Federal Reserve System
Fed's Bernanke on the benefits of price stability
In the speech 'The benefits of price stability' given on 24 February Ben Bernanke of the Federal Reserve said the Fed needs to keep inflation low to meet its other mandated goals of high employment and moderate long-term interest rates.
Bernanke says bad idea to manage asset prices
The Federal Reserve has to pay close attention to asset prices because they affect the economy, according to Fed chairman Ben Bernanke, but it is not a good idea for the US central bank to try to affect their prices directly.
US economy can stand Fed 'mistake' says Poole
St Louis Fed president William Poole said on Friday 24 February that the U.S. economy can cope if the Federal Reserve makes a "mistake" and raises interest rates too high.
Fed's loss is Bernanke's gain
According to this article published Thursday 23 February, with Vice-Chairman Roger W. Ferguson Jr., a Democrat, out of the way, the new Federal Reserve chairman can now dominate the inflation debate.
Fed's Warsh sworn in
Kevin Warsh took the oath of office as a member of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System on Friday 24 February.
Bending the yield curve to fit current fashion
This article published on Tuesday 21 February looks at the refusal of long- term interest rates to follow short-term rates higher when the Fed began raising rates in June 2004.
Ferguson on globalization, insurers, & regulators
In the speech 'Globalization, Insurers, and Regulators: Shared Challenges Call for Collaborative Solutions' given on 23 February Roger Ferguson of the Federal Reserve said he did not expect long-term interest rates to rise suddenly, although it was hard…
Comment: Ferguson bids Fed farewell
The vice chairman of the Federal Reserve, Roger Ferguson, will retire in two months time and he will not attend the Fed's next rate-setting meeting on March 27-28. Ferguson's departure underscores the idea of a Fed in flux.
New York Fed's Foreign Exchange Operations Report
According to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York's Treasury and Federal Reserve Foreign Exchange Operations quarterly report for October-December 2005, the U.S. monetary authorities did not intervene in the foreign exchange markets during the October -…
Fed can't rule out more rate rises
Minutes from the Federal Reserve's 31 January FOMC meeting released on Tuesday 21 February showed Fed officials felt a 14th straight increase in interest rates last month put borrowing costs near where they needed to be, but they could not rule out more…
Roger Ferguson resigns from Fed Board
In a surprise move, Roger Ferguson, Jr. submitted his resignationon Wednesday 22 February as Vice Chairman and as a member of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, effective April 28, 2006.
Philadelphia Fed Business Outlook Survey, Feb 2006
According to the firms surveyed for the Philadelphia Fed's Business Outlook Survey, February 2006, the pace of activity in the region's manufacturing sector picked up in February. The general activity index improved notably this month, and indicators for…
St Louis Fed's Central Banker, Spring 2006
The St. Louis Fed has published the Spring 2006 edition of its Central Banker magazine. The article "Greenspan's unconventional view of the long-run inflation/output tradeoff" says that the former Fed chairman's views on the relationship between…
Fed's Pianalto says growth, stability go together
Cleveland Fed president Sandra Pianalto said Thursday 16 February that the Federal Reserve's twin objectives of price stability and growth go hand in hand.
Bernanke: Greenspan speeches don't violate ethics
Fed chairman Ben Bernanke said his predecessor, Alan Greenspan, has not violated any central bank or federal government ethics rules as a result of his recent series of private speeches since leaving his post on 1 February
Fed chief rules out mandate change
Ben Bernanke said he doesn't want Congress to change the Federal Reserve's mandate that it pay attention to both price stability and maximum employment or economic growth.
Reflections on central banking
How has central banking changed in the past generation? Alan Greenspan gave his considered views at Jackson Hole in August 2005.
Lacker on transition and continuity at the Fed
In the speech 'Transition and continuity at the Federal Reserve in 2006' given on 14 February Jeffrey Lacker of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond said that incoming Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke must preserve the hard-won credibility for maintaining low…
Bernanke says more rate rises 'may' be necessary
Ben Bernanke told Congress on Wednesday 15 February that more US rate hikes "may" be necessary as the threat of higher inflation persists despite a year-and-a-half of steady tightening.
Comment: Bernanke's debut
New Fed chairman, Ben Bernanke, provided little further insight into the likely further path of interest rates in the US on Wednesday. On the whole he painted a fairly rosy picture of the economy's health - both in a cyclical and structural sense. His…
Alan Greenspan in memoir talks
According to Reuters, Alan Greenspan is in talks with major publishers about writing a memoir and bidding has already hit $5 million.
Fed announces Michelle Smith to stay on
The Federal Reserve Board on Friday announced that Michelle A. Smith will continue in her position as Assistant to the Board and Director of the Office of Board Members. The Board had previously announced that she would be leaving to work for former…
'Greatest central banker ever' comes down a peg
This article published on Thursday 9 February looks at recent comments by ex Fed chief Alan Greenspan. It was his comments on the likely future course of interest rates that will tarnish his legacy as ``the greatest central banker who ever lived,'' it…
Warsh's Fed nomination draws criticism, confusion
President Bush's nomination of the 35-year-old White House aide Kevin Warsh for a seat on the Federal Reserve's board has been greeted with criticism and bewilderment by some former Fed officials and economists, according to this article published on…