The financial crisis showed, once again, that neglecting real estate booms can have disastrous consequences. In this paper, we spell out the circumstances under which a more active policy agenda on this front would be justified. Then, we offer tentative insights on the pros and cons as well as...

This selected issues paper on Iceland reports that since mid-2009, Iceland has undergone a heavily frontloaded fiscal consolidation program to bring government finances to a sustainable level. To maintain the adjustment gains achieved during the last 21⁄2 years, the authorities have started...

This paper discusses instruments and operating procedures of the conduct of monetary policy in the major industrial countries. The exchange rate mechanism of the European Monetary System (EMS) provides clear evidence of the role of exchange rates in influencing monetary policy; the commitment of...

This paper summarizes the IMF advice on the ruble area as it was presented to the national authorities in Russia, the Baltic countries, and other states of the former Soviet Union in 1991-93. In the course of doing so, the paper corrects some misperceptions that have arisen about the IMF''s...

In recent years, many money and repo rates in the United States have been between zero and 25 basis points. As Fed's liftoff approaches, the question of the level of these rates (and the markets that determine them) becomes increasingly important. The paper discusses (i) whether the Fed can...