Does Money Have a Role in Monetary Policy for Price Stability under Inflation Targeting in Thailand?

This paper deploys Thai quarterly data for the study period 1999q1–2014q4 to econometrically investigate the proposition that money growth is an important, if not the sole, determinant of inflation under inflation targeting and that the money growth-inflation relation is not conditional on the stability of the money-demand function. The autoregressive distributed-lag (ARDL) bounds-testing results suggest that, across the study period, the Thai money stock (narrow or broad), real output, prices, interest rates and exchange rates maintained a long-run equilibrium relationship. The associated error-correction model of inflation confirms the cointegral relationship among money (narrow or broad), real output, prices, interest rates and exchange rates. It also suggests that money growth has a significant distributed-lag impact on inflation. The presence of this money growth-inflation relationship was associated with a stable narrow money-demand function, whereas the broad money-demand function remained unstable. These results for the study period are consistent with the view that the causal relationship between money growth and inflation holds in Thailand under inflation targeting when the Bank of Thailand deploys a short-term policy interest rate, rather than a monetary aggregate, as the instrument of monetary policy and that this relationship is not conditional on the stability of the money-demand function.     

THE INTERTEMPORAL RELATION BETWEEN MONEY AND PRICES IN SOUTH AFRICA*

Several studies have emphasized the need to ‘filter’ the money growth and inflation data before a clear short‐run intertemporal relation between them is revealed. When a simple filtering technique is employed to changes in money and prices, the correlation of the series tends to increase as the filter used shifts to lower frequency data. The technique also reveals a statistically significant relation between money and inflation, a pattern of Granger causality that has changed with changes in the monetary and exchange rate regime during 1965‐2005, and much shorter leads/lags between money and inflation than those typically found in similar studies of the experience of developed economies.     

金融元素的变动对通货膨胀影响的实证研究

本文主要研究货币供应量(M2)、外汇储备、汇率、国际石油价格变动对通货膨胀的影响。构建VAR模型和向量误差修正模型,通过脉冲响应函数和方差分解分析了金融元素对CPI的影响。实证结果表明:货币供给量、外汇储备、汇率和CPI之间存在一种长期的稳定关系,外汇储备和汇率的变动对通货膨胀的影响皆较小。CPI与实际有效汇率间存在负相关关系。国际石油价格变动对通货膨胀的影响较大,汇率变动对通货膨胀的影响较小,说明汇率对价格传递的不完全性。     

汇率，抗通胀的有效手段

Summary： This argument is primarily to demonstrate the reason that exchange rate adjustment can curb the inflation in China and to illustrate the defection that ＂tight＂ monetary policy lies in the anti-inflation activities. The reason is mainly concerned with the efficiency exchange rate policy has to address the inflation issues brought by excessive money supply as well as the need to maintain the relatively low prices in international commodity and to promote the economic restructuring . The defection from tight monetary policy is chiefly about its inability in cutting off liquidity and taping the domestic market potential.     

Inflation as the lesser evil

Abstract

The authors of this analysis of the German inflation seek to show the interdependence between the various factors which made that hyper-inflation possible, and the effects of the inflation on production, employment and the distribution of incomes. They reject an explanation of the German inflation in terms of the quantity theory which was widely held in the inter-war years. Instead they attempt to explain developments by showing the inter-relationship between the balance of payments, rates of exchange and the trend of internal prices and wages. According to this balance of payments theory, the supply of money will passively adjust itself to a rise in the level of prices and wages, the government budgetary deficit brought about by the faster rate of increase in prices and wages than in tax revenue being financed inter alia by the issue of notes.     

The Relationship between Inflation and Inflation Uncertainty in Emerging Market Economies

A standard Generalized Autoregressive Conditional Heteroskedastic (q,v) model is employed to construct a measure of monthly inflation uncertainty in 12 emerging market economies, and the relationship between inflation and inflation uncertainty is examined using Granger-causality tests. The results suggest that higher inflation rates increased inflation uncertainty in all the economies, providing strong support for the Friedman hypothesis. The evidence on the effect of inflation uncertainty on average monthly inflation is more mixed, with increased inflation uncertainty leading to lower average inflation in Colombia, Israel, Mexico, and Turkey, consistent with the Holland hypothesis, but to higher average inflation in Hungary, Indonesia, and Korea, consistent with the hypothesis of Cukierman and Meltzer.     

Pass-through Effects of Global Commodity Prices on China＇s Inflation： An Empirical Investigation

The present paper uses a two-step approach to estimate the pass-through effects of changes in international commodity prices and the RMB exchange rate on domestic consumer price inflation in China. We first estimate the pass-through effects of international commodity prices on producer prices and then estimate the pass-through effects of producer price inflation on consumer price inflation. We find that a l O-percent increase in international commodity prices would lead to China＇ s producer prices increasing by 1.2 percent 3 months later, which in turn would increase China＇ s domestic inflation by 0.24 percent over the same period. However, a 10-percent appreciation of the RMB exchange rate against the US dollar would help to reduce increases in producer prices by 4.4 percent over the following 3 months, which in turn would lead to a 0. 89-percent decline in consumer price inflation over the same period. Our findings suggest that appreciation of the RMB in an environment of rising global commodity prices and a weak US dollar could be an effective instrument to help contain inflation in China.     

Monetary discipline and inflation in developing countries: the role of the exchange rate regime

Adherence to a pegged exchange rate regime has the potentialto affect inflation in two ways: by instilling monetary disciplineand by altering the relationship between money and prices, becauseshocks to the money stock are absorbed partly by changes inthe balance of payments. Although the latter is a disequilibriumphenomenon (if balance of payments deficits are unsustainablein the long run), it might still be important in the mediumterm. Evidence on the relative importance and magnitude of thetwo effects is presented, using cross-sectional macroeconomicdata from 80 LDCs. Both effects are found to be significant.     

Money Growth,Output Growth,and Inflation: A Reexamination of the Modern Quantity Theory's Linchpin Prediction

A testable implication of the modern quantity theory of money, when viewed as a theory of inflation, is the joint hypothesis that (i) there is a one-to-one positive relationship between inflation and the money stock growth rate, (ii) there is a one-to-one negative relationship between inflation and the aggregate output growth rate, and (iii) there are no other determinants of inflation besides the money stock and aggregate output expansion rates. This implication is the theory's linchpin prediction. A recent prior study published in this journal examines cross-country data and reports that this hypothesis cannot be rejected. The present study reexamines the prior study's data and finds that the joint hypothesis is decisively rejected, an unpleasant finding from a monetarist perspective. The article then goes on to propose an alternative to the prior study's model of the inflation process and reports findings that are, from the perspective of a monetarist, at least mildly pleasant.     

The effect of oil price on China's exports

The increase in oil prices in recent years has occurred concurrently with a rapid expansion of Chinese exports in the world markets, despite China being an oil importing country. In this paper we develop a theoretical model that explains the positive correlation between Chinese exports and the oil price. The model shows that Chinese growth can lead to an increase in oil prices that has a stronger impact on its export competitors. This is due to the large labor force surplus of China. We then examine this hypothesis by estimating a reduced form equation for Chinese exports using Rodrik [Rodrik, Dani, 2006. What's so special about China's exports? China and World Economy 14, 1–19.]'s measure of export competitiveness, together with the oil price, productivity, real exchange rate, and foreign industrial production over the monthly 1992–2005 period. The results suggest a stable relationship and yields slightly positive values for the price of oil and elastic coefficients for export competitiveness, along with the expected negative elasticity for the real exchange rate.     

农产品价格影响因素的文献综述

理清近年来农产品价格大幅度上涨的原因对于建立农产品目标价格制度显得尤为重要。从国别视角出发来对现有关于农产品价格影响因素的研究进行了综述,其中国内因素视角分为农产品生产成本、城乡居民收入、货币供给量、国内通货膨胀四个小专题,国际因素视角分为国际农产品价格、国际石油价格、汇率、其他外部因素四个小专题。最后指出,影响农产品价格的因素主要还是供求状况,其他因素要么是通过影响农产品的供求来影响价格,要么对农产品价格的影响程度不大,或者是不同学者得出了不同的结论。     

"货币幻觉"与房价虚涨实涨——质疑"房价虚涨论"

在房价不断上涨的现象面前,房价上涨源于货币幻觉的观点具有一定影响。通过对房价上涨是虚涨还是实涨的分析,从而说明房价虚涨论的片面性。实际情况是,货币幻觉对房价上涨的影响是短暂的;收入的增长幅度低于房价的上涨幅度等因素,决定了房价是实涨而非虚涨。房价虚涨论的危害在于,如果房价上涨被房价虚涨论所误导,将会影响政府抑制房价过快上涨政策措施的制定和实施,也将对居民的住房投资和消费产生负面影响。     

Strong Currency and Weak Currency

This paper presents a two-country model in which two currencies compete with each other. There exists an equilibrium in which the two currencies with different rates of inflation circulate as media of exchange despite neither currency being required to be used for transactions. Taxes payable in local currency and asymmetric injection of fiat money by the government through purchases of a certain good generate demands even for the currency with a higher inflation rate. In such an equilibrium, the government that issues the currency with a lower rate of inflation collects seigniorage not only from its own residents but from the residents of the other country provided that the rate of inflation is positive. The strong currency in the sense of a low inflation rate becomes an international medium of exchange. Policy games, in which the two governments simultaneously choose and commit to tax rates and inflation rates, are also examined. We show, among other things, that the equilibrium rate of inflation is zero in this policy game. In other words, unlike a common argument, the rate of inflation does not go below zero. This result is due to the fact that a negative rate of inflation induces a negative amount of seigniorage andvice versa. Some alternative currency regimes are examined. Even for a country with a weak currency, abandonment of its currency leads to a lower level of welfare. Monetary unions are briefly discussed as well.J. Japan. Int. Econ., Dec. 199812(4), pp. 305–333. University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan; University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan.     

Exchange rates,stock prices,and money markets: evidence from Singapore

This paper uses a monetary approach to analyze the asymmetric asset-price movements (exchange rates and stock prices) in Singapore, a small open economy with managed exchange rate targeting. The Singapore dollar exchange rates vis-à-vis the developed countries’ currencies are negatively related to stock prices whereas the relationship between the Singapore dollar-Malaysian ringgit exchange rate and stock prices is positive instead. The pattern of asymmetry is explained by the relative exchange-rate elasticity of real money demand and real money supply and evidenced by the distributed-lag regression and VAR analysis. Furthermore, the distributed-lag regression of monthly data suggests that fiscal revenues as well as fiscal expenditures exert positive influences on stock prices.     

Hot Money Flows,Commodity Price Cycles and Financial Repression in the USA and China： The Consequences of Near-zero US Interest Rates

Under near-zero US interest rates, the international dollar standard malfunctions. Emerging markets with naturally higher interest rates are swamped with hot money inflows. Emerging market central banks intervene to prevent their currencies from rising precipitately. They lose monetary control and domestic prices begin inflating. Primary commodity prices rise worldwide unless interrupted by an international banking crisis＇. This cyclical inflation on the dollar＇s periphery only registers in the US core eonsumer price index with a long lag. The zero interest rate policy also fails to stimulate the US economy as domestic finaneial intermediation by banks and money market mutual funds is repressed. Because China is forced to keep its interest rates below market-clearing levels, it also suffers from finaneial repression, although in a form differing from that in the USA.     

Exchange Rates,Domestic Prices,and Central Bank Actions: Recent U.S. Experience

Central banks that are primarily concerned with the behavior of prices will use monetary policy to try to insulate prices from exchange rate changes. Prices then appear unresponsive to changes in the exchange rate. The observed relationships between prices and the exchange rate will reflect central bank actions instead of the underlying relationship between exchange rates and prices. This paper explicitly recognizes the role that policy plays in determining the observable relationships between exchange rates and prices, and in so doing, it illustrates how the underlying relationships can be unraveled. Using three different empirical approaches, we examine the recent experience of the United States. We find that the prices of various nondurable goods, and even of some services, respond modestly to the exchange rate, and we find that the responses emerge most clearly when the role of monetary policy is explicitly considered. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that the Federal Reserve acts to mitigate the effects of exchange rate fluctuations on domestic prices.     

The Inflationary Effects of Effective Exchange Rate Depreciation in Selected African Countries

This paper investigates the long-run relationship between thenominal effective exchange rate and domestic inflation in selectedAfrican countries. Given that the study period is 1979–97,data availability is very limited. A new panel data cointegratingtechnique proposed by Pedroni is employed which lessens thelikelihood of accepting non-stationarity on account of limitedtest power. We find that effective exchange rate depreciationis inflationary but this is unlikely to outweigh the gains fromincreased price competitiveness. The results also point towardslimited effectiveness in monetary policy controlling inflation.Finally, the Pedroni methodology is expanded through the estimationof panel data error correction models that indicate a fairlysluggish adjustment towards long-run equilibrium.     

China＇s Exchange Rate and Financial Repression： The Conflicted Emergence of the RMB as an International Currency

Instability in the worm dollar standard, as most recently manifested in the US Federal Reserve＇s near-zero interest rate policy, has caused consternation in emerging markets with naturally higher interest rates. China has been provoked into speeding RMB ＂internationalization ＂; that is, opening up domestic financial markets to reduce its dependence on the US dollar for invoicing trade and making international payments. However, despite rapid percentage growth in offshore financial markets in RMB, the Chinese authorities are essentially trapped into maintaining exchange controls （reinforced by financial repression in domestic interest rates） to avoid an avalanche of foreign capital inflows that would threaten inflation and asset price bubbles by driving nominal interest rates on RMB assets down further. Because a floating （appreciating） exchange rate could attract even more hot money inflows, the People＇s Bank of China should focus on keeping the yuan/dollar rate stable so as to encourage naturally high wage increases to help balance China ＂s international competitiveness. However, further internationalization of the RMB, as with the proposed Shanghai pilot free trade zone, is best deferred until world interest rates rise to more normal levels.     

Exchange Rate Pass-through in a Small Open Economy: the Importance of the Distribution Sector

The degree of exchange rate pass-through to domestic goods prices has important implications for monetary policy in small open economies with floating exchange rates. Evidence indicates that pass-through is faster to import prices than to consumer prices. Price setting behaviour in the distribution sector is suggested as one important explanation. If distribution costs and trade margins are important price components of imported consumer goods, adjustment of import prices and consumer prices to exchange rate movements may differ. We present evidence on these issues for Norway by estimating a cointegrated VAR model for the pricing behaviour in the distribution sector, paying particular attention to exchange rate channels likely to operate through trade margins. Embedding this model into a large scale macroeconometric model of the Norwegian economy, which inter alia includes the pricing-to-market hypothesis and price-wage and wage-wage spirals between industries, we find exchange rate pass-through to be quite rapid to import prices and fairly slow to consumer prices. We show the importance of the pricing behaviour in the distribution sector in that trade margins act as cushions to exchange rate fluctuations, thereby delaying pass-through significantly to consumer prices. A forecasting exercise demonstrates that exchange rate pass-through to trade margins has not changed in the wake of the financial crises and the switch to inflation targeting. We also find significant inflationary effects of exchange rate changes even in the short run, an insight important for inflation targeting central banks.     

Why inflation is not relative price-neutral for primary products

Studies of inflation tend to neglect relative prices although it has long been known (and recently confirmed) that relative price changes are more pronounced in periods of severe inflation. This paper advances the hypothesis that for the developing countries' primary products the distinction between demand and cost inflation is important: the former will improve the relative price of primary products; the latter will cause them to deteriorate if the cost inflation originates in developed countries. In the long run these effects may be cancelled out but not before they have lasted long enough to merit our attention.