The Taylor Principle and Monetary Policy Approaching a Zero Bound on Nominal Rates: Quantile Regression Results for the United States and Japan

This paper offers a new approach that estimates the response of interest rates to inflation and the output gap at various points (quantiles) on the conditional distribution of interest rates. This offers an improvement on empirical estimates conducted only at the mean and also allows us to test the propositions that policy shows greater aggression to inflation in the reaction function in terms of a greater response coefficient as interest rates reach low levels, and increasing aggression as the lower bound is approached. We find support for the Taylor principle, a more aggressive response to inflation than under a Taylor rule, but no detectable evidence of increasing aggression as the zero lower bound is approached in the US and Japan.     

Determination of inflation in an open economy Phillips curve framework: the case of developed and developing Asian countries

This paper investigates the determination of inflation in the framework of an open economy forward-looking as well as conventional backward-looking Phillips curve for eight Asian countries – Japan, Hong Kong, Korea, Singapore, Philippines, Thailand, China Mainland and India. Using quarterly data from the 1990s to 2005 and applying the instrumental variables estimation technique, we find that the output gap is significant in explaining the inflation rate in almost all the countries. Furthermore, at least one measure of international competitiveness has a statistically significant influence on inflation in all the countries. The differences in the developed and developing world are highlighted by the significance of agriculture related supply shocks in determining inflation in the case of developing countries. For all countries, the forward-looking Phillips curve provides a better fit compared to the backward-looking variant.     

Monetary environments and stock returns: International evidence based on the quantile regression technique

This paper investigates the impact of the local and the US monetary policy environments on stock returns at the different locations on the return distributions. Using data for stock returns and interest rates of 30 countries, the quantile regression technique is employed to estimate the sensitivity of the returns to monetary policy at the different points on the return distributions. The results suggest that higher returns are associated with expansionary monetary policy. Furthermore, some of the stock markets in the sample are found to react to the local, but not the US monetary environments at the lower quantiles while the response at the higher quantiles appears to be sensitive to the US, but not the local monetary conditions. These findings are further supported by the slope equality tests, discussed in Koenker & Bassett (1982), and the analysis of weighted absolute residuals (ANOWAR), proposed by Chen, Ying, Zhang, & Zhao (2008).     

The Postwar Stability of the Fisher Effect

Most research concerning the Fisher relationship has concentrated on the magnitude and significance of the response of nominal interest rates to anticipated inflation. Recently, attention has shifted to the stability of that response. According to previous estimates, the impact of anticipated inflation on interest rates varies substantially over time. By extending a standard model to include tax and aggregate supply shock effects, we are able to reduce such instability considerably. Our results also reveal that increased foreign demand for bonds lowers the interest rate.     

新凯因斯DSGE模型与货币政策法则之汇率动态分析

对于小型开放经济而言,当经济存在价格僵硬的情况下,中央银行在面对不同冲击发生时,各政策法则执行对汇率波动的影响及动态调整过程差异较大。从中国台湾地区的情况为案例来看,在稳定汇率波动方面:当国内技术冲击时,货币法则优于利率法则;当国外通货膨胀时,利率法则优于货币法则;当国外利率冲击时,执行利率法则或货币法则,其结果无显著差异。在汇率动态调整方面:当国外利率调升时,中央银行执行利率法则与货币法则下,汇率的瞬时反应为过度贬值;当国外物价膨胀时,执行利率法则与货币法则下,汇率的瞬时反应表现为立即升值;当国内技术进步冲击时,因为国外冲击对小型开放经济体系影响力道较强,使得国内技术进度对体系的影响相对较小,其中在利率法则下,汇率微幅贬值,而在货币法则下,汇率微幅升值。     

Monetary Policy and the Lost Decade: Lessons from Japan

I investigate how monetary policy can avoid a deflationary slump when policy rates are near zero by studying interest rate policy during Japan's “Lost Decade.” Estimation results suggest that the Bank of Japan's interest rate policy fits a conventional reaction function with an inflation target near 1%. The disapointing economic performance thus seems primarily due to adverse economic shocks rather than extraordinary policy errors. Also, counterfactual policy simulations suggest that simply raising the inflation target would not have substantially improved performance. However, price‐level targeting or combining a higher inflation target with an aggressive output response would have achieved superior stabilization results.     

韩国存款保险制度概况及其启示

随着我国利率市场化进程的推进,银行类金融机构间的竞争日趋激烈,适时建立存款保险制度势在必行。该文通过对韩国存款保险公司的保险对象、保险限额、费率、保险基金构成、主要业务、韩国存款保险公司的监管职能及其在应对危机时所采取的措施进行研究和探讨,为我国存款保险制度的建立提供参考。     

Who drives real interest rates around the Pacific Rim: the USA or Japan?

This paper investigates the relative influence of US and Japanese real interest rates in the determination of local Pacific Rim rates, where influence is defined by the presence of common stochastic trends. Furthermore, the degree to which long-run real interest parity holds is examined. The cointegration testing methodology of Johansen (1988) is adopted for this analysis, which allows for multiple cointegrating vectors. The results indicate that Hong Kong, Malaysia and Taiwan are linked with both the USA and Japan (in terms of cointegration and positive covariation), while only Singapore is solely linked with the USA. On the other hand Korea, and perhaps Indonesia and Thailand appear to be more closely linked with Japan. Real interest parity holds for only the following interest rate pairs: USA-Singapore, USA-Taiwan and Japan-Taiwan.     

Do Expected Shifts in Inflation Affect Estimates of the Long-Run Fisher Relation?

Recent empirical studies suggest that nominal interest rates and expected inflation do not move together one-for-one in the long run, a finding at odds with many theoretical models. This article shows that these results can be deceptive when the process followed by inflation shifts infrequently. We characterize the shifts in inflation by a Markov switching model. Based upon this model's forecasts, we reexamine the long-run relationship between nominal interest rates and inflation. Interestingly, we are unable to reject the hypothesis that in the long run nominal interest rates reflect expected inflation one-for-one.     

利率政策对货币市场的“非对称性”传导

运用事件研究法,检验了2007~2010年在通胀和危机背景下中国10次调整存贷款基准利率对同业拆借市场利率的影响。研究发现,利率调整对市场利率存在非对称性传导效应,主要表现在,降息会使市场利率下降,加息却对短期市场利率产生显著的负向效应。究其原因在于,中国利率市场化程度不高和货币超经济发行导致银行体系内流动性过剩。     

Stock Returns Under High Inflation and Interest Rates: Evidence from the Brazilian Market

We analyze the relationship of high inflation and interest rates with stock returns in Brazil from May 1986 to May 2011, during which Brazil experienced subperiods of both high inflation (May 1986-June 1994) and relative monetary stability (July 1994-May 2011). The result in the total period is dominated by high inflation volatility, and the findings suggest a bidirectional relationship between stock returns and inflation. During the high-inflation subperiod, interest rates are relevant to explain future changes in inflation and stock returns. Under low inflation, movements in interest rates are better anticipated by equity investors, suggesting higher market efficiency than in high-inflation circumstances.     

Are interest rates too low? Empirical evidence and implications for German life insurers

The current financial crisis has reduced government bond yields in Germany, the U.S., the UK and other countries. Low interest rates do create some problems for the European insurance industry. Especially life insurers seem to face some difficulties. The empirical results reported in this paper give support to the point of view that the relationship among German long-term interest rates, consumer price inflation and industrial production has changed significantly in the year 2009. Turning to the important question under which circumstances an increase to interest rates is likely to occur the empirical evidence reported in this paper does indicate that higher inflation rates should be a cause for rising bond yields.     

A monetary policy feedback rule in Korea's fast-growing economy

In Korea's high-growth economy, the Bank of Korea had been willing to tolerate double-digit inflation, provided that it remained at `non-explosive' levels. In this article, we estimate a monetary policy feedback rule for Korea and find that the upper threshold of tolerable inflation for the Bank of Korea was about 20%. It appears that the Bank of Korea's disciplined, rule-like approach to monetary policy was able to control inflation and keep it away from explosive levels, despite the well-known empirical regularity that inflation becomes more variable at higher levels. After 1983, however, our regime-switching model suggests that the inflation target has been 6%. We also find little evidence that the Bank of Korea has targeted real growth, except for a period in the mid-1980s when industrial production growth suggested that the economy was overheating, relative to an implicit growth target of 7.4%. We conclude with a discussion of possible reasons for Korea to choose to stabilize inflation at lower levels since the mid-1980s.     

基于前瞻性泰勒规则对中国通货膨胀目标值估计的实证研究

基于状态空间形式的前瞻性泰勒规则,采用卡尔曼滤波估计方法对中国1992～2008年动态通货膨胀目标值进行估计,结果显示中国的通货膨胀预期目标值较实际水平平滑,1998年之后的通货膨胀目标估计值能够较准确反映中国这一时期真实通货膨胀率预期值;中国历年通货膨胀和产出水平的变化随着利率的变化而顺向变动。结论提示今后中国货币政策可采取把灵活而又规范的通货膨胀目标制与泰勒规则结合的操作框架。     

Inflation targeting,credibility, and non-linear Taylor rules

In this paper we systematically evaluate how central banks respond to deviations from the inflation target. We present a stylized New Keynesian model in which agents' inflation expectations are sensitive to deviations from the inflation target. To (re-) establish credibility, monetary policy under discretion sets higher interest rates today if average inflation exceeded the target in the past. Moreover, the central bank responds non-linearly to past inflation gaps. This is reflected in an additional term in the central bank's instrument rule, which we refer to as the ”credibility loss.” Augmenting a standard Taylor (1993) rule with the latter term, we provide empirical evidence for the interest rate response for a sample of five inflation targeting (IT) economies. We find, first, that past deviations from IT feed back into the reaction function and that this influence is economically meaningful. Deterioration in credibility (ceteris paribus) forces central bankers to undertake larger interest rate steps. Second, we detect an asymmetric reaction to positive and negative credibility losses, with the latter dominating the former.     

Interest rates,inflation, and the Fisher effect in China

The paper estimates the relationship between the nominal Treasuries rate and inflation in China. The dynamic econometric analysis yields a preferred, automatically reduced, empirical model revealing a Fisher effect. But the results are sensitive to using different sub-samples encompassed in the decade-and-a-half period following the disassociation of Treasuries from the People’s Bank of China administered interest rates at the end of the 1990s.     

Dynamic linkages among real interest rates in international capital markets

Short-run and long-run dynamic linkages among weekly real interest rates for G-10 countries are examined using a variety of time-series tests. These tests give special attention to the time-series properties of nominal interest rates, ex-ante expected rates of inflation and real interest rates. Term structure information is used to recover a theoretically consistent measure of ex-ante expected inflation. In-sample and out-of-sample Granger causality tests are also examined to evaluate lead/lag relationships among real interest rates. The results provide strong support for well-integrated markets, particularly in the long run. The results imply leadership roles for the US in international asset markets.     

The Relation Between Relative Order Imbalance and Intraday Futures Returns: An Application of the Quantile Regression Model to Taiwan

Adopting the quantile regression model, this paper describes the positive relation between relative order imbalance and intraday futures returns. The positive connection is relatively stronger for lower quantiles of intraday futures returns than for higher quantiles. However, the connection vanishes within 30 minutes. The results reflect the compensation of the uncertainty and the absence of liquidity for relatively lower returns in the Taiwan futures market. Furthermore, this paper finds evidence supporting an L-shaped pattern for intraday futures returns.     

Monetary and financial stability in the euro area: Pro-cyclicality versus trade-off

This paper investigates the nexus between monetary stability and financial stability. We examine, in the experience of EMU between 1994 and 2008, first, the response of the term structure of interest rates, share prices, exchange rates, property price inflation and the deposit–loan ratio of the banking sector (our proxies for financial stability) to changes in the consumer price level and ECB policy rate (our proxies for monetary stability); second, whether and to what extent lower inflation has caused share price stability and how ECB policy rate has reacted to inflation. Using a sign-restriction-based VAR approach, we find that there is a pro-cyclical relationship between monetary and financial stability in the long-run. With a positive inflation shock, we find on average a 2% estimated decline in share prices. This suggests that the interest rate instrument used for inflation targeting is conducive to financial stability.     

英国通胀治理的核心要件及中国货币政策选择

英国的通货膨胀治理无疑卓有成效,其通货膨胀目标制由＂政府通胀目标—-透明的利率政策—-通胀预测和预期引导—-利率市场传导机制＂四个核心要件有机构成。该文对各要件分别进行客观分析,在充分探讨英国成功治理通胀的制度精髓和全貌的基础上,对中国货币政策制度选择提出相关建议。