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Journal Article
Decision time for European Monetary Union
If the plans of European governments for economic and monetary union by the end of the decade are realized, a new common currency called the euro will be in use in at least a few western European countries within five years. Even earlier, starting in 1999, a new European Central Bank is slated to take control of monetary policy in the initial member countries. ; This article examines the economic and political factors that will determine whether monetary union proceeds on schedule and, if so, which countries are likely to be initial members. There is little chance that most of the countries ...
Journal Article
European Monetary Union faces tough decisions
Journal Article
The European Central Bank and the Eurosystem
The Eurosystem comprises the European Central Bank at its center as well as the national central banks of the twelve countries currently participating in monetary union. The European Central Bank was established in July 1998, six months before the beginning of Stage Three of economic and monetary union. Although decisions regarding monetary policy are made centrally by the Governing Council of the Eurosystem, the operational aspects of monetary policy-including open market operations, administration of the minimum reserve system, and management of the standing facilities-are undertaken in a ...
Journal Article
The Euro
In January 1999, the new European Central Bank began manufacturing a new money-the euro-and took over the operations of 11 nations' monetary systems. This Commentary outlines the ECB's institutions and operations, exploring some of the political economy issues that face the new central banking arrangement.
Working Paper
The Eurosystem money market auctions: a banking perspective
This paper analyzes the individual bidding behavior of German banks in the money market auctions conducted by the ECB from the beginning of the third quarter of 2000 to the end of the first quarter of 2001. Our approach takes a variety of characteristics of the individual banks into account. In particular, we consider variables that capture the different use of liquidity and the different attitude towards liquidity risk of the individual banks. It turns out that these characteristics are reflected in the banks? respective bidding behavior to a large extent. Thus our study contributes to a ...
Journal Article
The European system of central banks
On January 1, 1999, the European System of Central Banks (ESCB) began conducting monetary policy for eleven of the fifteen nations of the European Union, formally creating an economic and monetary union. The ESCB is governed by the decision-making bodies of the European Central Bank (ECB) and manages Europe's new currency, the euro. The structure of the ESCB is in many ways similar to that of the Federal Reserve System, with the ECB playing a role similar to that of the Board of Governors and the various national central banks occupying positions not unlike those of the regional Reserve ...
Journal Article
The world's newest currency
Journal Article
The euro cash changeover
Working Paper
Measurement bias in the HICP: what do we know and what do we need to know?
The Harmonized Index of Consumer Prices (HICP) is the primary measure of inflation in the euro area, and plays a central role in the policy deliberations of the European Central Bank (ECB). The ECB defines its Treaty mandate of price stability as "?a year-on-year increase in the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (HICP) for the euro area of below 2 percent [?] to be maintained over the medium term." Among the rationales given for defining price stability as prevailing at some positive measured inflation rate is the possibility that the HICP as published incorporates measurement errors of ...