MONEY AND INFLATION IN INDIA: EVIDENCE FROM P‐STAR MODEL

This study uses P‐star model to examine the role of money in explaining inflation in India. In particular, we compare the performance of traditional Phillips curve approach against P‐star model in forecasting inflation. Moreover, the study estimates P‐star model using the alternative measures of money such as simple sum and Divisia M3, to examine the relevance of aggregation theoretic monetary aggregates in explaining inflation. The empirical results indicate that P‐star model with real money gap has an edge over traditional Phillips curve approach in forecasting inflation. More importantly, we found that the P‐star model estimated with Divisia real money gap performs better than its simple sum counterpart. These empirical findings suggest that the changes in real money gap play a crucial role in explaining inflation in India.     

The information content of the divisia monetary aggregates in forecasting inflation in the euro area

The paper investigates the performance of a set of monetary indicators, based on the Divisia money constructed for the euro area, on forecasting euro area inflation. The paper first briefly discusses on the relative information contents of the Divisia aggregates and the simple sum aggregates. The forecasting performance of the former is then examined by means of simulated out-of-sample forecasting. In addition to examining the information contents of the Divisia aggregate constructed for M3 money, the study also examines the performance of the Divisia M1 money to gain evidence on the relative performance between the broad and narrow Divisia monetary aggregates. According to the results, only some of the monetary indicators considered can significantly improve the univariate inflation forecasts. The Divisia M3 money based monetary indicators turned out to perform better than their Divisia M1 based counterparts. The result contradicts some previous evidence on the optimal level on monetary aggregation in the context of broad versus narrow money.      

The application of neural networks to the Divisia index debate: evidence from three countries

If monetary policy is to be effective in controlling the macroeconomy, accurate measurement of the money supply is essential. The conventional way of measuring the level of the money supply is to simply sum the constituent liquid liabilities of banks. However, a more sophisticated, weighted monetary index has been proposed to take account of the varying degrees of liquidity of the short-term instruments included in money. Inferences about the effects of money on economic activity may depend importantly on the choice of monetary index because simple sum aggregates cannot internalize pure substitution effects. This hypothesis is investigated in the current paper. A Divisia index measure of money is constructed for the USA, UK and Italian economies and its inflation forecasting potential is compared with that of its simple sum counterpart in each of the three countries. The powerful Artificial Intelligence technique of neural networks is used to allow a completely flexible mapping of the variables and a greater variety of functional form than is currently achievable using conventional econometric techniques. The application of neural network methodology to examine the money-inflation link is highly experimental in nature and, hence, the overriding feature of this research is one of simplicity. Superior inflation forecasting models are achieved when a Divisia M2 measure of money is used in the majority of cases. This support for Divisia is entirely consistent with findings based on standard econometric techniques reported from the respective central and Federal Reserve banks of each country. Divisia monetary aggregates appear to offer advantages over their simple sum counterparts as macroeconomic indicators. Further, the combination of Divisia measures of money with the artificial neural network offers a promising starting point for improved models of inflation.     

An alternative monetary policy target

For most of the period since the mid-1970s, the Federal Reserve has expressed its monetary policy intentions by announcing the target growth rates of three principal monetary aggregates: the simple-sum M1, M2 and M3. However, the sweeping changes and the deregulation in the financial industry have greatly affected the relevance of these traditional monetary aggregates. The unusual behaviour of the simple-sum monetary aggregates has forced the Federal Reserve to stop setting target range for M1. The measuring of monetary aggregates has become a controversial question. This paper constructs the new-benchmark Divisia monetary indexes which reflect ‘moneyness’ more accurately than the old Divisia indexes. I demonstrate that the historical trends of the Divisia monetary indexes are sensitive to the brenchmark rates chosen in constructing these indexes. In addition, I compare the forecasting performance of the new-benchmark Divisia monetary indexes with the simple-sum and the old Divisia monetary indexes in the estimated money demand functions. I find that the new-benchmark Divisia monetary indexes provide the best statis forecasting performance. The result indicate that the new-benchmark Divisia monetary indexes should be considered as alternative measures of money in studying the relationship between money and the economy.     

Financial Innovation and Divisia Money in Taiwan: Comparative Evidence from Neural Network and Vector Error-Correction Forecasting Models

In this article a Divisia monetary index is constructed for the Taiwan economy, and its inflation forecasting potential is compared with that of its traditional simple sum counterpart. The Divisia index is adjusted in two ways to allow for the financial liberalization that Taiwan has experienced since the 1970s. The powerful artificial intelligence technique of neural networks is used and is found to beat the conventional econometric techniques in a simple inflation forecasting experiment. The preferred inflation forecasting model is achieved using networks that employ a Divisia M2 measure of money that has been adjusted to incorporate a learning mechanism to allow individuals to gradually alter their perceptions of the increased productivity of money. The explanatory power of the two innovation-adjusted Divisia aggregates dominates that of the simple sum counterpart in the majority of cases. (JEL C4 , E4 , E5 )     

Recent monetary policy and the credit card-augmented Divisia monetary aggregates

The main objective of this paper is to examine the information content of the credit card-augmented Divisia monetary aggregates and credit card-augmented Divisia inside monetary aggregates, recently produced by the Center for Financial Stability. We compare the inference ability of the credit card-augmented Divisia monetary aggregates and credit card-augmented Divisia inside monetary aggregates to the conventional Divisia monetary aggregates, at all levels of monetary aggregation. Using cyclical correlations analysis and Granger causality tests, we find that both the conventional Divisia monetary aggregates and the credit card-augmented Divisia monetary aggregates are informative in predicting output. Moreover, during, and in the aftermath of the 2007–2009 financial crisis, the credit card-augmented Divisia measures of money are more informative when predicting real economic activity than the conventional Divisia monetary aggregates. We also find that broad Divisia monetary aggregates provide better measures of the flow of monetary services generated in the economy.     

Rational expectations and the demand for money: A nonparametric approach

This paper tests the U.S. demand for money for evidence of the effect of rational expectations of the income and interest rate variables that enter as arguments into that function. The data employed are simple-sum and Divisia aggregates, and the nonparametric tests are of the identification and information orthogonality of the various monetary measures. The Akaike Criterion is used to distinguish among the alternative specifications. While non-rationality is the typical result, Divisia aggregates appear to be more “rational” than simple sum. There is evidence of mean-reversion in interest rates as well.     

A First Assessment of Some Measures of Core Inflation for the Euro Area

Abstract. Core inflation plays an important role in the deliberations of monetary policy-makers. In this paper we evaluate a number of measures of core inflation constructed using euro-area data. In addition to the traditional exclusion-type core measures, we examine two newer ones, documenting their properties and evaluating their performance in terms of their ability to track underlying or trend inflation in real time. We focus on core measures derived from the Harmonized Index of Consumer Prices (HICP) as the European Central Bank has chosen to define its mandate for price stability in terms of this index, and because this is the only index of consumer prices that is compiled in a comparable manner across all members of the European Union. We document significant excess kurtosis in the cross-section distribution of price changes in the euro area, and show that several categories of prices are more volatile than those typically excluded from traditional measures of core inflation. Contrary to what one might expect, traditional measures of core inflation are not significantly less volatile than headline measures. We document the superior performance of alternative measures of core inflation in tracking trend inflation on average, but show that none of the various measures of core gave significant advance warning of the pickup in trend inflation at the beginning of 1999.     

On the demand for money in the United States

One of the current issues in the literature on the demand for money is whether the adjustment of actual to desired money holdings is in real or nominal terms. This paper tests the real against the nominal adjustment hypothesis using United States data. Comparisons are made among simple sum and Divisia aggregates (of M1, M2, M3, and L) and with Spindt's monetary velocity (MQ) aggregate. The results strongly support the nominal adjustment hypothesis, but they do not reveal a single uniformly best monetary aggregate.     

Inflation dynamics in a small emerging market

This study investigates the determinants of inflation in the Dominican Republic during 1991 to 2002, a period characterized by remarkable macroeconomic stability and growth. By developing a parsimonious and empirically stable error correction model using quarterly observations, the study finds that inflation is explained by changes in monetary aggregates, real output, foreign inflation and the exchange rate. Long-run relationships in the money and traded goods markets are found to exist, but only the disequilibrium from the money market exerts a significant impact on inflation.     

Application of local projections in the monetary policy in Brazil

This article examines the relationship between selected monetary aggregates and inflation and output in Brazil. Impulse responses under VAR and local projections were used to discover the leading or lagging role of the monetary aggregates. In addition, the information provided by the monetary aggregates as predictors of output and inflation was examined. This was assessed by examining their predictive power for subsequent observations on an in-sample basis. Overall, the results indicate that in order to control inflation rates, Brazilian authorities should focus on restricting money supply rather than increasing interest rates.     

A composite leading indicator of the inflation cycle for the Euro area

We evaluate the performance of composite leading indicators of turning points of inflation in the Euro area, constructed by combining the techniques of Fourier analysis and Kalman filters with the National Bureau of Economic Research methodology. In addition, the study compares the empirical performance of Euro Simple Sum and Divisia monetary aggregates and provides a tentative answer to the issue of whether or not the UK should join the Euro area. Our findings suggest that, first, the cyclical pattern of the different composite leading indicators very closely reflect that of the inflation cycle for the Euro area; second, the empirical performance of the Euro Divisia is better than its Simple Sum counterpart and third, the UK is better out of the Euro area.     

Budget deficits,money growth and inflation: the Turkish evidence

The paper investigates the long-run relationships between budget deficits, inflation and monetary growth in Turkey considering two alternative trivariate systems corresponding to the narrowest and the broadest monetary aggregates. While the joint endogeneity of money and inflation rejects the validity of the monetarist view, lack of a direct relationship between inflation and budget deficits makes the pure fiscal theory explanations illegitimate for the Turkish case. Consistent with the policy regime of financing domestic debt through the commercial banking system, budget deficits lead to a growth not of currency seigniorage but of broad money in Turkey. This mode of deficit financing, leading to the creation of near money and restricting the scope for an effective monetary policy, may not be sustainable, as the government securities/broad money ratio cannot grow without limit.     

The vanishing role of money in the macro-economy: An empirical investigation for India

The recent de-emphasizing of the role of “money” in both theoretical macroeconomics as well as in the practical conduct of monetary policy sits uneasily with the idea that inflation is a monetary phenomenon. Empirical evidence has, however, been accumulating pointing to an important leading indicator role for money and credit aggregates with respect to long term inflationary trends. Such a role could arise from monetary aggregates furnishing a nominal anchor for inflationary expectations, from their influence on the term structure of interest rates and from their affecting transaction costs in markets. Our paper attempts to assess the informational content role of money in the Indian economy by a separation of these effects across time scales and frequency bands, using the techniques of wavelet analysis and band spectral analysis respectively. Our results indicate variability of causal relations across frequency ranges and time scales, as also occasional causal reversals.     

货币中介目标的国际比较*——基于DAG SVAR模型

学术界围绕最优货币中介目标的选择,在利率、简单加总货币量、迪维西亚货币量之间争论不休。本文基于DAG SVAR模型,分别对美国、欧元区、英国的银行间隔夜拆借利率R、简单加总货币量M2、迪维西亚货币量D2对物价P、产出Y影响的相对重要性进行实证比较。结果发现,在美国,M2对Y的影响最大,R对P的影响最大;在欧元区,D2对Y的影响最大,M2对P的影响最大;在英国,M2对Y和P的影响都最大。总的来说,若货币最终目标是经济增长,则美国、英国的最优中介目标是简单加总货币量,欧元区的最优中介目标是迪维西亚货币量;若货币最终目标是物价稳定,则美国的最优中介目标是利率,欧元区、英国的最优中介目标是简单加总货币量。由此可见,对于不同的经济体或者不同的货币最终目标,最优中介目标的选择可能有所不同。本文的研究结论在一定程度上是对“利率普遍优于货币量,迪维西亚货币量普遍优于简单加总货币量”学术共识的反向补充。     

A note of caution on the relation between money growth and inflation

We assess the bivariate relation between money growth and inflation in the euro area and the United States using hybrid time-varying parameter Bayesian VAR models. Model selection based on marginal likelihoods suggests that the relation is statistically unstable across time in both regions. The effect of money growth on inflation weakened notably after the 1980s before strengthening after 2020. There is evidence that this time variation is related to the pace of price changes, as we find that the maximum impact of money growth on inflation is increasing in the trend level of inflation. These results caution against asserting a simple, time-invariant relationship when modeling the joint dynamics of monetary aggregates and consumer prices.     

Measures of underlying inflation in the euro area: assessment and role for informing monetary policy

The paper evaluates the 24-month-ahead inflation forecasting performance of various indicators of underlying inflation and structural models. Measures derived using the generalized dynamic factor model (GDFM) overperform other measures over the monetary policy horizon and are leading indicators of headline inflation. Trimmed means, although weaker than GDFM indicators, have good forecasting performance, while indicators by permanent exclusion underperform but provide useful information about short-term dynamics. The forecasting performance of theoretically-founded models that relate monetary aggregates, the output gap, and inflation improves with the time horizon but generally falls short of that of the GDFM. A composite measure of underlying inflation, derived by averaging the statistical indicators and the model-based estimates, improves forecast accuracy by eliminating bias and offers valuable insight about the distribution of risks.     

Some Thoughts on Monetary Targeting vs. Inflation Targeting

We offer some empirical evidence on the likely scale of control and indicator problems surrounding alternative monetary targets and a direct inflation target. The links between monetary policy actions and inflation are estimated in dynamic linear models using the Kalman filter. We compare alternative intermediate-target and final-target monetary strategies using German data from the end of the Bretton Woods system until 1997. The estimation results show that broad money dominates narrow money as an intermediate target, while control problems involved in targeting broad money are larger than for direct inflation targets.     

Output gap measurement and the New Keynesian Phillips curve for China

The New Keynesian Phillips curve implies that the output gap, the deviation of the actual output from its natural level due to nominal rigidities, drives the dynamics of inflation relative to expected inflation and lagged inflation. This paper exploits the empirical success of the New Keynesian Phillips curve in explaining China's inflation dynamics with a new measure of the output gap. We estimate the output gap using the Bayesian multivariate Beveridge–Nelson decomposition method, based on a multivariate dynamic model featuring distinct interactions among inflation, money, and real output in China. The empirical results using quarterly data spanning 1979–2010 show that the new measure of the output gap outperforms the traditional measures in fitting the New Keynesian Phillips curve. This result provides useful insights for inflation dynamics and monetary policy analysis in China.     

Causes of Inflation in Europe, the United States and Japan: Some Lessons for Maintaining Price Stability in the EMU from a Structural VAR Approach

Price stability being among the primary goals of EMU monetary policy,it should be interesting to analyse thefactors that led to the disinflationarydevelopments of the last years. Using a structural VAR approach withlong-run identifying restrictions derived from an open-economy macromodel, various factors of inflation for Austria, Germany, Italy, the UnitedKingdom, the United States and Japan and the extent to which they havecontributed to inflation are analysed. These factors are energy price shocks, supply shocks, wage setting influences, demand and exchange rate disturbances and money supply surprises. The latter three are also used to calculate core inflation. Within a smaller model for aggregate EMU data, supply and demand influences are analysed. While supply and demand factors have generally contributed to the inflation decline, monetary policy, enhanced competition, low energy prices and moderate wage setting are featuring most prominent in the recent disinflation process.