The monetary approach to the balance of payments

This is a review article of the theoretical papers in The Monetary Approach to the Balance of Payments, edited by Jacob A. Frenkel and Harry G. Johnson. The paper concentrates on: (a) The difficulties which there appear to be in the theoretical models used as a main vehicle of analysis and (b) the question of whether and in what circumstances the excess demand for financial assets is equivalent to the balance of payments. It is argued that the main contribution of the 'Monetary Approach' is that it alerts us to the important stock flow distinctions which must be made when account is taken of the effect of the balance of payments on the stock of financial assets.     

Global monetary policy under a dollar standard

This paper derives an optimal monetary policy in a world with a dollar standard, defined as an environment in which all traded goods prices are set in US dollars, so that exchange rate pass-through into the US price level is zero. We show that the US is essentially indifferent to exchange rate volatility, while the rest of the world places a high weight on exchange rate volatility. In a Nash equilibrium of the monetary policy game, US preferences dominate; the equilibrium is identical to one where the US alone chooses world monetary policy. Despite this, we find surprisingly that the US loses from the dollar's role as an international currency, since the absence of exchange rate pass-through leads to inefficient expenditure allocations within the US. Finally, we derive the conditions for a dollar standard to exist.     

Optimal monetary policy in a currency area

This paper investigates how monetary policy should be conducted in a two-region general equilibrium model with monopolistic competition and price stickiness. This framework delivers a simple welfare criterion based on the utility of the consumers that can be used to evaluate monetary policy in a currency area. If the two regions share the same degree of nominal rigidity, the terms of trade are completely insulated from monetary policy and the optimal outcome is obtained by targeting a weighted average of the regional inflation rates. These weights coincide with the economic sizes of the region. If the degrees of rigidity are different, the optimal plan implies a high degree of inertia in the inflation rate. But an inflation targeting policy in which higher weight is given to the inflation in the region with higher degree of nominal rigidity is nearly optimal.     

Managed floating as a strategy to achieve selected monetary policy objectives

The paper considers the connection between exchange rate regimes and economic performance as measured by inflation, output growth, and their volatility. It is argued first that the choice of an intermediate exchange rate regime is complicated by potential conflicts with the requirements of central bank transparency and accountability. These are considered to be longer run questions. Next, three types of managed floating regimes are defined. A variety of counterfactual experiments are shown to illustrate that a managed float, such that the objective of monetary policy is expressed in terms of an inflation target, will produce the most desirable macroeconomic outcome. The counterfactuals are supplemented with estimates of forward-looking Taylor rules to ascertain whether such rules are informative under a managed floating scenario. In general, the answer is that central bank reaction functions become less useful when the exchange rate regime is an intermediate one.     

当前适度宽松货币政策之冷思考

百年不遇的国际金融危机沉重打击了世界经济,也给中国经济发展带来了严重影响,危机面前,中国政府积极应对。但是,全球形势瞬息万变,中国经济回稳的基础尚不巩固,宏观经济未来走势仍有较大不确定性。首先分析当前适度宽松货币政策的必要性,然后从银行风险、通货膨胀压力、资产泡沫滋生风险来探讨当前货币政策的潜在风险,最后提出了防范以上潜在风险的措施。     

International monetary policy surprise spillovers

This is the first paper to examine international monetary surprise spillovers and to estimate the response of security prices to monetary and nonmonetary surprises. Monetary surprises have a slope effect on the domestic yield curve—short maturity yields adjust much more than longer maturity yields. These results are similar to other studies. The following results are new. US monetary surprises spill over and affect Australian yields and equity returns. Australian monetary surprises do not spill over to the US. Nonmonetary surprises are much more important than monetary policy surprises in explaining longer maturity yield changes and equity returns.     

Openness and optimal monetary policy

We show that the composition of international trade has important implications for the optimal volatility of the exchange rate, above and beyond the size of trade flows. Using an analytically tractable small open economy model, we characterize the impact of the trade composition on the policy trade-off and on the role played by the exchange rate in correcting for price misalignments. Contrary to models where openness can be summarized by the degree of home bias, we find that openness can be a poor proxy of the welfare impact of alternative monetary policies. Using input–output data for 25 countries we document substantial differences in the import and non-tradable content of final demand components, and in the role played by imported inputs in domestic production. The estimates are used in a richer small-open-economy DSGE model to quantify the loss from an exchange rate peg relative to the Ramsey policy conditional on the composition of imports. We find that the main determinant of the losses is the share of non-traded goods in final demand.     

Financial stability and monetary policy

Business Economics - Financial conditions should be an important component of the Fed’s monetary policy reaction function. I don’t think financial stability is a goal that really...     

Threats to monetary policy independence: reasons to be concerned

Several legislative efforts are under way that aim to impose greater congressional oversight of and influence on the monetary policy decision making of the Federal Reserve System. Some of these initiatives might do little harm or even make marginal improvements. But others pose more serious threats to the operational independence of monetary policy. Proposals to require the Federal Reserve to frame monetary policy decisions according to a mathematical formula imply a concrete simplicity of policy that is inaccurate and misleading. And the reporting requirements associated with these proposals threaten to negate the major advantage of monetary policy as a countercyclical weapon—speed. Proposals to subject the non-monetary policy functions of the Fed to the appropriations process provide Congress with additional leverage that could be used to apply pressure to monetary policy decisions. For its part, the Fed should continue to increase transparency through more timely and complete release of relevant information and analysis. To best promote the objectives of stable prices and maximum employment, the operational independence of the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy decision making needs to be preserved and protected.     

论如何加强我国货币政策的有效性

货币政策是一个国家宏观经济政策的重要组成部分,其有效实施关系到一国经济的健康、有序运行.我国当前的货币政策很难达到预期效果,因此,本文从货币政策传导机制出发,对影响货币政策的因素进行了深入分析,并在此基础上提出了加强我国货币政策有效性的一些建议,以期达到维护我国货币政策独立性和有效性的目的.     

Optimal monetary and fiscal policy in a currency union

We lay out a tractable model for the analysis of optimal monetary and fiscal policy in a currency union. The monetary authority sets a common interest rate for the union, whereas fiscal policy is implemented at the country level, through the choice of government spending. In the presence of country-specific shocks and nominal rigidities, the policy mix that is optimal from the viewpoint of the union as a whole requires that inflation be stabilized at the union level by the common central bank, whereas fiscal policy has a country-specific stabilization role, one beyond the efficient provision of public goods.     

基于货币政策非对称效应的我国宽松货币政策退出研究

货币政策效应是非对称的,经济过热时的紧缩作用大于经济萧条阶段的刺激作用,因此货币政策的操作也是非对称的.本文认为在世界经济还存在不确定性的情况下,基于货币政策的非对称效应,我国当前在退出宽松货币政策时应保持谨慎.     

Exchange rate expectations and monetary policy

The adjustment process to a monetary disturbance is studied in a model of perfect capital mobility and flexible exchange rates. Exchange rate expectations are emphasized and used to establish an adjustment process. In the short run, a monetary expansion gives rise to a depreciation in the exchange rate and a reduction in saving due to the terms of trade deterioration. The exchange rate depreciation, in the short run, may be in excess of the long-run depreciation. The trade balance in the short run may worsen. The long-run equilibrium of the analysis conforms to the Mundell-Fleming results that establish the force of monetary policy under flexible rates.     

European monetary policy: Institutional design and policy experience

The following article examines design issues relevant to European monetary policy: central bank independence, and the accountability and transparency of monetary policy strategy. An empirical approach is then applied which allows a comparison between the ECB and other central banks. It also enables an investigation of whether the ECB simply follows the US Federal Reserve Bank, as is sometimes claimed.     

我国货币政策是否要应对资产价格泡沫

研究结果表明,我国货币增长与房价上涨之间存在着显著的互为因果关系,货币供给对上证综指存在着单向因果关系.因此,货币政策应对房市泡沫必须采取事前应对策略,而对股市泡沫可以采取事后应对策略.针对房价泡沫,货币政策应采取及时紧缩货币措施进行干预,甚至可以采用刺破泡沫的极端手段.     

战略性贸易政策在中国的适用性分析

在美国次贷危机冲击之下,全球经济陷入低迷,美国等发达国家纷纷采用战略性贸易政策调整本国经济.本文从美国实践该战略的结果出发初步分析这一战略在中国的适用性.     

战略性贸易政策在中国的适用性分析

在美国次贷危机冲击之下,全球经济陷入低迷,美国等发达国家纷纷采用战略性贸易政策调整本国经济.本文从美国实践该战略的结果出发初步分析这一战略在中国的适用性.