Inflation
Inflation to continue falling: Canada's Dodge
In a speech on Wednesday 10 September, reported by Canada Press, Bank of Canada chief David Dodge said inflation had fallen more than expected and would likely continue the downward trend over the next few months.
Slaves to the mechanical rules of central banking
Stephen Cecchetti, in an article in the Financial Times, delves into history and says it is difficult to justify the unstated extension of Alan Greenspan's argument, as made at the recent Jackson Hole conference, from flexibility in the execution of…
Central Bank of Peru - Annual Report 2002
The Central Bank of Peru has published its Annual Report for the year ended 2002. Since 2002, the Central Bank's monetary policy has been conducted following a scheme of Explicit Inflation Targeting, the Annual Report says.
Peru inflation on target - new governor
The new governor of Peru's central bank, Javier Silva Ruete, expects inflation of 1.5 to 1.7% for the year, comfortably below the government's target of 2.5%, reports Reuters
Zimbabwe limits currency holdings
Zimbabwe has outlawed of individuals holding cash exceeding five million Zimbabwean dollars (US$6,250) in another attempt to halt the cash crisis, reports the Sunday Times in South Africa.
Mboweni remains upbeat on inflation
Speaking at a press conference following the South African Reserve Bank's two-day Monetary Policy Committee meeting on Thursday 14 August, Tito Mboweni said that not only did the inflation outcome improve over the past two months, but the inflation…
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 England cuts inflation forecast
The Bank of England's inflation report published on Wednesday 13 August showed that the Bank expects inflation to dip below the 2.5 percent target for most of 2004, after reaching 3 percent in April, Bloomberg reports.
Why inflation is still the real danger
Policymakers should not be swayed by recent fears of deflationary spirals and policy impotence. History demonstrates that with fiat currencies, inflation will always be the real concern.
Mr Greenspan's record: where do we go from here?
The recent boom showed that policymakers should be wary of apparent economic "paradigm shifts". Now dealing with the inevitable asset price bust they should not ignore the inflation threat.
RBA statement on the conduct of monetary policy
Second statement on the conduct of monetary policy from the Treasurer and the Governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia, July 2003. The statement is designed to continue to foster a better understanding, both in Australia and overseas, of the nature of…
MNB vice president Auth warns against wage index
Inflationary pressures could build up in the Hungarian economy if next year's wage rises are linked to planned tax changes, warned the vice president of the national bank of Hungary Henrik Auth in an interview with Reuters.
Fed can keep rates low as growth quickens - McTeer
In a speech to the Dallas Rotary Club, Reuters reports that Dallas Fed President Bob McTeer expressed optimism the economy would soon revive, even as he admitted a lack of "hard evidence" of a pickup.
ECB's Issing - No risk of inflation or deflation
Neither deflation nor inflation present risks for the eurozone economy at the moment. That was the assessment of Otmar Issing on Wednesday 23 July, according to Reuters, but if deflationary concerns emerge the ECB is ready to take various preventive…
Bernanke: Fed could cut rates to zero
In his speech to a University audience on Wednesday 23 July, Reuters reports that Ben Bernanke declared that the Federal Reserve was ready to keep short-term interest rates low indefinitely - even cutting them to zero - to jumpstart the economy and ward…
Ueda on Japan's deflation and policy response
In a speech on 'Japan's Deflation and Policy Response' Kazuo Ueda of the Bank of Japan said the deflation of general prices has not been the major problem in Japan. Instead, asset price deflation and its interaction with the financial system and the…
Greenspan proves fallible
An article in American Outlook Today, "Greenspan proves fallible", describes the pedestal upon which Alan Greenspan has been perched as "a bit shaky" saying he disappointed the expectations of the bond market with the FOMC's with only a quarter point…
'Stars are aligned' for U.S. economy- Fed's McTeer
Dallas Fed chief Bob McTeer said on Tuesday 22 July that factors are in place to see a recovery in the US economy and non-inflationary growth could be as much as 5 percent, according to Reuters. "I think all the stars are aligned for the economy to pick…
Fed's Bernanke - An Unwelcome Fall in Inflation?
In the speech 'An Unwelcome Fall in Inflation?' given on 23 July Ben Bernanke of the Federal Reserve said in a world in which inflation risks are no longer one-sided, and short-term nominal interest rates are at historical lows, the success of monetary…
BoJ willing to take risks to fight deflation
Giving a lecture in Tokyo on Wednesday 23 July, Bank of Japan governor Toshihiko Fukui signalled a willingness to fight Japan's economic slump made worse by deflation. Associated Press reports that Fukui said the BoJ "is willing to take unlimited risks…
UK inflation shows surprise fall
The UK inflation rate fell to 2.8% on Tuesday, moving closer towards the Bank of England's 2.5% target, according to Reuters. Most analysts had predicted an increase to 3.0%.
UK economy 'in uncharted territory'
Giving evidence before the UK parliament's treasury select committee on Tuesday new Bank of England governor Mervyn King said he had "no idea" if 3.5 per cent was exactly the right level for UK interest rates. Rachel Lomax also appeared before the…
'Absurd criteria for new EU members'
An article in the Financial Times says that, fortunately, such a disastrous scenario as a deflationary spiral in the eurozone is unlikely. But that is not true of the problems that low or negative inflation within the eurozone could pose for the…
IMF Paper: Inflation and central bank independence
The IMF Working Paper "Inflation Performance and Constitutional Central Bank Independence: Evidence From Latin America and the Caribbean" explores the relationship between the constitutional entrenchment of central bank independence and inflation…