The macroeconomic effects of monetary policy: Evidence from Japan

This study examines the macroeconomic effects of monetary policy in Japan. We apply the new identification strategy proposed by Bu et al. (2021) to the Japanese case and estimate monetary policy shocks that bridge periods of conventional and unconventional monetary policymaking. We show the macroeconomic effects of monetary policy; a contractionary monetary policy shock significantly decreases output and inflation rates even under the effective lower bound. However, because the shorter-term and longer-term nominal interest rates are already close to zero, the magnitude of monetary policy shocks on the macroeconomic variables is modest.     

The time-frequency analysis of conventional and unconventional monetary policy: Evidence from Japan

The effects of monetary policy on the aggregate economy is an important issue that has been addressed mainly in the time domain, and relatively little is known about how monetary policy affects the macroeconomy in the time-frequency space. With a continuous wavelet multiple coherency and partial coherency approach, this paper contributes to the literature by characterizing the macroeconomic effects of monetary policy across frequencies and over time using a monthly dataset from Japan, which is in the vanguard in the practice of unconventional monetary policy. The empirical results show that: First, interest rate changes could be largely captured by inflation fluctuations across frequencies before 1999 but only at low frequencies after 1999. Second, movements of M1 could well reflect the variations of industrial production at the scale of 2–4 years before 1999, but this relationship was reversed at the same scale after 1999. Third, changes in M2 could roughly mirror the fluctuations of inflation at the scale of 3–4 years between 1966 and 1969, and this relationship was reversed at the scale of 1–3 years between 2003 and 2007. This study indicates that in Japan conventional and unconventional monetary policy generate heterogeneous effects on the aggregate economy and the level of heterogeneity partially depends on the chosen instrument.     

The effectiveness of monetary policy in China: Evidence from a Qual VAR

Analyzing monetary policy in China is not straightforward because the People's Bank of China (PBoC) implements policy by using more than one instrument. In this paper we use a Qual VAR, a conventional VAR system augmented with binary policy announcements, to extract a latent indicator of tightening and easing pressure, respectively, for China. The model acknowledges that policy announcements are endogenous and summarizes policy by a single indicator. The Qual VAR allows us to study the impact of monetary policy in terms of unexpected changes in these latent variables, which we identify using sign restrictions. We show that the transmission of monetary policy impulses to the rest of the economy is similar to the transmission process in advanced economies in terms of both output growth and inflation despite a very different monetary policy framework. We find that bank loans are not sensitive to policy changes, which implies that window guidance is still a necessary policy tool. We also find that the impact of monetary policy shocks is asymmetric in terms of asset prices, that is, the asset price reactions differ in their sensitivity to tightening shocks and easing shocks, respectively. In particular, an easing of monetary conditions boosts stock prices while a tightening shock leaves stock prices unaffected. This shows that monetary policy is not a suitable tool to stabilize asset prices, which raises implications for financial stability and macroprudential policy.     

Expansionary monetary policy and credit allocation: Evidence from China

We identify the impact of expansionary monetary policy in China during the 2008–2009 global financial crisis on the credit and investment allocation among firms. We obtain robust evidence that expansionary monetary policy led to the misallocation of bank credit to less productive firms after controlling for confounding factors. However, we find that investment increased more for more productive firms. Additional analyses show that this occurred partly because more productive firms hoarded cash before the crisis, and partly because less productive firms invested more in financial assets.     

Macroeconomic impact of monetary policy shocks: Evidence from recent experience in Thailand

This paper investigates the monetary transmission mechanism in Thailand, employing a VAR approach. It is found that the Bank of Thailand has leverage over the real interest rate in the short run due to inflation inertia. It is also found that the Thai monetary transmission mechanism has important international dimensions. More specifically, monetary contraction has stronger negative effects on import demand in the short run even though import prices fall.     

Transmission mechanism of monetary policy in India

This paper examines the transmission mechanism of monetary policy in India. Considering the external constraints on monetary policy, it estimates a series of vector autoregression models to examine the effects of an unanticipated monetary policy tightening on the real sector. The empirical results suggest that the lending rate initially increases in response to a monetary tightening. Banks play an important role in the transmission of monetary policy shocks to the real sector.     

The money supply mechanism and monetary policy in China

One of the main difficulties of analyzing the macroeconomic condition in The People's Republic of China is the lack of information of its money supply mechanism. The present paper tries to provide a systematical analysis of the Chinese money supply process from both the theoretical and empirical points of view. It shows that the economic reform in the 1980s caused profound changes in the structure of the banking system in the following ways, (a) The establishment of the central bank paved the foundation of the money creation process through the monetary base and a multiplier effect, (b) Consequently, the money supply and credit condition are controlled, at least partially, by economic instruments such as the monetary base, required reserve ratio, and interest rates, (c) The old money supply system is far from being phased out yet. As a matter of fact, it is the mixture of a central bank system and an administrative command driven centrally planned system that constitutes the money supply mechanism with the “Chinese characteristics”. The successes and failures of the monetary policies in the late 1980s and early 1990s reflect the central bank's ability to control the macroeconomic condition of the economy. They also indicate that at the beginning of the 1990s, after a decade of economic reforms, the money supply mechanism in China is still, by and large, controlled by the central government through administrative orders rather than economic leverages.     

Alternative views of the money transmission mechanism: what difference do they make for monetary policy?

This paper examines how alternative views of the monetary transmissionmechanism affect the choice of a monetary policy rule. The mainfinding is that many different structural models indicate thatthe same simple monetary policy rule - one in which the centralbank's target short-term interest rate reacts to inflation andto real output - would perform well. Such rules work well evenin models where the monetary transmission mechanism has a relativelystrong exchange-rate channel. The models differ, however, intheir implications for more complex monetary rules.     

The estimation of monetary policy reaction function in a data-rich environment: The case of Japan

This paper reports the estimates of a monetary policy reaction function for the Bank of Japan in a data-rich environment. There are two main findings. First, a weak identification problem arises in the estimates under the specifications that some previous works employ, though in a data-rich environment it may be possible to avoid this problem. Second, the evidence from the estimates in a data-rich environment suggests that the Bank of Japan only controlled the inflation forecast, and placed no weight on output stabilization directly over the period from November 1988 through February 2001.     

Endogenous monetary policy shifts and the term structure: Evidence from Japanese government bond yields

I construct a no-arbitrage term structure model with endogenous regime shifts and apply it to Japanese government bond (JGB) yields. This model subjects the short-term interest rate to monetary regime shifts, specifically a zero interest rate policy (ZIRP) and normal regimes, which depend on macroeconomic variables. The estimates show that under the ZIRP regime, the effect of deflation (inflation) on lowering (raising) bond yields amplifies on the long end of yield curves, compared with a case with positive interest rates under the normal regime. On the other hand, output gaps’ ability to raise bond yields weakens for all maturities.     

Pushing on a string: State-owned enterprises and monetary policy transmission in China

This paper studies whether monetary transmission in China is asymmetric. While researchers have found an asymmetric transmission in the US and other economies, China offers a specific rationale for asymmetries: the presence of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) with preferential access to financing. To study the consequences of SOEs for monetary policy transmission, we differentiate between expansionary and restrictive policy shocks and argue that SOEs generally suffer less from a policy tightening and benefit more from a policy easing. Based on sector-specific macroeconomic time series and a large firm-level data set, we provide evidence of a systematic and sizeable asymmetry in the transmission of monetary policy shocks in China. The nature of the asymmetry is consistent with the notion of explicit or implicit government guarantees of SOEs and has consequences for the adjustment of aggregate variables. In contrast to other central banks, the People's Bank of China seems able to “push on a string”.     

Inflation dynamics and monetary policy transmission in Vietnam and emerging Asia

This paper provides an overview of inflation developments in Vietnam in the years following the doi moi reforms, and uses empirical analysis to answer two key questions: (i) what are the key drivers of inflation in Vietnam, and what role does monetary policy play? and (ii) why has inflation in Vietnam been persistently higher than in most other emerging market economies in the region? It focuses on understanding the monetary policy transmission mechanism in Vietnam, and in understanding the extent to which monetary policy can explain why inflation in Vietnam has been higher than in other Asian emerging markets over the past decade.     

Intergenerational income persistence and transmission mechanism: Evidence from urban China

In this paper I investigate the intergenerational income association and its transmission channels amid China's economic transition period using urban data from the Chinese Household Income Projects in 1995 and 2002. The estimated intergenerational income elasticity is 0.43 and 0.51 for cohorts educated prior to and after the market reform respectively, and reaches 0.71 among households with above average income in the post-reform era. Besides the conventional channel of education, this paper estimates the contribution from social capital and ownership of work unit across cohorts and income groups. There is weak evidence that prior to market reform, ownership of work unit contributes most to the intergenerational income persistence for households with below average income, while social capital leads the three contributors in households with above average income. However, in the post-reform era, parents with below average income invest statistically significantly in children's education which contributes most to the intergenerational income persistence. The leading contributor in families with above average income shifts to social capital. Possible explanations for such a shift lie in the ability and incentive of parents from different income categories to invest in their children. The results are tested through a series of robustness checks, and provide empirical support for promoting policies on the equality of opportunity.     

The leading indicator property of the term spread and the monetary policy factors in Japan

Many studies have observed the leading indicator property of the term spread (LIPTS), which indicates that the term spread—the difference between long- and short-term interest rates—has information on future economic conditions. We examine whether this property is related to monetary policy or not by using Japanese monthly data with consideration for structural changes. Results of structural change tests show that the term spread has predictive ability for the future economic activity from 1982:4 to 1997:8. Decomposing the term spread into three parts; one is explained by past monetary policy shocks, another is explained by expected future call rates and the other is the remaining part, we find that all three parts are significantly related to the future economic growth rate. Hence, we find that the monetary policy plays an important role for the LIPTS.     

加强我国公司法人治理结构中的激励与约束机制

本文利用相关分析、Granger因果检验、回归分析三种统计指标分析了CPI与GDP的关系 ,指出CPI作为通货膨胀指标的可行性。要实现CPI的控制目标 ,应以M 2作为货币政策中介目标较为合理     

科研开发活动的有偿性与增值税的计征问题——从一个案说起

本文通过案例分析了科研开发中有关费用的性质，指出开发成果不是销售货物，国家在征收增值税时应给予政策上的优惠。     

分析中国货币政策的有效性

我国货币政策的最终目标是稳定币值,促进经济稳定增长。中央银行是通过货币政策工具控制和调节中介目标———货币供应量来实现这个最终目标的。本文通过探讨货币是中性还是非中性,货币供应量是内生还是外生,我国货币政策的传导机制是否畅通这三个问题,最终得出了我国货币政策     

Micro-aspects of monetary policy: Lender of Last Resort and selection of banks in pre-war Japan

This paper explores how the Bank of Japan (BOJ) dealt with the trade-off between stability of the financial system and the moral hazard of banks in pre-war Japan. The BOJ concentrated Lender of Last Resort (LLR) loans with those banks that had an established transaction relationship with the BOJ. At the same time, the BOJ carefully selected its transaction counterparts, and did not hesitate to end the relationship if the performance of a counterpart declined. Further, the BOJ was selective in providing LLR loans. Through this policy, the BOJ could avoid the moral hazard that the LLR policy might otherwise have incurred.     

The lending channel of monetary policy in Indonesia

This study evaluates the bank lending channel of monetary policy in Indonesia by using quarterly bank-level data over the period of 2005-2016. I find that the lending channel of monetary policy works for all banks, both large and small. The results suggest that higher capital buffers and better liquidity positions moderate the impact of changes in monetary policy on credit growth for large banks, while capital buffers and liquidity positions do not alter the strength of the lending channel for small banks. The findings indicate that the central bank can use prudential instruments affecting capital buffers and liquidity positions for managing the strength of adjustment in the monetary policy interest rate on bank credit growth.