Bertie's legacy

By: Alan Ahearne, Bruegel and NUI Galway

As Bertie Ahern's ten-year tenure comes to an end, so does Ireland's extraordinary economic boom.

House prices have 30-40% more to fall

By: Wolfgang Münchau

Here is an interview with me on CNBC on the housing market situation in western Europe and the US.

How worried is the ECB about inflation?

We believe that the ECB does not like to admit in public that a inflation threat can suddenly evaporate while policy remains unaltered. But this does not change the basic fact that we are heading towards weaker growth and lower interest rates.

The times they are a-changin’…

This Thursday, the ECB will leave interest rates unchanged. The strength in the euro and the tight credit market conditions have already led to a significant tightening in policy.

The economic consequences of the Bernanke put

The Bank of England has bailed a bulding society. The Fed has bailed out Wall Street. ECB Watch looks at the consequences of the Bernanke put for the immediate future, and for the long-term viability of inflation targeting.

What has gotten into Mervyn King?

The day after Mervyn King lectures the ECB about moral hazards, he bails out a reckless mortgage lender. The govenor and his central bank now look like fools.

The ECB and its Watchers - almost a decade

A couple of points from the ninth annual conference "The ECB and its Watchers", held in Frankfurt, on Friday, September 7. A debate about euro area accession, and some theories about the credit crisis.