Speculative attack against the Hungarian forint

In mid-January 2003 a severe speculative attack was launched against the exchange rate of the Hungarian forint. The attack was very unusual in the history of foreign exchange speculations, since it was aimed at enforcing the appreciation — and not the depreciation — of the currency targeted. The specific nature of this kind of speculation is closely related to Hungary’s accession to the European Union in general and to EMU in particular. Since the other Central and Eastern European acceding countries face similar problems and challenges, the Hungarian experience may involve some instructive lessons on monetary and economic policy for them too.     

Costs and benefits of EU enlargement

While the political benefits of the coming EU enlargement are relatively easy to identify, its economic and financial consequences are less unequivocal. The following article examines the likely costs and benefits of enlargement to both existing and future Members, and in particular how it will affect Germany, one of the few present EU Member States which has direct borders with acceding states. The article expresses the personal opinions of the author.     

The New Economy is dead,long live the information economy

The arrival of the 2001–2003 recession caused many to suppose that the so-called “New Economy” was now defunct. This article addresses a number of related issues, including the question of the durability and viability of business cycles in the face of the technological developments of the information age. It asks what went wrong with the New Economy and examines its characteristics as well as its remaining possibilities and prospects for the future. Finally, it considers the spread of the Information Economy to Europe, especially to Germany, the country that one might expect to be the leading European player, but which is not at present actually a strong competitor for that role.     

美国注册会计师行业面临的困境及对我国的启示

随着美国大批跨国巨头财务丑闻纷纷落马，美国知名会计师事务所也因参与或涉嫌造假，出具虚假审计报告而被接二连三地曝光，美国整个注册会计师行业面临着诚信危机。通过回顾美国注册会计师行业的发展历程及我国注册会计师行业现状的透视，从四个方面提出了美国注册会计师行业给现状同样不容乐观的中国注册会计师行业的启示：(1)加强注册会计师行业诚信意识的培育，并明确诚信责任；(2)完善注册会计师行业相关制度的建设并严格执行；(3)合理规范与调整会计师事务所业务范围；(4)加快整合步伐，积极锻造自身的品牌。