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Leverage, investment, and optimal monetary policy

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  • Occhino Filippo

    () (Research Department, Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, 1455 East 6th Street, Cleveland, OH 44114, USA)

  • Pescatori Andrea

    (Research Department, International Monetary Fund, 700 19th Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20431, USA)

Abstract

We study optimal monetary policy in an economy where firms’ debt overhangs lead to under-investment and under-production. The magnitude of this debt-induced distortion varies over the business cycle, rising significantly during recessions. When debt is contracted in nominal terms, this distortion gives rise to a balance sheet channel for monetary policy. In the presence of real and financial shocks, the monetary authority faces a trade-off between inflation and output gap stabilization. The optimal monetary policy rule prescribes that the anticipated component of inflation should be set equal to a target level, while the unanticipated component should rise in response to adverse shocks, smoothing the debt overhang distortion and the output gap.

Suggested Citation

  • Occhino Filippo & Pescatori Andrea, 2014. "Leverage, investment, and optimal monetary policy," The B.E. Journal of Macroeconomics, De Gruyter, vol. 14(1), pages 1-21, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:bpj:bejmac:v:14:y:2014:i:1:p:21:n:17
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    Cited by:

    1. Sweder J.G. van Wijnbergen & Egle Jakucionyte, 2017. "Debt Overhang, Exchange Rates and the Macroeconomics of Carry Trade," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 17-005/VI, Tinbergen Institute, revised 15 Jun 2018.
    2. Urban Jermann & Lukas Schmid & Joao Gomes, 2014. "Sticky Leverage," 2014 Meeting Papers 40, Society for Economic Dynamics.
    3. Occhino, Filippo & Pescatori, Andrea, 2015. "Debt overhang in a business cycle model," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 58-84.
    4. Occhino, Filippo, 2017. "The 2012 eurozone crisis and the ECB’s OMT program: A debt-overhang banking and sovereign crisis interpretation," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 100(C), pages 337-363.
    5. Hamed Ghiaie, 2018. "Shadow Bank run, Housing and Credit Market: The Story of a Recession," THEMA Working Papers 2018-01, THEMA (THéorie Economique, Modélisation et Applications), Université de Cergy-Pontoise.
    6. Jakucionyte, Egle & van Wijnbergen, Sweder, 2017. "Debt Overhang and the Macroeconomics of Carry Trade," CEPR Discussion Papers 11788, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    7. James Bullard & Jacek Suda & Aarti Singh & Costas Azariadis, 2014. "Debt Overhang and Monetary Policy," 2014 Meeting Papers 948, Society for Economic Dynamics.
    8. Filippo Occhino, 2014. "Debt-Overhang Banking Crises," Working Papers (Old Series) 1425, Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, revised 27 Oct 2014.
    9. Filippo Occhino, 2015. "The 2012 Eurozone Crisis and the ECB’s OMT Program: A Debt-Overhang Banking and Sovereign Crisis Interpretation The 2012 Eurozone Crisis and the ECB’s OMT Program: A Debt-Overhang Banking and Sovereig," Working Papers (Old Series) 1509, Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, revised 02 Jun 2015.
    10. Occhino, Filippo, 2017. "Debt-overhang banking crises: Detecting and preventing systemic risk," Journal of Financial Stability, Elsevier, vol. 30(C), pages 192-208.

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