Geopolitical Risk and Inflation Spillovers across European and North American Economies

In this paper, we examine the spillover across the monthly inflation rates (measured by the CPI) covering the USA, Canada, UK, Germany, France, Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Portugal, and Greece. Using data covering the period from May 1963 to November 2022 within a time-varying spillover approach, we show that the total spillover index across the inflation rates spiked during the war in Ukraine period, exceeding its previous peak shown during the 1970s energy crisis. Notably, we apply a quantile-on-quantile regression and reveal that the total spillover index is positively associated with the level of global geopolitical risk (GPR) index. Levels of GPR are positively influencing high levels of the inflation spillover index, whereas the GPR Acts index is positively associated with all levels of inflation spillover index. Given that rising levels of inflation are posing risks to the financial system and economic growth, these findings should matter to the central banks and policymakers in advanced economies. They suggest that the policy response should go beyond conventional monetary tools by considering the political actions necessary to solve the Russia-Ukraine war and ease the global geopolitical tensions.