An empirical note on bond-yield uncertainty and the demand for money

This paper empirically tests the effect of bond-yield uncertainty on the demand for money, as implied by the capital theory approach to the demand for money, suggested by Friedman and Tobin. It is expected that the demand for money is affected not only by the yield on bonds (which are a substitute asset), but it also in increasing function of their risk. The empirical tests, which employ two alternative measures of uncertainty (mean of squared deviations from the average, and the mean of squared deviation from a predictor obtained by exponential smoothing) seem to support the Friedman-Tobin hypothesis.     

A note on the speculative demand for money

In the General Theory, Keynes argued that expectations about future bond prices tend to be “sticky”. A rise in bond prices causes more investors to “join the bear brigade” and so increases the aggregate demand for money. Since Tobin's classic article on liquidity preference, this explanation of the downward sloping demand for money curve has largely disappeared from the literature. This note introduces sticky expectations into the Tobin framework. It shows that the existence of such stickiness does not necessarily cause the demand for money to be more elastic because investors have expectations about the variance of future bond prices as well as about their mean. A sufficient condition for a more elastic demand for money under sticky expectations is that the Pratt-Arrow coefficient of relative risk aversion be either constant or decreasing in wealth.     

An alternative demand indicator: the 'non-accelerating inflation rate of capacity utilization'

This article examines the usefulness of the NAIRCU, the ‘non-accelerating inflation rate of capacity utilization’ as a demand indicator of inflation for eight European countries. So far the NAIRCU has been estimated for the USA only, where it serves as a useful indicator for inflation. In most European countries, deviations from the equilibrium level of capacity utilization influence inflation significantly. Further, the results not only indicate that in more recent periods the NAIRCU has shifted upward, indicating higher efficiency of the production process, but also that confidence intervals have increased over time reducing the usefulness of the NAIRCU somewhat.     

Consumer preferences,the demand for Divisia money,and the welfare costs of inflation

This paper uses neoclassical demand theory to calculate the welfare costs of inflation. It considers the demand interactions between money, consumption goods, and leisure, relaxes the assumption of fixed consumer preferences, and addresses the inter-related problems of estimation of money demand functions, instability of money demand relations, and monetary aggregation. It makes full use of the relevant economic theory and econometrics and generates inference in terms of long-run welfare costs of inflation that is internally consistent with the data and models used.     

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.     

The relationship between the inflation rate and its variability: the issues reconsidered

This paper empirically reexamines the hypothesis of a positive relationship between the inflation rate and its variability. The sample consists of 66 countries for the 1955–85 sample period. Using pooled cross-section time series data, empirical tests are performed for nine different country-groupings ranging from the G–7 developed countries to a group of 10 developing Asian countries. Several important conclusions can be derived. First, irrespective of the variability measure employed, the results indicate the presence of a significant positive relationship between the inflation rate and its variability. This provides strong support to Okun's hypothesis. Second, this relationship is stronger during the flexible rather than the fixed exchange rate period. Third, there appears to be an optimum zone of inflation rate within which the predictability of inflation is at its highest and hence uncertainty cost is at its lowest. For the 1955–85 sample period, this optimum zone of average inflation rate lies in the range of 5 to 7 percent.     

Currency substitution,financial innovations and money demand: a note

This note presents some Finnish evidence on the importance of currency substitution and financial innovations for money demand. It is also shown that conventional demend for money specifications which do not take these factors into account are clearly misspecified and produced unreasonable results. The problem is particularly acute for narrow concepts of money.     

Sectoral variability and the foundations of optimal inflation rate

The recent monetary search models argue that the real effects of inflation on economic activity can be gauged through relative price variability (RPV). Our study uses a large panel data of 32 developed and emerging European economies to test the relationship between inflation and RPV. We use a panel threshold model to explore the regime-specific effects of inflation on RPV. Our results confirm a non-linear profile of the relationship between inflation and RPV. Consistent with the monetary search models, our results show that the effects of inflation on the RPV are more significant in its low (below 0.792% per annum) and high (beyond 2.064% per annum) regimes. Finally, we also report a strong moderating role of central bank independence (CBI) in the inflation–RPV relationship.     

Exchange rate sensitivity of the demand for money in developing countries

There is consensus among researches that under the present floating exchange rate system although developing countries peg their exchange rate to a major currency, they cannot avoid fluctuation in their effective exchange rates as long as major currencies fluctuate against one another. Few authors have investigated the effects of changes in effective exchange rates of developing countries on their imports, exports, trade balance, demand for international reserves, inflation etc. In this paper we try to inestigate the effects of effective exchange rates of developing countries on their demand for money. Previous authors who have estimated a money demand function, inclusive of an exchange rate variable (bilateral or effective), have restricted themselves to industrial countries only. By using quarterly data over the 1973–85 period, it is shown that in most developing countries, while the short-run effcts of depreciation could be in either direction, its long-run effects are negative indicating that depreciation causes a decline in the demand for domestic currency.     

The black market exchange rate and demand for money in sixteen developing countries

Using data for a sample of 16 diverse countries, this study tests the hypothesis that it is the black market exchange rate, not the official rate, that should enter into the demand for money function of countries where there is a black market for foreign currencies. Using several cointegration methods and Hausman tests, it is shown that this hypothesis is strongly supported for most of the countries studied.     

Does a threshold inflation rate exist? Quantile inferences for inflation and its variability

Using quantile regressions and cross-sectional data from 152 countries, we examine the relationship between inflation and its variability. We consider two measures of inflation—the mean and median—and three different measures of inflation variability—the standard deviation, relative variation, and median deviation. All results from the mean and standard deviation, the mean and relative variation, or the median and the median deviation support both the hypothesis that higher inflation creates more inflation variability and that inflation variability raises inflation across quantiles. Moreover, higher quantiles in both cases lead to larger marginal effects of inflation (inflation variability) on inflation variability (inflation). We particularly consider whether thresholds for inflation rate or inflation variability exist before finding such positive correlations. We find evidence of thresholds for the effect of inflation (inflation variability) on inflation variability (inflation). That is, for low inflation (inflation variability) countries, inflation (inflation variability) does not affect inflation variability (inflation).     

Demand for money and expected inflation

The role of the expected rate of inflation in the demand for money has been highly controversial both at the theoretical and the empirical level. This note critically discusses these issues and puts forward a hypothesis accounting for the significance of expected inflation in money demand equations which is corroborated by an empirical investigation of the Italian experience, particularly suited for this specific experiment.     

An error-correction approach to money demand: The case of Sudan

An empirical analysis of money demand behavior in Sudan is presented, based on the dynamic error-correction model. A theoretical basis for the model is offered, which allows an explicit, parameterized division of effects into long-run influences, short-term adjustments, and proportional equilibrium conditions. We refute previous claims that income and price effects may be abnormally high in Sudan, in part by accounting for both foreign exchange and inflationary influences.     

Estimating the interest rate semi-elasticity of the demand for money in low interest rate environments

We estimate the time profile of the interest rate semi-elasticity of the demand for money that is theoretically derived from a money-in-the-utility-function (MIUF) model. This semi-elasticity increases to infinity as interest rates fall to zero. Therefore, the use of this semi-elasticity has an advantage when examining the highly interest-elastic demand for money in low interest rate environments. Using Japanese and U.S. data, we find that the semi-elasticity increases exponentially in low interest rate environments. For example, the highest value of the semi-elasticity in Japan is observed in 2005, and is approximately 350 times larger than the value in 1990.     

The effects of learning and signaling on money demand: With an application to heterodox inflation stabilization programs

This paper develops a nonlinear vector autoregression of inflation and money growth subject to changes in regime. The regimes are fully characterized by the mean and variance of inflation and are conjectured to be the result of alternative government policies. Agents are unable to observe directly whether government actions are indeed consistent with the inflation rate targeted as part of a stabilization program. However, as part of their money demand decision, agents construct probability inferences regarding the regime. Government announcements are assumed to provide agents with additional, possibly truthful information regarding the regime.  This specification is estimated using data from the Israeli and Argentine high-inflation periods. Results indicate that the successful stabilization program implemented in Israel in July 1985 was more credible than either the earlier Israeli attempt in November 1984 or the Argentine programs. Government's signaling might simplify the agents' inference problem and increase the speed of their learning but, under certain conditions, it might also increase inflation volatility. Welfare gains from a temporary increase in real balances might be high enough to induce agents to raise their money demand in the short-term even if they are uncertain about the nature of government policy and the eventual outcome of the stabilization attempt. Statistically, the model restrictions cannot be rejected at the 1% significance level. First version received: August 1998/Final version received: January 1999     

The demand for money in Austria

In this paper, the demand for real money M1, M2, and M3 is estimated for Austria over the time period 1965–96. The modelling takes place within the framework of a small vector autoregression. To estimate the demand for money, two-equation error-correction models are constructed, which contain the short-run dynamics and the long-run economic equilibrium. It is found that a stable money demand exists for all monetary aggregates. The long-run equilibrium of M1, after accounting for a structural break in 1979, can be characterised as a classical type of money demand, with no interest rate effects and an elasticity of one for real GDP. In the case of M2 and M3, we find a unit coefficient on income and a significantly negative influence of a long-term interest rate. The statistical properties of the estimated short-run money demand equations – considering in-sample and out-of-sample tests – are generally very good. First version received: October 1996/Final version received: April 2000     

The transactions trust demand for money

An exchange economy using gold as a means of payment is considered where it is possible to borrow gold in a money market. A positive money rate of interest is encountered as the shadow price of the capacity constraint in an economy without enough gold. The meaning of enough gold and the role of the default penalty are noted in the determination of the interest rate.Revised from Enough Gold in a Society Without and With Moneylenders, CFDP No. 753. The author gratefully acknowledges the support of the Aequus Institute.     

The demand for money and the real exchange rate misalignments in emerging European countries: A nonlinear approach

This paper investigates the extent to which domestic and foreign money balances in emerging European countries are influenced by foreign exchange considerations. A well-specified and stable relationship between real money demand and the exchange rate can be perceived as an important part of a successful monetary policy. This study examines the long-run determinants of real exchange rates (RERs) associated with the behavioral equilibrium exchange rate (BEER) approach and identifies currency misalignments in these countries. The misalignment is later used to test the nonlinear behavior of the demand for money. The results indicate that the RER misalignments have a significant impact on domestic money demand. When the currencies are overvalued, there is a reduction in domestic money demand, and when they are undervalued, there is an increase in domestic money demand. Furthermore, it can be concluded that overvaluation causes an increase in foreign money demand indicating a shift of preference from domestic to foreign currency.