Inflation in developing Asia: pass‐through from global food and oil price shocks

The world economy experienced a sharp spike in food and oil prices during 2007 and 2008. In light of developing Asia's dependence on imported oil and food, we can expect higher global food and oil prices to result in higher domestic consumer prices in the region. However, the actual impact of the global commodity shocks on consumer price inflation in developing Asia depends on a number of other factors, including government policy measures. The objective of this paper is to examine empirically the extent of the pass‐through of global food and oil prices to domestic consumer prices in nine countries in the region. The main empirical result is that the magnitude of the pass‐through has been limited. Government policy measures, for example, subsidies and price controls, played a role in reducing or delaying the pass‐through of oil and food price increases to domestic prices.     

Commodity prices and global economic activity

Commodity prices provide useful information about current and future global economic activity. First, we show that overall commodity prices indeed tend to comove with economic activity. Second, we try to extract the global demand factor(s) using many commodity prices. While commodity prices reflect both demand and supply factors, by relying on a wide variety of commodity prices, supply shocks can be filtered out as they tend to be commodity-specific idiosyncratic shocks except for widespread supply disruptions confined to a few historical periods. In this paper, we then show that factors extracted from commodity prices movement contain useful information to nowcast and forecast global GDP and industrial production.     

Global commodity prices and global stock market volatility shocks: Effects across countries

We investigate the time-varying dynamics of global stock market volatility, commodity prices, domestic output and consumer prices. We find (i) stock market volatility and commodity price shocks impact each other and the economy in a gradual and endogenous adjustment process, (ii) impact of commodity price shock on global stock market volatility is significant during global financial crises, (iii) effects of global stock market volatility on the US output are amplified by endogenous commodity price responses, (iv) effects of global stock market volatility shocks on the economy are heterogeneous across nations and relatively larger in twelve developed countries, (v) four developing/small economies are more vulnerable to commodity price shocks.     

Revisiting the Phillips curve for India and inflation forecasting

This paper focuses on modeling and forecasting inflation in India using an augmented Phillips curve framework. Both demand and supply factors are seen as drivers of inflation. Demand conditions are found to have a stronger impact on non-food manufactured products (NFMP) inflation vis-a-vis headline wholesale price inflation; moreover, NFMP inflation is found to be more persistent than headline inflation. Both these findings support the use of NFMP inflation as a core measure of inflation. But, the impact of global non-fuel commodities on NFMP inflation is found to be substantial. Inflation in non-fuel commodities is seen as a more important driver of domestic inflation rather than fuel inflation. The exchange rate pass-through coefficient is found to be modest, but nonetheless sharp depreciation in a short period of time can add to inflationary pressures. The estimated equations show a satisfactory in sample as well as out-of-sample performance based on dynamic simulations. Nonetheless, forecasting challenges emanate from volatility in international oil and other commodity prices and domestic food supply dynamics.     

Commodity Prices, Inflationary Pressures, and Monetary Policy: Evidence from BRICS Economies

We assess the transmission of monetary policy and the impact of fluctuations in commodity prices on the real economy for the five biggest and fastest growing emerging market economies: Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS). Using modern econometric techniques, we show that a monetary policy contraction has a negative effect on output, suggesting that it can lean against unexpected macroeconomic shocks even when the financial markets are not well-developed in this group of countries. We also uncover the importance of commodity price shocks, which lead to a rise in inflation and demand an aggressive behaviour from central banks towards inflation stabilisation.     

Determinants of inflation in India

The paper attempts to identify the determinants of inflation in India in a multivariate econometric framework using quarterly data from Q1: 1996–1997 to Q3: 2013–2014. The identified determinants of domestic inflation such as crude oil prices, output gap, fiscal policy and monetary policy, and their relation with inflation is studied in a structural vector auto regression (SVAR) model. Further, the temporal changes in inflation dynamics are analyzed using a time varying parameter SVAR model with stochastic volatility. It was found that inflation dynamics in India have changed over time with various determinants showing significant time variation in the recent years, particularly after the global financial crisis.     

20世纪70年代以来的石油和宏观经济

石油价格的提高已经被广泛地认定为是导致衰退、过度通涨、生产率下降和低经济增长的罪魁。本文将重新检验支持上述观点的依据。首先,指出把石油价格冲击解释为宏观经济波动的核心原因时所遇到的那些概念性的困难,然后追溯石油价格冲击论者是如何解释这些困难的。其次,对认为油价波动至少是美国宏观经济的一个外生变量的观点提出异议。批判性地检验那些导致很多经济学家将外生政治事件作为石油市场模型核心因素的证据,还提出了宏观经济变量与油价的"反向因果关系"的证据。再次,尽管近期的石油价格冲击没有一次被认为导致了美国的经济滞胀,石油价格冲击假说仍然被广泛认为能够解释美国20世纪70年代的滞胀。我们要证明事实并非如此。     

Oil price shocks and producer prices in Taiwan: an application of non-linear error-correction models

This study estimated the short-term and long-term pass-through effects of oil prices on inflation in Taiwan from 1981M1-2011M5, employing the producer price general index and various basic sub-indices for evaluation. The empirical results show that oil prices have long-term and short-term pass-through effects on Taiwan’s producer price indices. Moreover, producer prices have significant non-linear error-correction relationships with the oil price, output and wages, suggesting asymmetric and time-variant properties of error correction. When the deviation of price in the equilibrium is greater, the error-correction adjustment will be faster. Our findings could therefore enable the monetary authorities and manufacturers to formulate a more effective policy from the oil price shocks.     

我国通货膨胀成因解析--基于开放经济体DSGE模型的研究

为定量探讨国内外各种经济冲击如何影响我国通货膨胀及其解释力大小,本文构建出一个符合中国经济特性的开放经济体系动态随机一般均衡（ DSGE）模型,并基于1997-2013年季度数据进行贝斯估计。研究结果表明本文模型可以很好地匹配主要宏观变量的数据特性。通过模型对通货膨胀的方差分解发现,我国通货膨胀波动最主要解释因素依次为生产技术冲击、货币政策冲击、及国外价格冲击。藉由模型对通货膨胀的历史拆解发现,样本期间内2002Q2-2004Q3、2006Q3-2008Q1、及2009Q2-2011Q3三轮通胀上升周期中最主要推动因素分别为投资效率冲击、国外价格冲击、及货币政策冲击。     

Exchange Rate and Inflation Dynamics in a Resource Rich Setting: The Case of Zambia

This paper investigates the relationship between copper prices, the exchange rate and consumer price inflation in Zambia using a structural vector autoregression with quarterly data for 1995–2014 and a combination of sign and zero restrictions to identify relevant global and domestic shocks. The paper makes two contributions. First, it provides new measures of exchange rate pass through (ERPT), based on less restrictive assumptions than previous estimates, to show how changes in the value of the kwacha are reflected in changes in consumer prices (distinguishing food and non‐food inflation). Second, the ERPT is disaggregated to demonstrate that measured ERPT depends on the nature of the shock, with implications for policy responses. Although the price of copper is the most important driver of the exchange rate, the fluctuations it caused are associated with a low pass‐through of about 7% (consistent with a period of relatively low inflation). Exchange rate fluctuations caused by monetary shocks, in contrast, come with a pass‐through of up to 25% (and even more for food prices). A fast response by monetary authorities can mitigate the adverse effects of exchange rate shocks.     

农产品价格影响因素的文献综述

理清近年来农产品价格大幅度上涨的原因对于建立农产品目标价格制度显得尤为重要。从国别视角出发来对现有关于农产品价格影响因素的研究进行了综述,其中国内因素视角分为农产品生产成本、城乡居民收入、货币供给量、国内通货膨胀四个小专题,国际因素视角分为国际农产品价格、国际石油价格、汇率、其他外部因素四个小专题。最后指出,影响农产品价格的因素主要还是供求状况,其他因素要么是通过影响农产品的供求来影响价格,要么对农产品价格的影响程度不大,或者是不同学者得出了不同的结论。     

Pass-through Effects of Global Commodity Prices on China＇s Inflation： An Empirical Investigation

The present paper uses a two-step approach to estimate the pass-through effects of changes in international commodity prices and the RMB exchange rate on domestic consumer price inflation in China. We first estimate the pass-through effects of international commodity prices on producer prices and then estimate the pass-through effects of producer price inflation on consumer price inflation. We find that a l O-percent increase in international commodity prices would lead to China＇ s producer prices increasing by 1.2 percent 3 months later, which in turn would increase China＇ s domestic inflation by 0.24 percent over the same period. However, a 10-percent appreciation of the RMB exchange rate against the US dollar would help to reduce increases in producer prices by 4.4 percent over the following 3 months, which in turn would lead to a 0. 89-percent decline in consumer price inflation over the same period. Our findings suggest that appreciation of the RMB in an environment of rising global commodity prices and a weak US dollar could be an effective instrument to help contain inflation in China.     

The role of import prices in flattening the Phillips curve: Evidence from Korea

Are global inflation synchronization and the flattening of the Phillips curve across the globe related? The globalization hypothesis has been proposed to explain the relationship but questions remain on its quantitative role. Focusing on South Korea, one of Asia-Pacific supply chain hubs, this paper investigates the extent to which import prices affect domestic price inflation over the period between 2002 and 2020. Specifically, we conduct the regression decomposition method to identify major sources of variation in domestic inflation, followed by a subsequent set of comparative analyses across various inflation forecasting models. Our findings confirm a tight link from import prices to domestic prices, with a 10pp increase in IPI inflation passed onto PPI and CPI inflation by 3.9pp and 3.4pp over time, respectively. The main finding of this study is consistent with the recent global inflation surge that has been driven largely by imported food and energy price channels.     

我国食品消费价格指数的灰色关联分析

近期我国出现了食品类商品价格的持续性上涨,导致了居民消费价格指数(CPI)的不断上涨和居民生活成本的提高,新一轮的通货膨胀预期在不断加重。本文运用灰色关联分析法,深入分析了我国的食品价格指数与哪些商品价格有关联,而又在多大程度上影响了CPI的上涨,最终说明食品价格上涨不会导致全面通货膨胀的爆发。     

The impact of world oil price shocks on macroeconomic variables in Vietnam: the transmission through domestic oil price

This study examines the impact of world oil price shocks on macroeconomic variables in Vietnam with a focus on the transmission channel of domestic oil prices. The Structural Vector Autoregression model with two blocks of real economy variables and monetary variables is employed. The world oil price follows an autoregressive process to reflect the exogenous nature of world oil price shocks to the domestic economy. The retail domestic oil price is determined simultaneously by only the world oil price due to the government's control of the domestic oil market. Using monthly data in the period between 2009 and 2021, the study indicates that a positive shock to world oil prices will increase the domestic oil prices significantly, industrial production (slightly and only statistically significant in the third month after), and inflation (significantly in 8 months). Besides, the domestic oil price is not the only transmission channel of world oil price shocks to the economy. This result implies forecasting, assessing, and controlling the impact of the world oil price shock on the economy should focus on both domestic oil prices and other indirect channels.     

On the Sources of Inflation in Kenya: A Model‐Based Approach

We develop a semi‐structural new‐Keynesian open‐economy model – with separate food and non‐food inflation dynamics to study the sources of inflation in Kenya in recent years. To do so, we filter international and Kenyan data (on output, inflation and its components, exchange rates and interest rates) through the model to recover a model‐based decomposition of most variables into trends (or potential values) and temporary movements (or gaps) – including for the international and domestic relative price of food. We use the filtration exercise to recover the sequence of domestic and foreign macroeconomic shocks that account for business cycle dynamics in Kenya over the last few years, with a special emphasis on the various factors (international food prices, monetary policy) driving inflation. We find that while imported food price shocks have been an important source of inflation, both in 2008 and more recently, accommodating monetary policy has also played a role, most notably through its effect on the nominal exchange rate. We also discuss the implications of this exercise for the use of model‐based monetary policy analysis in sub‐Saharan African countries.     

石油冲击对“金砖国家”经济增长和通胀的影响

本文从外生性、长期乘子和短期动态乘子研究石油冲击对"金砖国家"经济增长和通货膨胀的影响。文章引入了Bootstrap方法对短期动态乘子进行了统计推断,结果表明:石油价格对"金砖国家"经济具有外生性;长期而言,油价会显著拉动巴西和俄罗斯的经济增长,还会显著推高俄罗斯的通货膨胀;短期而言,油价会显著刺激巴西、俄罗斯和南非的经济增长,还会显著推高俄罗斯、印度和中国的通货膨胀。本文认为,石油冲击不是导致世界经济衰退的主要原因,但它可能是形成全世界范围内通货膨胀不可忽略的重要因素。     

Commodity prices and monetary policy in emerging East Asia during the global financial crisis

In the first phase of the global financial crisis, rising inflation was a major concern for emerging East Asian central banks. Coupled with a slowing US economy, regional central banks faced a monetary policy dilemma of either addressing higher inflation or supporting moderate growth. Higher food and fuel prices were the major drivers of headline inflation. Their causes, however, were a confluence of mutually reinforcing cyclical and structural factors. Understandably, different economies faced a different balance of risks between price stability and growth; but to attribute the inflation to supply shocks alone was misleading. This was unsettling given that inflation and inflation expectations were on the rise, and without much credibility, the reluctance of many central banks to raise interest rates risked repeating the mistake the advanced economies made in the 1970s. Without credibility, inflation expectations are unlikely to be well anchored. To gain credibility, a central bank must ‘walk‐the‐talk’, and understandably it must have the autonomy to do so.     

国际大宗商品期货价格与中国CPI的相关性实证研究

美国次债危机以来大宗初级商品价格持续大幅波动,引发了关于我国大宗初级商品价格上涨是否是导致我国通货膨胀原因的讨论。本文对铜、原油、大豆和糖具有国际代表性的大宗商品价格与我国居民消费价格指数(CPI)进行实证分析,利用协整分析、格兰杰因果检验、脉冲响应函数等计量方法研究了我国大宗初级商品价格变化对CPI的影响。     

国际大宗商品价格冲击、传递效应与中国的通货膨胀动态

本文在Philips曲线设定下,通过扩展该模型实证考察国际大宗商品价格冲击对中国通货膨胀动态的影响作用。本文在线性模型设定以及Markov机制转换设定下考察国际大宗商品价格冲击对中国国内通货膨胀的传递效应。本文实证研究结果表明,国际大宗商品价格动态变化不仅在统计意义上显著地影响着中国通货膨胀动态,而且个别类别的国际大宗商品价格变化对中国通货膨胀动态的传递效应相对明显。最后,结合经验研究结果,本文提供了相关政策建议和启示。