Amplification of shocks at the zero lower bound in a small open and large closed economy

This letter compares the consequences of hitting the zero lower bound in small open and large closed economies. I show that in a large economy shocks are modified by the zero lower bound on interest rate much more than in a small one – as a result, the large economy may suffer more.     

The lower bound and the causes of monetary policy inertia: evidence from Sweden

In 2009, in the midst of a global recession, Sweden’s Riksbank approached a lower bound on nominal interest rates. This encounter with the lower bound provides a natural experiment for investigating the causes of monetary policy inertia. To exploit this experiment, we estimate Taylor rules with Tobit specifications that permit both interest rate smoothing and persistent shocks (serial correlation) as explanations for inertia. The interest rate smoothing hypothesis leads to a specification in which lagged actual values of the dependent variable appear on the right-hand side of the Taylor rule, while the persistent shocks hypothesis leads to a specification in which lagged values of an unobserved latent dependent variable appear on the right-hand side of the Taylor rule. The divergence of actual and latent dependent variables that occurs at the lower bound provides leverage in distinguishing the two hypotheses. For a conventional Taylor rule, we find evidence of both sources of inertia. For a modified Taylor rule that includes a measure of financial stress, our evidence suggests that interest rate smoothing is the principal source of monetary policy inertia.     

State‐Dependent Forward Guidance and the Problem of Inconsistent Announcements

Forward guidance can be provided as an unconditional promise, i.e. commitment to a specific low policy rate. Alternatively, the promise may include an escape clause, i.e. a condition defining the state of the economy under which the central bank would not keep such a low rate and, instead, it would revert to setting policy under discretion. The escape clause can be expressed as a threshold in terms of a specific variable. The present paper shows that, when such a threshold is expressed in terms of an endogenous variable (e.g. output, inflation), there are cases where it becomes impossible for the central bank to act in a way that is consistent with its promise. Consistency imposes limits on the policy rate that can be set since reverting immediately to the optimal discretionary rate can be incompatible with exceeding the threshold.     

Assessing macroprudential regulation: the role of the zero lower bound

We look at the interaction between the zero lower bound (ZLB) and flexible macroprudential regulation (FMR). After an adverse demand shock, FMR contributes to financial stability irrespective of the ZLB and also to macroeconomic stabilization if the ZLB binds.     

Transparency of Monetary Policy: Theory and Practice

Transparency has become one of the main features of monetarypolicymaking during the last decade. This article establishesstylized facts and provides a systematic overview of the practiceof monetary policy transparency around the world. It shows muchdiversity in information disclosure, even for central bankswith the same monetary policy framework, including inflationtargeting. Nevertheless, the study finds significant differencesin transparency across monetary policy frameworks. The empiricalfindings are explained using key insights distilled from thetheoretical literature. Thus, this article aims to bridge thegap between the theory and practice of monetary policy transparency.(JEL codes: E58, D82)     

略论我国巨额外汇储备对从紧货币政策的影响

外汇储备作为一国经济金融实力的标志,它是弥补本国国际收支逆差、稳定本国汇率以及维持本国国际信誉的物质基础,但外汇储备并非多多益善.尤其对我国2008年开始实行的从紧货币政策而言,巨额的外汇储备导致的外汇占款会形成强大的压力,以至削弱货币政策的有效性.从我国外汇储备状况的现实入手,分析了我国外汇储备迅猛增长的原因及巨额外汇储备对我国从紧货币政策造成的压力.     

中国外汇冲销干预和货币政策独立性研究

2002年以来,中国国际收支"双顺差"加剧,外汇储备急剧增长,货币供应量增长,通货膨胀压力凸现。为了稳定人民币汇率和抑制通货膨胀,中央银行采取了一系列外汇冲销干预措施。文章在分析外汇冲销干预有效性理论的基础上,分析外汇储备急剧增长下外汇冲销干预的效力和制约因素,认为外汇冲销干预短期内能抵消外汇占款、控制信贷增长,但效力有限;在长期内,外汇冲销干预不仅会影响货币政策独立性,还可能导致通货膨胀、利率上升、汇率升值乃至经济"滞胀",因而难以具有可持续性,最后,文章提出加强外汇储备管理,增强外汇冲销干预效力和货币政策独立性的政策建议。     

The effect of ECB monetary policies on interest rates and volumes

This article assesses the transmission of ECB monetary policies, conventional and unconventional, to both interest rates and lending volumes or bond issuance for three types of different economic agents through five different markets: sovereign bonds at 6-month, 5-year and 10-year horizons, loans to nonfinancial corporations and housing loans to households, during the financial crisis, and for the four largest economies of the euro area. We look at three different unconventional tools: excess liquidity, longer-term refinancing operations and securities held for monetary policy purposes following the decomposition of the ECB’s Weekly Financial Statements. We first identify series of ECB policy shocks at the euro area aggregate level by removing the systematic component of each series and controlling for announcement effects. We second include these exogenous shocks in country-specific structural VAR, in which we control for credit demand. The main result is that only the pass-through from the ECB rate to interest rates has been effective. Unconventional policies have had uneven effects and primarily on interest rates.     

主权财富基金、外汇储备管理与货币政策有效性

中国主权财富基金——中国投资公司的资产负债安排对国内银行体系流动性以及货币政策有效性具有负面影响。必须改革我国外汇储备管理体制:一是财政部应该介入外汇储备的管理;二是赋予中央银行更大的独立性,自主决定购买政府债券的时机和规模,切断外汇储备与银行体系流动性之间的对应关系。     

人民币汇率波动与货币政策调控难度

文章采用动态随机一般均衡（DSGE）模型研究了中国货币政策实施时不能忽略的人民币汇率波动特征。文章构建了人民币汇率波动与中国货币政策及其宏观经济系统影响机制的理论模型,并在模型参数校准的基础上进行了政策模拟。研究结果表明,较大的人民币汇率波动会在一定程度上减弱中国货币政策的调控效果,但是对每个变量冲击响应的影响程度有所不同。较大的人民币汇率波动将显著干扰货币政策对宏观经济需求的调控,人民币汇率升值波动幅度较大时,货币政策对需求变量的调控作用会减弱,但不会影响相关需求变量在不同时点的冲击响应走势特征。较大的汇率波动会减弱利率上行对出口的负面影响,有利于缓解货币政策对出口的负面冲击,但会导致贸易条件（出口价格和进口价格的比值）进一步恶化。     

The shadow rate as a predictor of real activity and inflation: evidence from a data-rich environment

This article examines the predictive content of the shadow rates for US real activity and inflation in a data-rich environment. We find that the shadow rates contain substantial out-of-sample predictive power for inflation in nonzero lower bound and zero lower bound periods. In contrast, the shadow rates are uninformative about future real activity.     

The Analysis of High Exchange Reserve and High National Saving in China

High resident saving and high foreign exchange reserve are the inevitable products in China during the period from planned economy to market economy, and there is high correlation between them. On the one hand, this kind of economic phenomenon can＇t persist in a long time; on the other hand, to implement relevant fiscal and monetary policy, foreign trade policy, and foreign exchange management policy to change them in view of their negative effects to present economy is one of the present economic tasks.     

The (home) bias of European central bankers: new evidence based on speeches

Speeches are an important vehicle for central bankers to convey individual views on the preferred policy stance. In this article, we employ an automated text linguistic approach to create an indicator that measures the tone of the 1,618 speeches delivered by members of the Governing Council (GC) during the period 1999M1–2014M4. We then relate this variable to euro area and national macroeconomic forecasts. Our key findings are as follows. First, inflation and growth expectations have a positive and significant impact on the hawkishness of a speech. Second, different growth expectations across the euro area and different preferences significantly explain discrepancies across speakers. Third, the voiced preferences of presidents of the national central banks (NCBs) largely coincide with the level of independence their central banks had at the time of the Maastricht Treaty. However, in general, there are not much differences between members of the Executive Board and the NCB presidents. Fourth, we find some evidence that central bankers adjust the gist of their speeches depending on whether they talk at home or abroad and before or after a GC meeting. Finally, differences in central banker preferences are the key source of variation in their speeches before the financial crisis.     

浅析稳健的货币政策

2011年12月举行的中共中央政治局会议定调2012年继续实行稳健的货币政策。理解稳健的货币政策,分析其实行效果已成为当务之急。归纳了稳健货币政策的演化史,分析了该货币政策的特征,并总结了其实行效果与面临的挑战。稳健货币政策的运行方式是逆向操作的相机抉择。该货币政策难以对CPI进行精确的控制,难以有效抑制经济过快发展。为提高货币政策的实施效果,央行应当增加基准利率调整频率,并减少对央行票据的依赖。     

澳中中央银行独立性:比较与借鉴

澳大利亚中央银行经过几十年的改革和发展，其独立性已有很大进展，这一点已为学们的研究所证实。建立市场经济体制的中国迫切需要一个独立的中央银行，为此需借鉴包括澳大利亚在内的西方发达国家的经验，增强和完善中国中央银行的独立性。     

Effects of transparency,monetary policy signalling and clarity of central bank communication on disagreement about inflation expectations

The literature on transparency and central bank communication and the literature on disagreement about expectations are evolving; however, both have been evolving separately. Despite the advances in the literature, several key issues remain open and there are gaps to be filled. Therefore, this study analyses the effects of monetary policy signalling and clarity of central bank communication on disagreement about inflation expectations. It also investigates whether greater transparency coincides with lower levels of disagreement in inflation expectations in Brazil. The findings suggest that transparency is important to reduce disagreement about inflation expectations. Moreover, our estimates indicate that central bank communication and clarity affect disagreement about inflation expectations in Brazil.     

产权、金融稳定政策与中央银行独立性

This paper builds a micro-behavior model of central bank and financial institutions from the perspective of property-rights. By analyzing the theoretical model and the practice, we conclude that, in the framework of the present financial stabilization policies in China, the central bank’s functions of monetary policy and financial stabilization are enslaved to financial institutions. Thus, central bank independence has been damaged because of the actual property-right relation between the central bank and the financial institutions. The policy implication is to cut off the property-right relation between the central bank and the financial institutions. __________ Translated from Caijing wenti yanjiu 财经问题研究 (Research on Finanical and Economic Issues), 2007, (6): 3–9     

外汇冲销式干预对中国货币政策独立性的影响研究

冲销干预对中国货币政策独立性的影响表现出长短期不一致的特征,在短期内有助于保持货币政策的独立性;但在长期内,冲销干预不仅会制约货币政策的操作空间,削弱其独立性,累积金融风险,导致恶性后果。对此,应优化央行票据的期限结构,完善以国债市场为核心的公开市场操作,发展外汇掉期交易,建立外汇平准基金制度,增强货币政策独立性。     

中国巨额外汇储备的困境与管理

中国外汇储备的迅猛增长增加了货币政策的操作难度,加剧了国内的通货膨胀并促使人民币升值,同时,大大增加了储备成本和储备风险.面临巨额外汇储备带来的困境,探讨了同样拥有巨额外汇储备的新加坡管理外汇储备的先进经验,提出了改善中国外汇储备管理体制的相关建议.     

Deleveraging,deflation and depreciation in the euro area

During the post-crisis period, economic performance has been highly heterogenous across the euro area. While some economies rebounded quickly after the 2009 output collapse, others are undergoing a protracted further decline as part of an extensive deleveraging process. At the same time, inflation has been subdued throughout the whole of the euro area and intra-euro-area exchange rates have hardly moved. We interpret these facts through the lens of a two-country model of a currency union. We find that deleveraging in one country generates deflationary spillovers which cannot be contained by monetary policy, as it becomes constrained by the zero lower bound. As a result, the real exchange rate response becomes muted, and the output collapse—concentrated in the deleveraging economies.