Inflation surprises and inflation expectations in the Euro area

In the second half of 2012, euro area inflation started declining and reached historical lows at the end of 2014. Market-based measures of inflation expectations also declined to unprecedented levels. During this disinflationary period, inflation releases have often surprised analysts on the downside. We provide evidence that inflation ‘surprises’ have significant effects on inflation expectations. The sensitivity of inflation expectations to the surprises, which has varied over time, disappeared after the introduction of the Asset Purchase Programme by the European Central Bank.     

Inflation and inflation uncertainty in China

The study examines the relationship between inflation and inflation uncertainty in China using Generalized Autoregressive Conditional Heteroscedasticity model. Particularly, this link is investigated in China’s urban and rural sectors, motivated by the substantial urban–rural divide. The results provide strong statistical supportive evidence that higher inflation raises inflation uncertainty. On the other hand, evidence on the effect of inflation uncertainty on inflation is mixed depending on the sample periods and areas examined. The understanding of inflation-uncertainty nexus in China could provide implications to policymakers in the adoption of monetary policies.     

Inflation volatility,economic growth and monetary policy in Bangladesh

This article provides an overview of the trends and movements of CPI-inflation in Bangladesh since the early 1950s and examines the key issues in rule-based monetary policy for price stability, implying low and stable inflation, in this country. Under a fixed exchange rate system, inflation in Bangladesh was moderately high and volatile during the 1950s and 1960s. Since the country’s independence from Pakistan in 1971, inflation in Bangladesh has remained moderately high on average and highly volatile and persistent under a fixed-pegged exchange rate system or under a managed floating system since 2003. Using data from the early 1970s or earlier depending on data availability, the article undertakes both Granger-causality and the structural vector autoregression (SVAR) analysis with two models. The first model is comprised of such variables as inflation, the real interest rate, the real exchange rate and output growth, and the second model is comprised of the volatilities of money growth, real output growth and inflation. Then, based on the empirical findings, the article concludes that a rule-based monetary policy, namely monetary targeting or inflation targeting, remains appropriate for Bangladesh provided that it adopts a more flexible, if not freely floating, exchange rate system. The article suggests that the use of monetary policy to achieve multiple objectives under a fixed-pegged exchange rate system creates a time-inconsistency problem, reduces monetary policy credibility and makes it (monetary policy) ineffective in lowering inflation and its volatility. Low credibility of monetary policy in particular raises inflation persistence. Within the present monetary-policy framework in Bangladesh, the article illustrates how the fixed-pegged exchange rate system has generated money growth volatility in the presence of large-scale inflows of overseas workers’ remittances and readymade garments export earnings. This does not seem to be a concern of the central bank of Bangladesh (Bangladesh Bank); rather, it (Bangladesh Bank) pursues monetary-base targeting to keep inflation low and stable after considering economic growth. The consequent diminishing credibility of monetary policy has kept inflation volatile and persistent, which has adversely affected economic growth.     

The effect of inflation uncertainty on inflation: Stochastic volatility in mean model within a dynamic framework

This paper investigates the effect of inflation uncertainty innovations on inflation over time by considering the monthly United States data for the time period 1976–2006. In order to investigate the effect of inflation uncertainty innovation on inflation, a Stochastic Volatility in Mean model (SVM) has been employed. SVM models are generally used to capture the innovation to inflation uncertainty, which cannot be achieved in the framework of popular deterministic ARCH type of models. Empirical evidence provided here suggests that innovations in inflation volatility increases inflation persistently. This evidence is robust across various definitions of inflation and different sub-periods.     

The effect of the market-based monetary policy transparency index on inflation and output variability

This paper examines empirically the effectiveness of the Federal Reserve’s policy under different levels of transparency by using a dynamic and continuous market-based index proposed by Kia (2011 Kia, A. 2011. “Developing a Market-based Monetary Policy Transparency Index: Evidence from the United States.” Economic Issues 16 (2): 53–79. [Google Scholar]) on inflation volatility and output volatility. In theory, the more transparent the monetary policy, the less volatile the money market will be with fewer disturbances and thus the more stable will be the economy. First, a bivariate VAR-BEKK-GARCH(1,1) model is estimated for inflation and output variables in the US economy in order to produce conditional variances and covariance over the period October 1982 to December 2011. Second, by incorporating conditional variances and transparency in a VAR model, impulse response functions reveal that after a positive shock in the Federal Reserve’s transparency (i.e. market participants consider the Federal Reserve’s actions to be more transparent), there is a statistically significant decrease in both inflation volatility and output volatility. Our results reveal the dynamic and crucial role that a central bank’s transparency plays in retaining economic stability and assuring the forecasts concerning inflation and economic growth made by the economic units.     

货币政策、外部冲击与通货膨胀

利用2001年1月—2013年6月的月度数据,构建DCC-MVGARCH模型分析用货币供应量表征的我国内部因素和用汇率和国际原油价格表征的外部因素对我国通货膨胀率的动态影响。研究结果表明:我国通货膨胀既源于内部调整,也受到外部冲击的影响;内部因素中的货币供应量增长率是影响我国通货膨胀水平的主要决定因素;相对而言,外部因素对通货膨胀水平的影响不大。     

The inflation game

We study a game where households buy consumption goods to preempt inflation. This game features a unique equilibrium with high (low) inflation, whenever money supply is high (low). For intermediate levels of money supply, there exist multiple stable equilibria where inflation is either high or low. Equilibria with moderate inflation, however, do not exist, and can thus not be targeted by central banks. That is, depending on agents' equilibrium play, money supply is always either too high or too low for moderate inflation. Finally, we find that inflation rates of durable goods, such as houses, cars, luxury watches, or furniture, are useful leading indicators for changes in overall inflation.     

Inflation volatility: A Bayesian approach

The ongoing trend of high inflation across much of the world has reignited interest in inflation volatility with varying foci and methods. In this paper, we employ a Bayesian framework to estimate inflation volatility using a sample of G20 countries. Estimation results suggest persistent heterogeneity in price volatility across time and countries. Furthermore, we use the Bayesian estimates of volatility to conduct several empirical analyses on the implications of interdependence of economies, development status for uncertainty. Further analyses on the determinants of price volatility suggest that trade openness, COVID-19, and the Ukraine crisis have positive impacts on volatility. Additionally, the nature of the political institutions and the share of manufacturing in total national output are also found to affect volatility to some extent.     

中国通货膨胀动态路径的结构性转变及其启示

This article employs recently developed unknown structural break tests to investigate intrinsic structural instability in China inflation dynamics over 1981–2007. In order to capture accurately the statistical nature of potential structural beak, we use asymptotic p-value function under the non-standard distribution condition to compute the p-values for structural change tests in the presence of nuisance parameter. Empirical results suggest that China inflation dynamics witnessed a significant structural change at the end of 1994 and the instability appears to be originated from the dynamic parameters in the underlying model. The paper discusses important policy implications of the empirical findings through impulse response analyses.      

通货膨胀对我国信贷渠道有效性的影响

学术界一般认为,由金融市场信息不对称所产生的逆向选择、道德风险和监控成本是信贷渠道存在的主要前提条件。在我国当前经济背景下,研究通货膨胀是否影响了我国货币政策信贷渠道的传导效率。结果表明,通货膨胀导致了我国货币政策信贷渠道效率的下降。     

我国通胀对股票市场条件波动影响研究

将通胀引入标准GARCH模型,分别研究我国通胀率、通胀率变化和移动平均通胀率对股市条件波动的影响。实证结果表明通胀对我国股票市场条件波动几乎不存在影响,从而否定了通胀会使投资者预期经济变坏,更加厌恶风险,以致引起资产价格剧烈波动的假说。     

Is inflation targeting feasible in Poland?

In this paper we analyze whether inflation targeting is feasible in Poland. There are at least three prerequisites for successful inflation targeting: 1) central bank independence, 2) a high degree of central bank accountability, transparency, and communication to the public, and 3) a predictable and stable relationship between inflation and the instruments of monetary policy. While the first two prerequisites are relatively easy to analyze, the third criterion requires formal statistical analysis, which we undertake in this paper. The first two prerequisites for targeting are found to be met in Poland, and the empirical analysis shows some evidence of significant relationships between inflation and monetary instruments in Poland. Hence inflation targeting appears feasible in Poland.     

通货膨胀目标制在中国的适用性分析

近几年,国内学术界建议政府采纳通货膨胀目标制的呼声越来越高。由通货膨胀目标制的内涵出发,客观地阐述通货膨胀目标制的优越性,根据中国当前的具体国情及其适用条件,通货膨胀目标制在中国暂时尚缺乏可行性。     

Inflation targeting and inflation expectations in Mexico

In this article we analyse inflation expectations in Mexico. After a review of the theoretical and empirical literature, we apply unit root, normality and cointegration tests to the data provided by Banco de México (Banxico) in the Survey on the Expectations of the Private Sector Economics Specialists. Our results reject the null hypothesis of normality for inflation expectations over the period 2004:01–2011:12. The exchange rate has become one of the most relevant variables in the transmission mechanism of monetary policy in a small open economy. In this regard, we show the existence of a long-run relationship between nominal exchange rate and interest rate where inflation expectations matter for long-term dynamics.     

中国通货膨胀率及其波动关系分析

有关通货膨胀率和通货膨胀率波动影响关系,存在F riedm an-B a ll和Cuk ierm an-M e ltzer两种假说,即存在通货膨胀率及其波动的相互影响关系。使用GARCH和TGARCH模型,选择中国1993~2004年月度通货膨胀率数据,检验结果表明F riedm an-B a ll假说成立,稳健的货币政策对经济发展有积极作用。     

Modeling US inflation dynamics: persistence and monetary policy regimes

This paper employs the recently developed structural stability test with multiple regime shifts and grid bootstrapping methods to model US inflation dynamics over the past half century. Our empirical results suggest that the persistence of inflation has witnessed significant declines over the most recent period of low inflation and this helps to embed a low inflation environment. The finding is robust to a variety of measures of the inflation series and offers new insight on understanding the stationarity issue of the US inflation series. The authors gratefully acknowledge the two anonymous referees for helpful comments and suggestions, which have led to substantial improvements in the paper. They also wish to thank participants at the 3rd Symposium on Econometric Theory and Applications, and seminar participants at the University of Manchester and Renmin University of China, for useful comments, with particular thanks to Denise Osborn and Jushan Bai for their constructive suggestions. Chengsi Zhang acknowledges support from the China National Social Science Research Fund, Grant No. 08CJY048.     

Tracking real-time data revisions in inflation persistence

Regarding the forecasting of real-time data, it is assumed that the third quarter release produces the best forecasts since it includes data from new and revised sources, which this paper finds is not necessarily the case. There seems to be a benchmark effect when estimating the local nonparametric regressions and the forecasts of real-time PCE and core PCE when examining the four benchmark periods beginning in 1996:Q1, 1999:Q4, 2003:Q4, and 2009:Q3. There is a benchmark effect with respect to the estimated local nonparametric slopes with the demarcation being at the 2003:Q4 benchmark, which is also the demarcation for the forecasting results. For the benchmark revisions periods of 1996:Q1 and 1999:Q4, the second quarter real-time data releases produce the smaller RMSE and for the benchmark revisions of 2003:Q4 and 2009:Q3, the third quarter real-time data releases produce forecasts with smaller RMSE approximately 58% and 60% of the time, respectively.

Abbreviations: PCE, Personal Consumption Expenditures; KWLS, Kernel Weighted Least Squares; "V_" as a prefix stand for vintage, i.e. V_2003:Q4 is vintage 2003:Q4, which means that the data sample ends in 2003: Q3; IRSC, integrated residual squares criterion; NPISH, Non-Profit Institutions Serving Households; SNA, System of Accounts; RMSE, Root Mean Square Error; MAE, Mean Absolute Error; NAICS, North American Industry Classification System; SIC, Standard Industrial Classification; ARSC, Average Residual Squares Criterion; I-O, Input – Output; EIA, Energy Information Administration; ATM, Automated Teller Machines; BEA, Bureau of Economic Analysis; SNA, System of Accounts     

The time-varying effect of inflation uncertainty on inflation for Turkey

We investigate the effect of inflation uncertainty on inflation from January 1982 through March 2016 for Turkey by using the Stochastic Volatility in Mean model with time-varying parameters. Our empirical evidence from consumer price index (CPI) inflation suggests that the observed positive relationship between inflation and inflation uncertainty is not robust. This positive relationship diminishes after 2002. This finding is valid for all five subcomponents of CPI inflation; however, for Health Services, Transportation Services, and Recreational and Cultural Services, an inflation-positive association is reported after 2010.     

渐进性通货膨胀与我国货币政策失灵——以区域金融差异为视角

作为应对通货膨胀的主要宏观调控措施,货币政策历来都受到各国中央银行的重视.但是,从2006年开始的本轮通货膨胀中,中国政府屡次动用紧缩性货币政策的结果是消费物价指教的渐进攀升.本文从中国区域金融差异的角度分析了渐进性通货膨胀的原因,并在分析全国统一货币政策失灵机制的基础上为将来可能的区域性货币政策的实施提出了相关建议.     

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.