A further means of enhancing confidence and reducing vulnerability is to establish contingency plans, i.e. measures that will be resorted to should problems still arise in spite of all preparations. Such plans are not something that should be unique to the change of millennium; they should always exist in organisations in the financial sector. Many of the measures that have been taken in preparation for the transition to the year 2000 have focused on questions related to confidence. A high degree of confidence in financial markets is important if the markets are to function efficiently. For this reason, anxiety that the functioning of the market may be impaired or a lack of confidence in the payment systems, are enough in themselves to constitute a problem. 1  BIS Review 97/1999  Lately, comments have frequently centred around possible liquidity problems. However, the exact significance invested in the word liquidity is often unclear, as is what, fundamentally, could lead to problems. The word liquidity means “the capacity to quickly obtain funds for the settlement of debts”.1 In practice, the word liquidity is used to express a variety of phenomena. In my opinion, therefore, it may be appropriate to take a closer look at the concept of liquidity and to clarify the role played by the Riksbank in managing liquidity. The comment that liquidity in the market is poor often describes a situation in which major price changes occur even when turnover is low. To use market jargon, the market is said to be thin.
Maria Merian, one such famous artist from the 17th century, was recently celebrated for her works at an exhibition at Buckingham Palace last October. Merian’s work which featured detailed drawings of plants and insects are preserved to this day in private and academic collections all over the world. I confess I knew nothing about Maria before this week. Having now seen specimens of her incredible body of work, I can only imagine the sensation she would have created in her time with the quality and eye for detail that brought her drawings to life – and on a subject like insects, of all things, which were her passion. They are immensely, strikingly beautiful. We hope the artists of ‘Nature Nurtured’ will receive the same appreciation. The artists in this exhibition do much more than record what anybody with a handphone can manage these days. They immerse us in the natural wonders that surround us, from the bustling cities to the more distant hinterlands. Whatever the setting, every one of the artists has a visual story to tell, informed by research and many hours spent to observe and understand the subjects of their artistic creations. These are not just snapshots, in many ways they tell us as much about the artist as they do their subjects. If people centuries ago could be thrilled by pictures of insects, then surely these artists can reignite a deeper appreciation in all of us of our environment.