November 19, 1998
Posts
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November 19, 1998
Opening Statement before the Standing Senate Committee on Banking, Trade and Commerce
Mr. Chairman, my colleagues and I always welcome our appearances before your committee. We released our latest Monetary Policy Report this past Monday. It covers a broad range of economic and monetary issues and provides an account of our policy actions and their results. The ultimate objective of Canadian monetary policy is to help create […] -
November 18, 1998
Bank Rate Lowered by ¼ Percentage Point to 5¼ Per Cent
The Bank of Canada today lowered its Bank Rate by ¼ of one percentage point to 5¼ per cent. -
November 17, 1998
Opening Statement before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance
Mr. Chairman, my colleagues and I welcome these appearances before your committee following each edition of the Bank of Canada’s Monetary Policy Report. As you know, we published our latest report yesterday. It touches on a wide range of economic and monetary issues and provides an opportunity for us to account for our policy actions […] -
November 16, 1998
Monetary Policy Report – November 1998
During the past six months, global economic uncertainties have intensified, largely as a result of developments in emerging-market economies. -
November 16, 1998
Release of the Monetary Policy Report
This morning we released our eighth Monetary Policy Report. The period since our last report has certainly been an eventful one from a monetary policy perspective. During the past six months, global economic uncertainties intensified, particularly following Russia's decision in August to declare a debt moratorium. Many emerging market countries were faced with large capital […] -
November 16, 1998
Bank of Canada Governor comments on release of the Monetary Policy Report
Bank of Canada Governor Gordon Thiessen today commented on the release of the Monetary Policy Report for November 1998. -
November 14, 1998
Lower inflation: Benefits and costs
The federal government and the Bank of Canada have been committed for some time to achieving and maintaining price stability as a way to foster a rising standard of living for all Canadians. To support this objective, the inflation-control target range of 1 to 3 per cent was recently extended through to the end of 2001. By then, the government and the Bank plan to announce a long-run target for monetary policy. In this article, the authors provide an overview of the most recent empirical evidence on the benefits of lower inflation. They draw on an extensive earlier survey and on work presented at two recent conferences on price stability hosted by the Bank of Canada. They find that, when inflation and tax interactions are taken into account, there are large benefits to lowering inflation. When these benefits are compared with the transitional costs associated with lowering inflation, significant positive benefits remain. However, the authors note that the extension of the inflation-control targets to the end of 2001 allows further research to ensure an operational definition of price stability that will help Canadians achieve a high standard of living. -
November 14, 1998
Bank of Canada Review - Autumn 1998
Cover page
Ottoman five-kurush piece
This piece is silver and about the size of a twenty-five cent piece. It forms part of the National Currency Collection at the Bank of Canada.
Photography by James Zagon.
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November 13, 1998
Currency crises and fixed exchange rates in the 1990s: A review
Currency crises in the 1990s, especially those in emerging markets, have sharply disrupted economic activity, affecting not only the country experiencing the crisis, but also those with trade, investment, and geographic links. The authors review the theoretical literature and empirical evidence regarding these crises. They conclude that their primary cause is a fixed nominal exchange rate combined with macroeconomic imbalances, such as current account or fiscal deficits, that the market perceives as unsustainable at the prevailing real exchange rate. They also conclude that currency crises can be prevented through the adoption of sound monetary and fiscal policies, effective regulation and supervision of the financial sector, and a more flexible nominal exchange rate.