Growth
Italy poised to put strict curb on public spending
After much recent talk on the stability and growth pact Italy looks set to restrict spending in an effort to avoid sanctions which other euro zone countries have recently incurred for not restricting their budget deficits to within 3 percent of GDP. The…
George moves to allay fears on public finances
Edward George agrees with Mervyn King that the UK housing market is set for a dramatic slowdown in price rises. He joins the stability and growth pact debate effectively criticising it by raising concerns about spending cuts and tax increases when the…
Welteke says risks to economic growth are high
Bundesbank chief Ernst Welteke implied the ECB may be close to easing interest rates. Speaking in Stockholm he said that the euro zone economy had risks on the downside and that low growth posed more of a threat than inflation.
Bundesbank chief gives backing to EU growth pact
GERMANY - Bundesbank president Ernst Welteke, who sits on the ECB's interest rate setting council, throws his support behind the stability and growth pact which was labelled "stupid" by Romano Prodi recently. "The increasingly open attacks on the pact…
Edward George on price/earnings ratios
SPEECH - Sir Edward George of the Bank of England told the Association of Corporate Treasurers last week that on some measures price/earnings ratos were back to the long-term averages. Is he saying the equity bubble is over, at least in the UK?
RBA Statement on Monetary Policy, November 2002
REPORT - The Reserve Bank of Australia released its November 2002 Statement on Monetary Policy on 11 November. In the statement the RBA divide the year into two distinct phases with emerging optimism characterising the first half. However the second…
Economy coming out of recession - Barbados c bank
BARBADOS - A flicker of growth in the economy during the third quarter of this year has signalled that Barbados is coming out of recession.
Mexico holds firm on inflation targets
MEXICO - Mexico's Central Bank president held firm on the country's inflation targets for this year and next, even as expectations of higher inflation and diminished growth mount.
Bank of Greece set to improve transparency
GREECE - The Bank of Greece on Friday indicated that restrictions on consumer and personal loans could be lifted next year on condition that the current slowdown in credit growth continues at the same pace and a forthcoming study can prove that Greek…
How to get growth in Japan
What Japan needs is a massive boost, not to the monetary base, but to domestic credit creation. Richard Werner outlines how this could be brought about.
Chicago Fed National Activity Index September 2002
REPORT - CFNAI Indicates Economic Growth Remained Slow in September - The Chicago Fed National Activity Index (CFNAI) remained below zero for a second month in September, coming in at -0.35 in September, up from -0.45 in August.
Czechs cut interest rates for fifth time this year
CZECH REPUBLIC - The Czech central bank yesterday cut interest rates for the fifth time this year in a new attempt to stimulate faltering domestic economic growth and slow the rapid appreciation of the Czech koruna.
SBP describes economic growth rate as reasonable
PAKISTAN - The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has declared the 3.6 per cent growth of the economy as "reasonable" during fiscal 2001-02 due to various factors.
IMF wants euro 'big 3' to tighten fiscal policy
US - The International Monetary Fund has weighed into the debate over the eurozone's stability and growth pact (SGP), arguing that the big three countries - Germany, France and Italy - should heed its message and make a concerted effort to tighten fiscal…
Central bank cuts India growth forecast
INDIA - The Reserve Bank of India, the central bank, on Tuesday cut its forecast for economic growth by one percentage point to 5-5.5 per cent, citing the impact of a devastating drought and weak industrial activity.
Euro may boost Hungary growth report shows
HUNGARY - Joining the euro could boost economic growth in Hungary by between 0.6 to 0.9 percentage points annually for 20 years, according to a report published yesterday by the National Bank of Hungary, the central bank.
Don't use stability pact as scapegoat, says Issing
GERMANY - The chief economist of the European Central Bank launched a staunch defence of the euro area fiscal stability and growth pact on Monday, accusing politicians of using it as a "scapegoat" for their own failures.
Bank of Canada Monetary Policy Report
REPORT - Bank of Canada released its October 2002 Monetary Policy Report, 23 October. In the report the Bank of Canada said the Canadian economy has undergone a strong expansion with more rapid growth than all other G-7 countries over the past year…
ECB Press Release
PRESS RELEASE - Statement of the Governing Council on the Stability and Growth Pact, 24 October 2002.
Canada's c bank warns of spike in inflation
CANADA - The Bank of Canada said Wednesday economic growth will be lower than expected in the short term but inflation could still double the bank's target by year-end, as Canada continues to be pulled in opposite directions by uncertain global markets…
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.
Fed's Stern sees steady growth for near term
US - Gary Stern, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, sees the economy growing at a relatively firm rate in coming months before growth accelerates in the second half of 2003.
Bank of Spain makes pessimistic on economy
SPAIN - Jaime Caruana, governor of the Bank of Spain, yesterday announced the bank's economic predictions. The central bank is expecting growth this year of no more than 2 per cent, two tenths of a percentage point lower than the government's prediction.
Polish central bank confirms 2003 inflation target
POLAND - Criticism of the government's 2003 budget draft has begun to eat into some of its expectations. The Monetary Policy Council (RPP) and central bank are especially dubious with regard to the economic growth rate, set at 3.5 percent by Finance…