But it also presents us with many challenges: First, we must remember that our petroleum resources are part of our national wealth. When oil is extracted and sold, natural assets are transformed into financial wealth. Norway’s national wealth belongs not only to our generation, but also to future generations. This means that our petroleum wealth must be equitably distributed between generations. The authorities must therefore exercise fiscal discipline, taking into account long-term considerations. Moreover, the size of the cash flow from petroleum activities varies considerably. If petroleum revenues were to be used as they accrue, this would lead to considerable fluctuations in demand in the Norwegian economy, amplifying cyclical fluctuations as a result. Third, the use of petroleum revenues will have an impact on competitiveness in Norwegian business and industry. A high level and wide fluctuations in the use of petroleum revenues will have a negative impact on the operating parameters for internationally exposed industries. It is important that we succeed in maintaining an industry structure that promotes learning, innovation and development. The Government Petroleum Fund was established in 1990 with a view to safeguarding long-term considerations in the use of petroleum revenues. In March 2001, the fiscal rule and new guidelines for monetary policy were introduced. The fiscal rule implies that the central government budget deficit shall be equivalent over time to the expected real return on the Government Petroleum Fund. The new guidelines for economic policy received broad support in the Storting.
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.