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Can the News Drive Inflation Expectations?

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Abstract

How households expect inflation to evolve plays an important role in explaining overall inflation dynamics. Household expectations rose dramatically over the past year or so, much faster than professional forecasters’ inflation expectations. News coverage can explain part of this growing gap. Analyzing the volume and sentiment of daily news articles on inflation suggests that one-fourth of the increased gap between household and professional expectations can be attributed to heightened negative media coverage. These results highlight the important impact of the content and tone of economic information on the real economy.

Suggested Citation

  • Augustus Kmetz & Adam Hale Shapiro & Daniel J. Wilson, 2022. "Can the News Drive Inflation Expectations?," FRBSF Economic Letter, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, vol. 2022(31), pages 1-6, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:fip:fedfel:95086
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Olivier Coibion & Yuriy Gorodnichenko, 2015. "Is the Phillips Curve Alive and Well after All? Inflation Expectations and the Missing Disinflation," American Economic Journal: Macroeconomics, American Economic Association, vol. 7(1), pages 197-232, January.
    2. Régis Barnichon & Luiz E. Oliveira & Adam Hale Shapiro, 2021. "Is the American Rescue Plan Taking Us Back to the ’60s?," FRBSF Economic Letter, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, vol. 2021(27), pages 1-06, October.
    3. Adam Hale Shapiro, 2022. "How Much Do Supply and Demand Drive Inflation?," FRBSF Economic Letter, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, vol. 2022(15), pages 1-06, June.
    4. Bharat Trehan, 2011. "Household inflation expectations and the price of oil: it's déjà vu all over again," FRBSF Economic Letter, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, issue may23.
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    1. Juan Camilo Anzoategui Zapata & Juan Camilo Galvis Ciro, 2024. "Efectos de las noticias digitales en el GAP de expectativas de inflación: primeras evidencias para una economía emergente," Revista Finanzas y Politica Economica, Universidad Católica de Colombia, vol. 16(2), pages 441-467.

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