Research
Comments on Basel II
The Basel Committee on Banking Supervision has published on the BIS website the comments received on the latest version of the long-awaited new capital rules.
The Bank of Canada Review - Summer 2003 issue
The Review includes articles on financial developments in Canada, measuring interest rate expectations and dollarization in Canada.
IMF Survey on global economic outlook
The latest IMF survey has been issued, which states that following its Article IV consultation with the US it concluded that "a durable economic upswing was not a foregone conclusion", raising concerns about fiscal sustainability.
Eurozone in your pocket
The ECB launched its latest periodical: "Statistics Pocket Book" on August 15. Updated monthly, the guide offers the latest key economic figures for the eurozone in a handy-size book.
The role of central bank money in payment systems
The role of central bank money in payment systems raises a number of questions this CPSS Paper says. For example, which institutions should have accounts at the central bank? What services should central banks provide to meet the needs of account holders…
Bank of England Inflation Report, August 2003
The Bank of England published its quarterly Inflation Report for August 2003 on Wednesday 13 August. In the report the Bank said "The recovery in the world economy has been slow and uneven," and "Inflation is projected to run somewhat below target…
Bank of Japan Monthly Report, August 2003
The Bank of Japan published the English version of its Monthly Report of Recent Economic and Financial Developments, August 2003, on 12 August. The BOJ kept its assessment of the economy unchanged after slightly upgrading its view the previous month. …
RBA Statement on Monetary Policy, August 2003
The Reserve Bank of Australia released its August 2003 Statement on Monetary Policy on 11 August. While the Australian economy remains in a position to perform relatively well against a weak international background, the pace of growth of the non-farm…
ECB Monthly Bulletin, August 2003
The European Central Bank published its August 2003 Monthly Bulletin on 7 August. The report said economic activity in the euro area remained subdued in the first half of 2003, broadly in line with previous expectations. At the same time, there is…
Deutsche Bundesbank Monthly Report, July 2003
The Deutsche Bundesbank published the English version of its July 2003 monthly report on 7 August. The slumping economy has caused a renewed perceptible decline in employment, the report says. The rate of price increase picked up again a bit in June. The…
Applying efficiency measurement to central banks
The working paper "Applying Efficiency Measurement Techniques to Central Banks" from the Philadelphia Fed released on 6 August reviews the standard techniques of efficiency measurement and reviews some of the literature that has attempted to apply these…
Exits from pegged regimes: An empirical analysis
The IMF Working Paper 'Exits From Pegged Regimes: An Empirical Analysis' analyses the determinants of exits from pegged regimes, where exits involve shifts to more or less flexible regimes, or adjustments within the existing regime. The results confirm…
Dollarization of the banking system: Good or bad?
The IMF Working Paper 'Dollarization of the Banking System: Good or Bad?' assesses the benefits and risks associated with dollarization of the banking system. The authors find that the credibility of macroeconomic policy and the quality of institutions…
Chicago Fed Economic Perspectives 3rd Quarter 2003
The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago has published its regular quarterly journal, Economic Perspectives, for the Third Quarter 2003. The latest edition includes articles titled 'Banking relationships during financial distress:The evidence from Japan' and …
ESCB-CESR Clearing and Settlement Standards
ESCB-CESR Standards for Securities Clearing and Settlement Systems in the European Union: Consultation announcement, consultative report and scope of application, 1 August 2003. The ESCB and CESR documents entitled "Standards for securities clearing and…
Extracting rate expectations, Japan's bond prices
Working Paper from the Bank of Japan's Financial Markets Department entitled "Extracting Market Expectations on the Duration of the Zero Interest Rate Policy from Japan's Bond Prices". The paper aims to extract the expectations of market participants on…
Chicago Fed National Activity Index, June 2003
CFNAI Indicates Economic Activity Improved Slightly in June - The Chicago Fed National Activity Index (CFNAI) was -0.32 in June, a small improvement from the May reading of -0.40. The negative value for the index in June reflected continued weakness in…
Federal Reserve Board - Beige Book, July 2003
The Federal Reserve Beige Book released 30 July said the U.S. economy sped up "a notch" in the past few weeks and "Consistent with the generally more positive assessments of current economic activity, several districts noted increased optimism about…
Sveriges Riksbank Economic Review 2nd Quarter 2003
The Sveriges Riksbank has published its Economic Review for the 2nd Quarter 2003. The Review includes articles 'The use of market indicators in financial stability analyses', 'Card payments in Sweden' and 'The Riksbank's submission on the final report…
IMF Working Paper on central bank independence
The IMF Working Paper "A Political Agency Theory of Central Bank Independence" proposes a theory to explain why, and under what circumstances, a politician gives up rent and delegates policy tasks to an independent agency. The authors apply this theory…
Central bank forex intervention in Colombia
The IMF Working Paper "Central Bank Foreign Exchange Market Intervention and Option Contract Specification: The Case of Colombia" aims to identify appropriate option contract specifications for effective central bank exchange market intervention. The…
Deutsche Bundesbank Monthly Report, June 2003
The Deutsche Bundesbank published the English version of its June 2003 monthly report on 17 July. Price developments in the past few months have been affected by falling oil prices, the report said. The recently observable rise in the prices quoted on…
Bank of Japan Monthly Report, July 2003
The Bank of Japan published its Monthly Report of Recent Economic and Financial Developments, July 2003, on 17 July. The Report said business fixed investment is on a gradual recovery and while it reiterated that economic activity remains "virtually flat…
Philadelphia Fed Business Outlook Survey, Jul 2003
Activity in the region's manufacturing sector increased in July, according to the firms surveyed for the Philadelphia Fed's July 2003 Business Outlook Survey. Many of the current indexes showed improvement -- especially indexes for new orders and…