Time Inconsistency and the Exchange Rate Channel of Monetary Policy

This paper analyses time–inconsistency problems related to the exchange rate channel of monetary policy. Within a simple open–economy macroeconomic model, where the exchange rate is the only forward–looking variable, we show that a difference emerges between optimal policy under discretion and under commitment. Moreover, the nature of the time–inconsistency problem resembles that resulting from standard New Keynesian models: when cost–push shocks occur, the exchange rate channel gives rise to excessive output stabilisation and insufficient inertia in monetary policy under a discretionary policy.
JEL classification : E 42; E 52; E 61     

我国货币政策对人民币汇率影响的实证研究

文章基于2005年7月21日我国人民币汇率改革以来的连续时间序列数据和离散数据,利用多元回归模型,实证研究了人民币汇率市场化改革以来我国货币政策对人民币汇率的影响。实证结果表明:我国货币政策的两个变量—货币供应量和利率,会对人民币汇率产生显著的影响,其中人民币货币供应量增加会引起人民币汇率贬值,银行间信用隔夜拆借利率上升可以引起人民币汇率升值。因此,中国在稳步推进人民币汇率制度改革同时,应有效监控我国货币供应量对汇率的影响,密切关注银行间同业拆解利率对人民币汇率波动的影响,从而促进我国经济内外平衡和外汇市场的平稳健康发展。     

Using pre-EMU money market rates to assess monetary policy in the euro area

This note addresses the problems arising when using national pre-EMU interest rate data in the estimation of monetary policy reaction functions for the euro area. We provide evidence that failing to adjust for interest rate risk premia leads to an overestimation of the response of monetary policy both to inflationary pressures and to the output gap. A method for adjusting pre-EMU interest rate data for risk premia is proposed.     

An empirical evaluation of China’s monetary policies

This paper investigates the responsiveness of the Chinese government’s monetary policies in terms of the money supply and interest rates to economic conditions and the effectiveness of these policies in achieving the goals of stimulating economic growth and controlling inflation. We analyze the responsiveness and effectiveness by estimating the Taylor rule, the McCallum rule, and a vector autoregressive model using quarterly data in the period of 1992-2009. The results show that, overall, the monetary policy variables respond to economic growth and the inflation rate, but the magnitudes of the responses are much weaker than those observed in market economies. Money supply responded actively to both the inflation rate and the real output and had certain effects on the future inflation rates and real output. The official interest rates, on the other hand, responded passively to the inflation rate and did not respond to the real output. They do not have any effect on future inflation rates and real output either.     

关于汇率理论与汇率政策研究的思考

汇率的决定与外汇市场供求、经常账户平衡、央行货币政策、相关资产价格、经济基本面、国民收入及国际收支账户等有着直接的或间接的关系。完善人民币汇率形成机制,要从外汇市场拓展到本外币政策深层次协调,从涉外经济拓展到内外经济协调发展,同时在新的汇率形成机制下对国际货币体系和主要货币的变化趋势进行系统的监测预测和分析研究。     

Managing real exchange rate for economic growth: Empirical evidences from developing countries

Abstract

This article analyses macroeconomic policies capable of influencing the long-run real exchange rate (RER). In this vein, it identifies economic policy tools that can devalue RER, covering a theoretical issue neglected by the economic literature, which argues that competitive exchange rate enhances growth. After discussing the “Trilemma,” we identify those variables that could affect RER without constraining monetary policy or exchange rate regime choice. In what follows, we model the probability of achieving an undervalued (small or large) RER for a sample of 14 developing countries from 1980 to 2010 (30?years) by applying econometric techniques for discrete choice and censored data. Afterwards, we compare the results for Latin American nations with Asian ones. They suggest that competitive exchange rate requires different approaches depending on the region. Moreover, Latin American countries need to take on additional policies so that interventions in the foreign exchange market become effective.     

Real exchange rate and exchange rate policy in Hungary

Five real exchange rate indicators are computed to assess the international competitiveness of Hungarian industry. These indicators are explained in econometric equations by employment, unemployment, productivity, interest spread and real producer wage. Causality tests reveal that external performance has an impact on real exchange rates, and contributes to explaining real exchange rates. There is very limited scope for policy intervention to constrain the negative effects of capital inflows without incurring other costs.     

The Appreciation Pressure on RMB Yuan and the Adjustment of RMB Exchange Rate Policy

China has maintained RMB exchange rate nearly unchanged since 1998. However, with the relaxation of capital control, a crawling peg, a more flexible RMB exchange rate regime, is inevitable. Based on improving the current formation mechanism of RMB exchange rate, Chinese government could widen the floating band around the central parity; in the long run, switching the peg from USD alone to a basket of currencies may be a better choice.     

A Note on Forecasting the Euro: Do Forecasters Have an Asymmetric Loss Function?

Based on the approach advanced by Elliott, Komunjer, and Timmermann (2005 Elliott, G., Komunjer, I., & Timmermann, A. (2005). Estimation and testing of forecast rationality under flexible loss. Review of Economics Studies, 72, 1107–1125. doi: 10.1111/0034-6527.00363[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]), we analyzed whether the loss function of a sample of exchange-rate forecasters is asymmetric in the forecast error. Using forecasts of the dollar/euro exchange rate, we found that the shape of the loss function varies across forecasters. Some forecasters appear to make forecasts under an asymmetric loss function, while a symmetric loss function seems to describe well the loss function of other forecasters. Accounting for an asymmetric loss function does not necessarily make forecasts ‘look’ rational.     

How useful is the concept of the natural real rate of interest for monetary policy?

The natural rate of interest plays a key role in Wicksell's‘cumulative process’ as well as in modern monetaryequilibrium models of the business cycle. It constitutes a usefulconcept for the theoretical analysis of the interdependenceof monetary policy and economic fluctuations. However, the usefulnessof this concept for the practice of monetary policy is limited—especiallyowing to the fact that the natural real rate of interest andits law of motion cannot be measured with satisfying precision.     

宏观经济政策对人民币汇率变动的影响

本文从影响汇率变动因素的角度出发,着重探讨在不完全资本流动情况下宏观经济政策对一国汇率变动的作用,进而对人民币走势作一利弊分析,指出人民币走向国际可自由兑换货币是中国参与经济全球化的必然趋势。     

Interest rate dispersion and volatility in the market for daily funds

The purpose of this paper is to study the determinants of equilibrium in the market for daily funds. We use the EONIA panel database which includes daily information on the lending rates applied by contributing commercial banks. The data clearly show an increase in both the time series volatility and the cross-section dispersion of rates towards the end of the reserve maintenance period. These increases are highly correlated. We design a model to account for these empirical facts. Our theoretical model shows how the operational framework of monetary policy causes a reduction in the elasticity of the supply of funds by banks throughout the reserve maintenance period. This reduction in the elasticity together with market segmentation and heterogeneity is able to generate distributions for the interest rates and quantities traded with the same properties as in the data. We also investigate the effects of the changes in the Eurosystem's operational framework, enacted on March 2004, for interest rate behaviour.     

The Fisher effect,survey data and time-varying volatility

In this paper we study the Fisher hypothesis using Livingston survey data on inflation expectations. We propose a simple model for the ex-ante real interest rate where the standard deviation of survey forecasts is used to correct for heteroskedasticity. The findings of this paper contradict earlier studies. We find supportive evidence for the Fisher hypothesis that the nominal interest rate and expected inflation move one-for-one both in the short and the long run. Our results also suggest that the change of US monetary policy does not have significant effect on the dynamics of the ex-ante real interest rate such as previous work assumes.     

关于“双顺差”背景下实现中国内外均衡的思考

内外均衡目标是指充分就业、物价稳定、经济增长及国际收支均衡。目前，中国正面临通货紧缩的压力和国际收支双顺差的格局，因此需通过扩张性的财政及货币政策进行协调，同时辅以汇率及利率政策。只有内外兼顾统一才能使经济实现稳定发展。     

Buchanan on monetary constitutions

Buchanan’s reflections on monetary issues have been mostly neglected, despite their great interest both per se and for a deeper understanding of his general constitutional endeavour. We will thus propose a comprehensive assessment of Buchanan’s writings on this topic, focusing in particular on the different political models that have been developed to argue in favour of constitutional constraints on the governmental power to create money and on the implications that one can draw from our author’s monetary papers for the structure and the objectives of his constitutional discourse more generally.

Monetary policy inertia reconsidered: Evidence from endogenous interest rate trajectory

By finding small forecastable variability of future policy rates by highly smoothed central bank's endogenous interest rate trajectory, I suggest that market's failure to predict large portion of variability in future rates does not always imply limited policy inertia.     

我国汇率政策对货币政策的制约性分析

自2005年7月21日我国实施汇率制度改革以来,我国继续出现贸易、资本双顺差,外汇储备持续高速增加使人民币升值压力继续存在。国外游资的大量涌入,使得我国银行体系出现“流动性过剩”,并凸显通货膨胀压力。央行采取了一系列货币政策措施,包括提高利率、提高法定准备金率、发行央行定向票据等,但是效果并不明显,目前我国流动性过剩问题依然严重,通胀压力仍然存在,货币政策的实施效果严重受到了汇率政策的制约。