jobs. Sometimes it is well to be reminded of just how much is at stake in their policy decisions.
Calvin Mitchell to take over New York Fed role
Calvin A. Mitchell III was named senior vice president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York in charge of the bank's public information area on Monday 8 August.
Interview with ECB's Issing
In an interview published on Tuesday 9 August, ECB Chief Economist Otmar Issing said that recently the eurozone economy has seen a series of positive signals. However risks to the outlook remained on the downside, he said, particularly with the continued…
Bank of Korea chief pledges wealth to education
The governor of the Bank of Korea, Park Seung, said this week that he is willing to donate his personal wealth to help the nation's education when he dies.
Fed is content with size, pace of rate increases
This article published on Wednesday 10 August suggests why impatient analysts are wrong to complain that the Federal Reserve is raising interest rates too slowly.
RBA's Macfarlane on the Australian economy
In a statement to the House of Representatives given on 12 August Ian Macfarlane of the Reserve Bank of Australia said that inflation was largely under control and the economy strong.
Bank of Japan Policy Board Minutes
The Bank of Japan published the minutes from its 12 and 13 July meeting on Friday 12 August. Two of nine policy board members at the Bank proposed cutting the 30-35 trln yen liquidity target for banks, at the mid-July policy meeting.
PBOC's Xiaochuan on developing capital markets
In the speech 'Improve corporate governance and develop capital market' given on 13 July, Zhou Xiaochuan of the People's Bank of China said if we hold the view that the objective of financial sector reform is to make the financial institutions stronger…
Greenspan, her art-throb
Fascinated by the Federal Reserve chairman, this article looks at the work of an artist who has completed 20 paintings and sketches of Alan Greenspan. The artist then decided to display her works at a gallery on Long Island over the summer.
Korea suggests it may hike rates
The Bank of Korea said on Thursday 11 August that it would consider increasing interest rates if the economy recovered fully.
Italian economy minister wants ECB rate cut
Italy's deputy economy minister Mario Baldassari said he favours the European Central Bank cutting its interest rates, as well as the euro being valued at parity with the dollar.
New spokesman for the New York Fed
Peter Bakstansky has been the spokesman for the New York Fed for so long - 30 years, to be precise - that his impending retirement will be hard to get accustomed to, at least for any journalist.
Comment: Faster growth to spur higher rates?
What does the recent spate of good news in terms of economic growth in most of the world's largest economies imply for interest rate and the bond market?
Comment: China points way to wider reform
Robert Pringle, editor of Central Banking, explains why China's recent moves underline the need for a wider reform of world money (extracts from an interview with the German newspaper, Handelsblatt published on 11 August).
Bank of England needs to re-examine its forecasts
This article published on Wednesday 10 August says that the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee is under great pressure to get its forecasts right. It asks whether it's possible we are too reverential when it comes to the Bank's projections.
Cultural days of the ECB 2005: Hungary
Hungary will be the country featured in this year's Cultural Days of the European Central Bank, which will be held from 2 to 28 November 2005 in cooperation with Magyar Nemzeti Bank, the central bank of Hungary, the ECB said on Thursday 11 August.
IMF letter on the famine in Niger
In a letter published by The Independent newspaper on Friday 5 August, the IMF's Director of External Relations, Thomas Dawson, defended the Fund against accusations that the IMF contributed to the crisis in Niger.
ECB Monthly Bulletin, August 2005
The European Central Bank published its August 2005 Monthly Bulletin on Thursday 11 August. The euro zone economy is on track for gradual expansion without pressing inflationary problems, the report said.
PBOC's Xiaoling on financial theoretic research
In a speech given on 3 June (published 10 August) Wu Xiaoling of the People's Bank of China said researchers need to be objective, independent and scrupulous with the research work and this will help promote China's economic and financial theoretic study.
Australian govt to quiz RBA chief on economy
Reserve Bank of Australia governor Ian Macfarlane will be grilled Friday 12 August on the chances of another rate rise, or possibly a rate cut, in coming months.
Taiwan central bank denies extraordinary meeting
The Central Bank of China, Taiwan's central bank, denied on Thursday 11 August that it is planning to call an extraordinary board meeting in the near term.
Shadow on the Euro
An article published this week notes that five months after central banks talked of increasing their euro reserves at the expense of the dollar, the speculation now is about how long the euro will last. With its credibility in danger the article asks…
Bank of England Inflation Report, August 2005
The Bank of England published its August 2005 Inflation Report on 10 August. In the report the Bank said the UK's growth outlook has weakened slightly in the near term, pulled down by sluggish consumer spending.
Growth dynamics: The myth of economic recovery
This IMF Working Paper published on Monday 8 August uses panel data for a large number of countries, and finds that economic contractions are not followed by offsetting fast recoveries.