Federal Reserve Bank
of San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank
of San Francisco

John C. Williams’ Speeches

Speeches by former President John C. Williams.

  • Monetary Policy in an Era of Crises

    The enormous and prolonged economic fallout from the global financial crisis and the subsequent deleveraging have convincingly demonstrated the need to mitigate the risk of crisis. We should have known this from the work of Carmen Reinhart and Ken Rogoff (2009), but the lesson has finally stuck. My topic this afternoon centers on the role […]

  • Unconventional Monetary Policy: Lessons from the Past Three Years1

    Thank you for the kind introduction and for giving me the opportunity to address this very distinguished group in the beautiful city of Zurich.  The Swiss National Bank’s annual research conference has established itself as one of the world’s most substantive forums for discussion of monetary policy issues.  The theme selected for this year’s conference, […]

  • Risk Management and Macroprudential Supervisory Policies

    Welcome to the San Francisco Fed and our beautiful city by the Bay.  I want to extend a special greeting to those of you who have come all the way from Asia to join us.  I’m sorry that other commitments kept me from joining you yesterday.  I’m sure though that Mohamed El-Erian’s keynote address set […]

  • The Outlook for the U.S. Economy and Role for Monetary Policy1

    Thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak here today. I want especially to pay my respects to Admiral Biesel, whose remarks remind us what America is capable of when we face a challenge. I’m very glad to be in Seattle, a city known for its excellent quality of life, natural beauty, and rich […]

  • The Outlook for the Economy and Monetary Policy1

    Thank you very much for coming today. It’s a pleasure to be here in Salt Lake City. You’ve got nearly everything here—mountains, desert, and, of course, the lake. In fact, as a native Californian, I would say the only thing that’s missing is the ocean. My subject today is the outlook for the economy. We […]

  • Economics Instruction and the Brave New World of Monetary Policy1

    Good evening and welcome to the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. It’s a special pleasure to have you with us. As Chairman Bernanke has noted, economics education is “a critical component of the Federal Reserve’s mission.”2 You are the ones who teach this often confounding subject—not only to those who will follow careers in […]

  • Maintaining Price Stability in a Global Economy1

    Good afternoon and thank you for coming. I particularly want to thank Town Hall Los Angeles for organizing this event. It’s a great pleasure to be here. I became president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco just two months ago. In fact, this is my first opportunity to speak in a […]