April 15, 2006 Issues in Inflation Targeting: A Summary of the Bank of Canada Conference Held 28-29 April 2005 Bank of Canada Review - Spring 2006 Robert Amano, Raphael Solomon The Bank of Canada's 2005 conference focused on two critical issues: price-level targets versus inflation targets, and the appropriate level of inflation. Session topics included new methodological approaches to examining the validity of the New Keynesian Phillips curve for Canada; the monetary policy implications of border effects and the financial-accelerator model; the zero lower bound on nominal interest rates; and inflation and welfare in general-equilibrium macroeconomic models. A panel of invited speakers discussed the issues of each session, and two distinguished speakers gave their perspectives on inflation. Content Type(s): Publications, Bank of Canada Review articles Topic(s): Inflation and prices, Inflation targets, Monetary policy framework
April 14, 2006 Trends in Retail Payments and Insights from Public Survey Results Bank of Canada Review - Spring 2006 Varya Taylor While the volume and value of bank notes have continued to increase, the use of cash as a payment method has been affected by the growing use of electronic alternatives. Taylor reports on a 2004 Bank of Canada survey of consumers' payment habits and their perceptions of cash and its alternatives, including their confidence in the security of bank notes. Analysis of the survey results shows that numerous factors affect the demand for bank notes, including income, age, education, gender, the use of debit and credit cards, and the perceived convenience of cash. Taylor also includes a report on the construction of a bank note confidence index that will serve as a benchmark for future surveys. Content Type(s): Publications, Bank of Canada Review articles Topic(s): Bank notes
April 13, 2006 Summary of the CFEC Survey on Foreign Exchange Hedging In December 2005, the Bank of Canada sent those banks that are members of the Canadian Foreign Exchange Committee (CFEC) a questionnaire that focused on the foreign exchange hedging activities of their corporate customers. Content Type(s): Press, Market notices Source(s): Canadian Foreign Exchange Committee
April 12, 2006 The Evolution of the Government of Canada's Debt Distribution Framework Bank of Canada Review - Spring 2006 Marc Pellerin This overview includes a brief history highlighting the government's use of the primary and secondary markets to develop a framework for distributing its debt securities to financial market intermediaries and end investors. The framework is also intended to meet the government's debt-strategy objectives of raising stable, low-cost funding and maintaining a well-functioning debt market. Pellerin reviews the government's adoption of a new framework in 1998 as well as the 2005 modifications aimed at attracting continued broad and competitive participation in government auctions. Content Type(s): Publications, Bank of Canada Review articles Topic(s): Debt management, Financial markets
April 7, 2006 2006/07 Debt Strategy Consultations - Summary of Comments Today, a Summary of Comments/Debt Strategy 2006/07 is being published on the Bank's website in conjunction with the release of the government's Debt Management Strategy for 2006/07 on the Department of Finance's website. Content Type(s): Press, Market notices
April 7, 2006 Bank of Canada Reassures Canada Savings Bond Payroll Savings Program Clients Following Successful Fraud Investigation Media Relations Ottawa, Ontario The Bank of Canada today expressed its satisfaction with the successful investigation by the RCMP and the Ottawa Police Service of an incidence of fraudulent activity related to a small number of Canada Savings Bond Payroll Savings Program accounts. Content Type(s): Press, Press releases
April 7, 2006 Summary of Comments – 2006/07 Debt Strategy Consultations In November 2005, officials from the Department of Finance and the Bank of Canada sought views from Government Securities Distributors and institutional investors on a number of issues related to the design and operation of domestic debt programs.
April 4, 2006 The Conduct of Monetary Policy: Dealing with Changes in the Terms of Trade Remarks Pierre Duguay School of Business, Okanagan College Kelowna, British Columbia The ultimate goal of Canadian monetary policy is to help our economy achieve its maximum sustainable growth, and thus contribute to rising living standards for Canadians. The best way to achieve this goal, we've learned from experience, is to keep inflation low, stable, and predictable. Content Type(s): Press, Speeches and appearances, Remarks
Forecasting Commodity Prices: GARCH, Jumps, and Mean Reversion Staff Working Paper 2006-14 Jean-Thomas Bernard, Lynda Khalaf, Maral Kichian, Sebastien McMahon Fluctuations in the prices of various natural resource products are of concern in both policy and business circles; hence, it is important to develop accurate price forecasts. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Topic(s): Econometric and statistical methods JEL Code(s): C, C5, C52, C53, E, E3, E37
April 4, 2006 Bank of Canada to Upgrade $5 Bank Note Media Relations Ottawa, Ontario The Bank of Canada today announced that it will issue a $5 note with upgraded security features beginning 15 November 2006 as part of its ongoing effort to improve the security of Canadian bank notes. Content Type(s): Press, Press releases