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Debt, Deficits, and Interest Rates

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  • Christopher D. Cotton

Abstract

This paper identifies how a rise in the deficit/debt impacts interest rates by looking at the high-frequency response of interest rates to fiscal surprises. The fiscal surprises are the unexpected components of deficit releases and the changes in official forecasts by the Congressional Budget Office and by the Office of Management and Budget. The paper estimates that a rise in the deficit-to-GDP ratio of 1 percentage point raises the 10-year nominal rate by 8.1 basis points. This is quantitatively similar for other Treasury maturities and for corporate debt interest rates. The paper also investigates which of the theoretical channels is driving this relationship and whether surprises are affecting interest rate expectations or the term premium. These results are used to estimate how recent spending proposals may affect interest rates.

Suggested Citation

  • Christopher D. Cotton, 2021. "Debt, Deficits, and Interest Rates," Current Policy Perspectives 93543, Federal Reserve Bank of Boston.
  • Handle: RePEc:fip:fedbcq:93543
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    debt; interest rates; deficit; Ricardian equivalence;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E43 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Money and Interest Rates - - - Interest Rates: Determination, Term Structure, and Effects
    • E62 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Macroeconomic Policy, Macroeconomic Aspects of Public Finance, and General Outlook - - - Fiscal Policy; Modern Monetary Theory
    • E63 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Macroeconomic Policy, Macroeconomic Aspects of Public Finance, and General Outlook - - - Comparative or Joint Analysis of Fiscal and Monetary Policy; Stabilization; Treasury Policy

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