Un examen de la crédibilité de la politique monétaire au Canada

In this study, the author uses survey data on inflationary expectations to obtain information about the credibility of Canada's monetary policy. By comparing the differences between the forecasts made by survey participants with the targets set by the Bank of Canada for the 1992-1996 period (the period covered by the study), it was possible to determine empirically whether the targets were credible. Likewise, analyzing the forecasting errors by participants made it possible to check whether setting these targets contributed to making inflation more predictable. The empirical results stemming from the analysis of the differences between the forecasts and the targets suggest that the targets were credible for the period under consideration. Indeed, for a one-year horizon, forecasters predicted a rate of inflation that was very close to the median of the target range. Analysis of the actual forecasting errors suggest also that the setting of targets contributed to reducing forecasting errors relative to the reference index and that Canadian monetary policy became more effective after the targets were implemented.