On behalf of the Supervisory Board I would like to thank Lilja Steinþórsdóttir for our pleasant work together. In her place, the Supervisory Board appointed Stefán Svavarsson Chief Auditor. Financial institutions compete fiercely for talented employees, which is not surprising given the pace at which the Icelandic banks’ activities have expanded. It is vital for the Central Bank to have as capable employees as possible in its service. It must take prevailing conditions into account to ensure that this is the case. On the Supervisory Board in 2006, Ólafur G. Einarsson resigned from the post of Chairman which he held since 1998. Helgi S. Guðmundsson was elected Chairman in his place. On behalf of the Supervisory Board I would like to thank Ólafur G. Einarsson for his particularly successful leadership during his years as chairman. The Supervisory Board held 22 meetings during the year. I would like to thank the members of the Supervisory Board for their pleasant cooperation and fine work. I also thank the Board of Governors and employees of the Bank for their very good work during the year and fruitful collaboration with the Supervisory Board. 2  BIS Review 34/2007
Unlike earlier episodes of high oil prices, which were driven largely by temporary supply constraints, the recent increase in the demand for oil has been reflected in higher prices for future delivery as well as higher spot prices. Similar rises are apparent in the market for gas. The signpost marked higher energy prices points us towards ways of using less energy, to alternative energy sources and to new sources of oil production such as the Canadian tar sands. BIS Review 9/2006  1  The first two signposts point us in the right direction. But the path has not been easy to follow. We have seen movements - in both directions - in inflation, consumer spending and output growth. Interest rates too have moved both up and down in order to maintain overall stability of the economy by keeping consumer price inflation close to the 2% target. The reasons for those changes have been explained in the minutes of the Monetary Policy Committee meetings and in our Inflation Report. Tonight, I want to look a little further ahead, to the challenges for monetary policy posed by a third signpost - the recent fall in long-term interest rates. The development of an integrated world capital market means that these now depend on savings and investment decisions elsewhere in the world as well as here at home. Investors seem to be willing to lend to governments at much lower interest rates than for many a year.