In New Jersey, private-sector job growth was quite robust in the fourth quarter, despite a small dip in December. New York State, in contrast, slowed more in December and has seen only minimal job gains since we last met in August. 2  For more information, see Indexes of Coincident Economic Indicators on the New York Fed website. BIS central bankers’ speeches  3  Job growth in the region no longer appears to be out-performing the nation, and regional unemployment rates remain unacceptably high: at around 9 percent in both New York City and New Jersey, and close to 8 percent across New York State. Turning to New York City, the local job market, which had been quite resilient during and after the recession, has lagged recently – partly reflecting weakness in the city’s securities industry. Still, the Big Apple has recovered over half of the jobs lost during the recession, whereas the nation has recouped only about a third of its job losses thus far. Despite recent weakness in the securities industry, other industries, such as tourism, and professional and business services, have fared reasonably well in the City. Weakness in financial activities industry – and securities in particular – is worrisome because this sector has tended to drive overall local growth and provide a major source of tax revenue for the city and the state. The New York Fed also conducts the Empire State Manufacturing Survey to track conditions for regional manufacturers.
Ardian Fullani: Recent economic and financial developments in Albania Speech by Mr Ardian Fullani, Governor of the Bank of Albania, at the press conference on monetary policy decision of the Bank of Albania’s Supervisory Council, Tirana, 25 May 2011. *  *  *  Today, on 25 May 2011, the Bank of Albania’s Supervisory Council reviewed and approved the monthly Monetary Policy Report. Based on a thorough analysis of Albania’s latest economic and monetary developments and discussions on their outlook, the Supervisory Council decided to maintain the key interest rate unchanged, at 5.25%. The Supervisory Council judges that the current monetary conditions are appropriate to meet inflation target and continue the economic activity stimulus. Let me proceed with an overview of economic developments and main issues discussed at today’s meeting. *** The Albanian economy continues to maintain a positive development trend. Recovery in domestic demand over the first four months of the year and the positive contribution of external demand, have impacted on positive growth of the Albanian economy. Also, the major macroeconomic balances have remained stable and the financial system indicators appear to have generally improved. Following the shock of February, CPI inflation has followed a downward trajectory, reflecting the subdued inflationary pressures on the economy and Albanian financial markets. Available data on 2011 Q1 show that the economic activity has registered growth; however, the persistence of some spare capacity suggests that this growth remains below potential.