Member Views

US must strengthen IMF at February G20 meeting

G20 finance ministers and central bank governors gather on 17-18 February for their first meeting of the year under the Indonesian presidency. Amid high-profile topics including global macro discussions about inflation, key issues beneath the surface could challenge the International Monetary Fund’s global leadership role.

US Treasury’s IMF Worldview:  Multilateralism, More Macroeconomics, Domestic Realities

19th St. and the rest of the world may not be fully pleased*

US-China Business Council VP says there’s a 50/50 chance a trade deal will done

“I think there's at least a 50/50 possibility of it at this point,” U.S.-China Business Council VP Erin Ennis told Fox Business’ “Countdown to the Closing Bell Opens a New Window. ” on Tuesday.

Venezuela Is in a Humanitarian Crisis

William R. Rhodes, Bretton Woods Committee Advisory Council Member and Global Advisors CEO, says Venezuela is in the midst of a health crisis. He speaks on "Bloomberg Markets." (Source: Bloomberg)

Video: The switch to natural gas is a half-way solution before we have more reliable renewable options

Jason Schenker, president of Prestige Economics, discusses concerns for high natural gas prices amid news that Russia plans to fill its European storage sites starting next month and U.S. natural gas storage data numbers that came out today. Schenker says that supply is a concern as global moves away from coal are adding pressure to the market. He says that from a supply standpoint North America is much more secure in natural gas accessibility than Europe.

Virtual Cash Will Survive the Crypto Winter

The Bretton Woods Committee is proud to Member Spotlight BWC Chair William C. Dudley who recently authored a Bloomberg article on the capacity of CBDCs to make the financial system more useful to greater numbers of people and the need for international standard-setting.

“I believe they [CBDCs] still have ample potential to fulfil the promise of a more efficient and inclusive financial world. But their impact will likely be more evolutionary than revolutionary. CBDCs are coming, because they represent a big upgrade over money as we know it," said Dudley.

Visualizing the Debt Service Drag on Developing Country Governments

The G7 countries pledged a massive scale-up in support of developing-country financing at their recent summit in the UK.

Wall Street Journal Bestselling Business Books

BWC member Paul Sheard's new book The Power of Money recently reached The Wall Street Journal's bestselling list for business books.

Bretton Woods Committee congratulates Paul on this achievement!

War-Torn Country Banking Systems Beg Repair

Small policy decisions and temporary fixes are often offered at the beginning of a conflict, but IFIs need to begin making larger reforms sooner instead of postponing them. This way, economic systems can heal holistically instead of receiving temporary band-aids.

Warning Signs of a "Volcker Moment"

Paul Volcker, the former Federal Reserve chairman who was my longtime friend and officemate, died at the end of 2019 before Covid-19 swept the planet.