The case of the leaked video recording, which shows how the deputy governor of the Bulgarian National Bank, who heads the “Issue” department, plays a leading role in opening the election campaign of a mayoral candidate nominated by “Continuing Change”, is not just another gaffe in our public space. Even secondary questions are questions such as – did he travel in a company car …
More »With the plan to adopt the euro, the government is putting the cart before the horse
In the context of the already numerous internal conflicts in the ruling coalition, which have been going on for months, another one has been brewing in recent weeks, this time regarding the possible introduction of the euro in Bulgaria from January 2024. At the beginning of the month, Finance Minister Assen Vassilev (from "We Continue the Change") tried to push for the introduction of ...
More »We must admit that the euro was a mistake
Author: György Matolcsy, Governor of the Central Bank of Hungary It is time to find a way out of the euro trap. There is a harmful dogma that the euro is the "natural" next step towards the unification of Western Europe. But the common European currency was not natural at all, because almost none of the conditions for its establishment were …
More »The proximity of the eurozone and its risks
In the midst of Brexit, about which I[i] wrote on June 22, 2016[ii] and where nothing unexpected has happened since the then-forecast, and in the midst of domestically important political topics, the approaching expected actions for Bulgaria’s entry into the “eurozone waiting room” and membership in the zone itself were completely forgotten. If we exclude the statements of …
More »Economic indicators - types and application
Most economists have opinions about what stage of the business cycle an economy is in. But if you haven't noticed, many of their predictions turn out to be wrong. For example, Ben Bernanke in 2007 (then chairman of the Federal Reserve) predicted that the US was not headed for a recession and that …
More »How does the interest rate affect the stock market?
The investment community and financial media pay close attention to interest rates—the price a borrower pays to borrow money—and for good reason. When the U.S. Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC for short), or any other central bank committee, sets a target for …
More »What does the interest rate tell us?
According to mainstream economics, the central bank is the key factor in determining the level of interest rates. By setting short-term interest rates and based on expectations about the future course of its interest rate policy, it influences the entire structure of interest rates. It follows that economic players have almost no …
More »Guest article: Who wins and who loses from “export promotion”?
Since the currency board was introduced in Bulgaria 17 years ago, every now and then some political pundit appears in the Bulgarian press to tell us that it is harmful to the Bulgarian economy. Now, I might agree with the statement in principle, considering that any …
More »What did we learn from the first Fed meeting with Yellen's participation?
The first meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) with the participation of the new Fed Chair Janet Yellen rather surprised the markets with Yellen's statement that within six months (i.e., March 2015 at the earliest) after the end of the current Fed program...
More »The new Fed chairman or more of the same that doesn't work
As Ben Bernanke's term as Federal Reserve Chairman nears its end, the question of what the central bank's future policy will be is becoming increasingly pressing. Will Janet Yellen, President Obama's nominee to replace Bernanke, continue the Fed's current loose monetary policy, or can we expect a gradual withdrawal...
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EKIP– Expert Club for Economics and Politics A Different Opinion