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FOMC communication and interest rate sensitivity to news

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Abstract

In this paper, I examine whether communications by the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) play a role in determining the types of macroeconomic news that financial markets pay attention to. To do so, I construct novel measures of the intensity with which FOMC statements and meeting minutes discussed labor relative to other topics. I find that these labor topic intensity measures are related to the amount by which interest rates? response to labor-related news exceeds their response to all other news. This relationship is especially strong for interest rates of longer maturities and is also present for short-term interest rate expectations over various horizons.

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  • Jenny Tang, 2017. "FOMC communication and interest rate sensitivity to news," Working Papers 17-12, Federal Reserve Bank of Boston.
    • Handle: RePEc:fip:fedbwp:17-12
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    Cited by:

    1. Tillmann, Peter, 2020. "Macroeconomic Surprises and the Demand for Information about Monetary Policy," VfS Annual Conference 2020 (Virtual Conference): Gender Economics 224545, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    2. Ricardo Nunes & Ali Ozdagli & Jenny Tang, 2022. "Interest Rate Surprises: A Tale of Two Shocks," Working Papers 22-2, Federal Reserve Bank of Boston.
    3. Luis Felipe Gutiérrez & Neda Tavakoli & Sima Siami-Namini & Akbar Siami Namin, 2022. "Similarity analysis of federal reserve statements using document embeddings: the Great Recession vs. COVID-19," SN Business & Economics, Springer, vol. 2(7), pages 1-28, July.
    4. Dongho Song & Jenny Tang, 2023. "News-Driven Uncertainty Fluctuations," Journal of Business & Economic Statistics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 41(3), pages 968-982, July.
    5. Peter Tillmann, 2020. "Macroeconomic Surprises and the Demand for Information about Monetary Policy," MAGKS Papers on Economics 202007, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Faculty of Business Administration and Economics, Department of Economics (Volkswirtschaftliche Abteilung).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Federal Reserve; FOMC; central bank communications; interest rates;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E43 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Money and Interest Rates - - - Interest Rates: Determination, Term Structure, and Effects
    • E52 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Monetary Policy, Central Banking, and the Supply of Money and Credit - - - Monetary Policy
    • E58 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Monetary Policy, Central Banking, and the Supply of Money and Credit - - - Central Banks and Their Policies
    • G12 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Asset Pricing; Trading Volume; Bond Interest Rates

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