Nearly every country in the world has a central bank – a public institution that manages a country’s currency and its monetary policy. And these banks have an extraordinary amount of power. By controlling the flow of money and credit in a country, they can affect economic growth, inflation, employment and financial stability – all […]
Latest inflation figures are good news – even if they give a lot of people heartburn
The U.S. economy is slowing, but not crashing. In the dismal science, this is what counts as good news. That’s the message I took away from the latest inflation data, released May 15, 2024, which showed U.S. consumer prices rising 3.4% in the 12 months to April 2024. This is down slightly from the 3.5% […]
With the economy looking bright enough, the Federal Reserve seems content to play the waiting game
If there’s one thing you can say about Fed policymakers, it’s that they don’t make decisions on a whim. When the Federal Open Market Committee met on Jan. 31, 2024, it held interest rates steady – as most observers expected. That marks six months since the Fed last changed the base rate. And people should […]
Racial income and wealth gaps are huge – but the Fed doesn’t have the right tools to fix them
Central bankers and economists from around the world are convening remotely for the annual Jackson Hole symposium on Aug. 27, 2021, to discuss the future of monetary policy. For the second year in a row, the annual conference will be virtual and the theme – Macroeconomic Policy in an Uneven Economy – seems appropriate given […]
Nigeria’s new foreign exchange policy is good news
The Central Bank of Nigeria recently announced changes to the way the country’s foreign exchange market will work. Foreign currencies can now be bought and sold at rates determined by the market – not by the central bank. This signals the intention of the Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration to allow market forces to determine the […]
eNaira: Nigeria’s digital currency has had a slow start
Nigeria was the first country in Africa to roll out a central bank digital currency. The eNaira was launched in October 2021. The main reasons were to promote financial inclusion, increase cross-border transactions, facilitate diaspora remittances and complement existing payment systems. But adoption has been low so far. Less than 0.5% of Nigerians were using […]