Takeover activity in Australia: endogenous and exogenous influences

The present paper analyses the population of takeover bids for listed Australian companies using quarterly data over a 25-year period to re-examine the predictability of takeover activity and to determine if there is a flow on impact on macroeconomic variables. We examine whether takeover activity: (i) is endogenous; that is, determined by own activity; (ii) is jointly determined by macroeconomic and capital market variables; and (iii) has an exogenous spillover impact across the economy. We find that stock prices and takeover activity share a long-term common trend, the relative success of takeover bids is independent of sharemarket activity, and conclude that aggregate takeover activity is driven by fundamental economic factors rather than by speculative activity.     

A dynamic econometric system for the real yen–dollar rate

This paper investigates the existence of theory-consistent cointegrating relationships between the real yen–dollar exchange rate and economic fundamentals in Japan and the US. After rigorous cointegration analysis, the paper constructs a data-congruent simultaneous equations system for the real yen–dollar rate. Multivariate cointegration analysis covering the post-Bretton Woods period reveals two long-run relationships which are consistent with macroeconomic theories: one is based on a condition of uncovered interest rate parity incorporating the Japanese current account balance, and the other on a structural balance-of-payments equation. Several topics in time series econometrics such as exogeneity are also discussed in the model construction. Finally, a parsimonious dynamic system centering on the real yen–dollar rate is presented as a set of equilibrium correction models conditional on weakly exogenous variables.      

Monetary policy shocks and productivity measures in the G-7 countries

An implication of two-country international real business cycle models is that total factor productivity should be an exogenous stochastic process. Economic theories which feature labor hoarding, variable capacity utilization, and increasing returns predict that measured productivity shifts are not exogenous; instead, expansionary aggregate demand shocks should lead to an increase in measured productivity. For each of the G-7 countries, this paper measures quarterly aggregate total factor productivity for the domestic country and its rest-of-world (G-6) counterpart. In each case the domestic productivity measures are not strictly exogenous: expansionary U.S. monetary policy shocks, as well as other G-6 monetary policy shocks, lead to productivity expansions. The evidence indicates that international business cycle models are misspecified unless they feature endogenous productivity mechanisms.Received: June 2001, Accepted: December 2001, JEL Classification: E5, F4Correspondence to: Charles L. EvansFor their helpful comments, we thank Mario Crucini, Patricia Reynolds, and Steve Strongin. The views expressed in this paper do not necessarily reflect the views of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago or the Federal Reserve System.     

欧洲主权债务危机的内生性与外生性研究

南欧成员国社会福利过度造成的财政支出扩张与经济停滞导致的财政收入收缩是欧洲主权债务危机的内生性成因。美国因素是欧洲主权债务危机的重要外生性解释变量。美国试图通过债务危机打压欧元是为了巩固美元的全球霸权。即使欧洲主权债务危机在短期内对于欧元产生了一定的冲击,但在长期仍有可能造就一个更强大的欧元。     

Exogeneity, causality, and co-breaking in economic policy analysis of a small econometric model of money in the UK

Since the objective of economic policy is to change target variables in the DGP, when economic policy analysis uses an econometric model, it is important that the model delivers reliable inferences about policy responses in the DGP. This requires that the model be congruent and encompassing, and hence exogeneity, causality, cointegration, co-breaking, and invariance all play major roles. We discuss these roles in linear cointegrated VARs, prior to illustrating their importance in a bivariate model of money and interest rates in the UK over the last century.Financial support from the UK Economic and Social Research Council under grant L116251015, and the EUI Research Council grantEconometric Modelling of Economic Time Series, is gratefully acknowledged. Early research for the paper was done whilst Mizon was Visiting Fellow in the Economics Program of the RSSS at ANU, where he benefited from the excellent research environment and discussions with Adrian Pagan. We are grateful to Hans-Martin Krolzig for helpful discussions on the topic. We also thank members of the Research Department, Norges Bank, Oslo, the particpants at theWorkshop on Money Demand in Europe, Humboldt University, October 1997, two referees, and the editors Helmut Lütkepohl and Jürgen Wolters for their valuable comments. The data may be obtained from the internet, http://wotan.wiwi.huberlin.de/oekonometric./engl/data.html     

Testing identifying assumptions in bivariate probit models

This paper considers the bivariate probit model's identifying assumptions: linear index specification, joint normality of errors, instrument exogeneity, and relevance. First, we develop sharp testable equalities that detect all possible observable violations of the assumptions. Second, we propose an easy-to-implement testing procedure for the model's validity using existing inference methods for intersection bounds. The test achieves correct empirical size and performs well in detecting violations of the conditions in simulations. Finally, we provide a road map on what to do when the bivariate probit model is rejected, including novel bounds for the average treatment effect that relax the normality assumption.