The Demand for Money in Brunei

Based on data for the 1974–95 period this paper estimates demand for narrow money and broad money in Brunei using the error-correction specification. Short-run and long-run elasticities are estimated with respect to real income, interest rate, expected price level and liquidity. Narrow money is quite responsive to changes in real income and interest rate in both the short and long terms. Broad money is income inelastic regardless of the time horizon, however, it is interest inelastic in the short run but interest elastic in the long run. Price elasticity of money demand is negligible in the short run but quite significant in the long run. Changes in the proportion of commercial bank assets placed in foreign money markets do not seem to affect demand for narrow money but their effect on the demand for broad money is both direct and significant.     

资本开放、外汇储备累积与货币政策独立性——中国数据的实证研究

在开放和发展条件下,基于凯恩斯动态货币需求调节方程和Cavoli模型,本文构建了一个包含外汇储备增加的国内市场利率决定模型。对中国2001~2008年月度数据的OLS和TSLS回归结果表明,国际市场利率和外汇储备增加对国内利率影响并不显著,而物价水平、产出和滞后一期的货币供给等变量系数符号不仅与理论预期一致,且检验显著。论文进一步采用了递归的SVAR模型来分析国际利率和外汇储备增加对国内利率的动态冲击效应,脉冲响应函数表明这种动态冲击效应同样十分微弱,说明了中央银行的货币冲销有效性和国内货币政策的独立性。     

Should We Be Afraid of Friedman's Rule?

Should one think of zero nominal interest rates as an undesirable liquidity trap or as the desirable Friedman rule? I use three different frameworks to discuss this issue. First, I restate H. L. Cole and N. Kocherlakota's (1998, Fed. Res. Bank Minn. Quart. Rev., Spring, 2–10) analysis of Friedman's rule: short run increases in the money stock—whether through issuing spending coupons, open market operations, or foreign exchange intervention—change nothing as long as the money stock shrinks in the long run. Second, two simple Keynesian models of the inflationary process with a zero lower bound on nomianl interest rates imply either that deflationary spirals should be common or that a policy close to the Friedman rule and thus some deflation is optimal. Finally, a formal baby-sitting coop model implies multiple equilibria, but does not support the injection of liquidity to restore the good equilibrium, in contrast to P. Krugman (1998, Slate, August 13). J. Japan. Int. Econ., December 2000, 14(4), pp. 261–303. CenER, Tilburg University; Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany; and CEPR Copyright 2000 Academic Press.Journal of Economic Literature Classification Numbers: E31, E41, E50, E51, E52.     

Implications of a negatively sloped LM curve

Conclusion This paper has shown that the LM curve could be downward sloped if the rate of interest on money (specifically liquid deposits) is sufficiently flexible. If so, the momentary equilibrium could be unstable, especially if the LM curve is far from the vertical (i.e., if the interest rate on money is very flexible). Prospects for instability are enhanced if output adjusts slowly or if the central bank varies the money supply strongly over time in response to the general interest rate. If stability obtains with a downward sloped LM curve, fiscal policy has an unconventional direction of effect on income. Three policy implications follow directly. (1) The rate of interest on deposits which are part of the money supply used as the central bank control tool, should not be allowed to be too flexible (to avoid instability). (2) If the monetary deposit rate is quite flexible, the central bank should not have the money supply react too strongly to the general interest rate—i.e., should not come too close to a pure interest rate policy (again, to avoid instability). (3) If the monetary deposit rate is very flexible, fiscal policy should be used with caution (due to the unconventional direction of effect in the event LM is downward sloped).     

Business cycle transmission and interdependence between Japan and Australia

This paper investigates business cycle transmission and interdependence between Australia and Japan over the period 1961.1–1994.4. Vector autoregression (VAR) and vector error correction (VEC) models were constructed utilizing GDP/GNPs, producer prices, interest rates and money supplies. The model is tested for cointegration. Two cointegrating vectors are found, and a vector error correction (VEC) model is estimated. The coefficients and the F-tests of the VEC are used to measure the effect of one economy upon the other. Impulse responses from a VAR are examined for evidence of business cycle transmission, and recursive least squares estimates are used to check for structural change in the relationship. Figures are used to graphically demonstrate these relationships and have been collected in an appendix, which can be found at the end of the text.While the two countries engage in a close trading relationship, the two economies are found to be only somewhat interdependent in macroeconometric terms. Japan is found to transmit some of its business cycle fluctuations to Australia, but there is little reverse transmission.     

Can inflation targeting regimes be effective in developing countries? The Turkish experience

This paper examines the performance of Turkey's inflation targeting (IT) experience. We find the IT regime to be an effective framework. Our judgment is based on three broad conclusions supported by empirical analyses. First, fiscal stability is an effective tool for a successful monetary policy. Second, the overnight policy of the Central Bank of Turkey rate is a significant determinant of the changes in market lending rates, which is the preliminary step in the monetary transmission mechanism. Third, recent developments on the broader issue of the effectiveness of interest rate policy in controlling inflation through aggregate demand management and through other channels are encouraging. Based on our findings, we argue that the impact of policy rate changes on economic activity and inflation have become more predictable and changed in the direction in line with theory, improving the transmission capacity of monetary policy.     

De Vraag Naar Liquiditeiten in Nederland, 1952–1971

Summary This study examines the demand for money (broadly defined) in the Netherlands. The basic model assumes the long run demand for money to depend upon expected real income and prices, the rate of interest and a cyclical indicator. The actual money balances approach equilibrium with an exponentially distributed lag. The model is estimated with seasonally adjusted quarterly data covering the period 1952: I-1971:IV. We found an income elasticity of 0.85 and an interest elasticity of –0.20, a price elasticity close to 1 and a negative correlation between the demand for money and the cyclical indicator. We also found some statistical evidence for the hypothesis that the demand function is stable over time.

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De auteurs zijn hoofd resp. medewerker van de sectie wetenschappelijk onderzoek en econometrie op De Nederlandsche Bank N.V. Ze zijn de heer N. J. A. van der Hoeven veel dank verschuldigd voor zijn hulp bij de uitvoering van de berekeningen.     

Real interest parity: A note on Asian countries using panel stationarity tests

Existing panel data studies of real interest parity are either unable to identify which panel members are characterised by stationary real interest differentials, or are subject to size distortion resulting from the presence of structural breaks and cross-sectional dependencies. Using a panel stationarity testing procedure recently advocated by Hadri and Rao (2008) that allows for structural breaks and cross-sectional dependency, we are unable to reject the stationarity of Asian real interest rate differentials.     

The behavior of market interest rates when information is incomplete

Conclusions This paper has attempted to show how participants in financial markets, in the face of incomplete information about the supply of and demand for money, might go about formulating expectations of future interest rates in making market-clearing decisions. In particular, it was seen that information about the current excess demand for money, extracted from the current interest rate, could be used in formulating these expectations.In studying the behavior of the resulting market-clearing interest rate, two key conclusions emerged. First, relative to a full-in-formation market-clearing rate, where money supply and money demand were assumed observable, the market-clearing interest rate under signal extraction resulted in a biased response. Second, the bias was found to be related to the rates at which the disturbances to money demand and money supply dissipated. This suggested a role for monetary policy in reducing this bias. But, conversely, this also showed that monetary policy could be a source of volatility of market-clearing interest rates, relative to their full-information values.     

Saving,investment, growth and the cost of financial repression

This paper presents a quantitative estimate of the cost of financial repression in developing countries. Here, financial repression is interpreted as the technique of holding institutional interest rates (particularly deposit rates of interest) below their market equilibrium levels. For a sample of developing countries, saving is found to be affected positively by the real deposit rate of interest, as is real money demand, where money is defined broadly to include savings and time deposits. Under disequilibrium interest rate conditions, higher saving which raises real money demand increases pari passu the real supply of credit. Credit availability is an important determinant not only of new investment but also of capacity utilization of the entire capital stock. Hence, the growth rate is itself affected positively by the real deposit rate of interest through two channels – first, the volume of saving and investment and, second, capacity utilization of the entire capital stock, i.e. the measured incremental capital/output ratio. Estimates of saving and growth functions lead to the conclusion that the cost of financial repression appears to be around half a percetage point in economic growth foregone for every one percentage point by which the real deposit rate of interest is set below its market equilibrium rate.     

DEMAND FOR MONEY AND EXPENDITURE COMPONENTS IN SOUTH AFRICA: ASSESSMENT FROM UNRESTRICTED ERROR-CORRECTION MODELS

The main aim of this study is to examine empirically the long‐run relationship of money demand and its determinants in South Africa. In contrast with existing studies on the subject, the present study considers various components of real income as determinants. The disaggregated components are final consumption expenditure, expenditure on investment goods and exports. The other determinants are domestic interest rate, yield on government bonds and the exchange rate. The results confirm that the different components of real income have different impacts on the demand for money in South Africa. The presence of long‐run equilibrium relationships between the demand for real M1, M2 and M3 and their determinants is confirmed based on the results of bounds testing.     

Dynamic panel cointegration approaches to the estimation of money demand functions

This paper investigates properties of the money demand functions of Group of Six (G6) member countries (Canada, France, Italy, Japan, U.K., and U.S.) using the estimation and inference techniques of panel cointegration. Empirical analyses are conducted by estimating money demand equations of G6 countries individually and as a whole, allowing heterogeneity in individual specific fixed effects across countries through dynamic, nonstationary panel estimation techniques. By using recently developed panel cointegration techniques, the paper contributes to the literature of money demand studies by improving the power performance of the relevant estimation and inference procedures. It reports fully modified OLS (FMOLS) estimation results of the money demand model for different data frequencies, to find varying signs and magnitudes of real income, interest rates and inflation elasticities of money demand for G6 nations.     

The liquidity trap: Japan, 1996–2001 versus the United States, 1933–1940

Keynes’ “liquidity trap” rarely occurs. But when it does, it has a tremendously adverse effect on the economy concerned. Such was the case of the United States in the 1930s and now that of contemporary Japan. In a liquidity trap, monetary policy pushes the money interest rate to the zero level while expanding the money supply (M1) at a faster rate than nominal GDP. Conventional theory explains this phenomenon as the result of money demand that becomes infinitely interest-elastic at the zero rate, rendering ineffective the rapidly expanding money supply established by the monetary authorities.In this paper, we show that the liquidity trap is a multifaceted phenomenon not limited to the money market. It involves the bank loan market, the bank deposit market, and the bond market interacting together. Of these, the most important is the bank loan market and the least important is the bank deposit market, whose deposit supply becomes horizontal at the zero rate. They are met by relatively interest-inelastic bank loan demand and bank deposit demand. Hence, the causality is completely reversed from the conventional understanding.We give empirical evidence in support of our theory based on data from the United States, 1933–1940 and Japan, 1996–2001. Far apart in time and space, the two cases are remarkably alike and, hence, provide strong supporting evidence.     

Financial innovations and the interest elasticity of money demand: Evidence from an error correction model

The difficulty of estimating a stable money demand function has been blamed on financial innovations of the past two decades. Gurley and Shaw's [1960] thesis implies that a proliferation of money-like assets resulting from financial innovations increased the interest elasticity of money demand. However, Hafer and Hein [1984] provided empirical evidence to the contrary. This paper presents the empirical results of the M2 demand for money using an error correction model for the period 1959:1–87:4 and two subperiods 1959:1–73:4 and 1974:1–87:4. The findings suggest lower interest and price elasticities for money demand in the second sample in which money substitutes proliferated.     

The Demand For Money: A Structural Econometric Investigation

This study empirically investigates dynamic microfoundations for the conventional static money demand equation. An intertemporal substitution model with the addilog utility function yields a money demand relationship that closely approximates the double log specification. Results from previous empirical studies largely support the derived equation. Estimations with quarterly U.S. data support cointegration among real per capita M1 and consumption, and an after-tax long-term interest rate for the post-1980 period. Estimated short-run intertemporal interest rate elasticities of consumption vary from -0.26 to -0.93. Estimated long-run elasticities of substitution between consumption and money range from -0.26 to -0.41.     

The demand for money in a small open economy: The case of Switzerland

The paper uses cointegration analysis to investigate the demand for money in Switzerland in the context of an open economy. It considers the general process of financial asset substitution and tests for the relevance of an exchange rate and a foreign interest rate variable in a conventional money demand equation. The results show that the variables entering into the demand for either monetary base or narrow money equation may not form a cointegrated system unless the exchange rate or foreign interest rate variable is included. This provides support to both the currency substitution and capital mobility hypotheses.     

Monetization and the behavior of velocity in Sweden, 1871–1913

The income velocity of money declined sharply in Sweden between the 1870's and the outbreak of World War I. This decline is explained by a monetization process. An account of this process is given focusing on (a) the growth of commercial banking, (b) changes in wage contracts and in labor markets, and (c) changes in exchange arrangements in the markets for goods. A number of proxy measures of the spreading use of money are presented and included in regressions on velocity. The influence of the monetization variables is compared to the effects of the standard explanatory variables in money demand studies, that is, of real income and interest rates. The econometric results support the view that monetization variables significantly contributed to the fall in velocity. These results question the luxury-good hypothesis of money, suggesting that the standard approach of including real income as an explanatory variable in money demand studies covering long spans of time runs the risk of ignoring important determinants of the secular behavior of velocity.     

我国货币需求函数的经验分析

本文使用局部调整模型对我国货币需求函数进行了分析,提出在货币需求函数的分析中,应关注市场化利率,以便对持币成本做出合理的解释。     

Demand for cash balances in a cashless economy

We study the demand for cash balances in the year 2050, when people exclusively use debit cards for all transactions. Money no longer serves as a medium of exchange. However, money still retains its roles as unit of account, numeraire and store of value. We capture these roles in a multi-period model with intertemporal uncertainty regarding prices and the interest rate on bonds, the alternative asset. A key result of our analysis is that the standard negative relationship between money demand and the bond interest rate is seen to be part of a larger economic reality encompassing a broader range of empirically testable implications, including the possibility that the relationship may be positive. We develop formal structural restrictions under which the positive relationship between cash balance demand and the bond interest rate is not only a possible outcome, but an explicit prediction of the model.     

中国货币政策数量效果的实证研究

文章主要运用了单位根检验、协整检验、格兰杰因果关系检验、脉冲响应函数和方差分解等计量经济学方法,利用1994年到2004年的季度数据,对货币供应量、利率这两个重要货币政策变量与GDP之间的关系进行了计量分析,利率对实体经济的影响不显著;不同层次的货币供应量都能对经济产生影响,但它们对GDP的作用效果是有差异的.为提高我国货币政策的效果,实现我国货币政策的目标提出了相关的政策建议.