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Too Much Too Soon: Instability and Indeterminacy with Forward-Looking Rules

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  • Nicoletta Batini
  • Joseph Pearlman

Abstract

This paper extends the existing literature on the uniqueness and stability conditions for an equilibrium under inflation-forecast-based (IFB) rules. It shows that, for a variety of New Keynesian sticky-price and sticky-inflation models, these are a function not just of the degree of responsiveness of the policy instrument to deviations of expected inflation at some horizon j from target, but rather of the ‘right’ combination of that degree and the chosen feedback horizon. In this respect we prove analytically that the determinacy results in Clarida et al (2000) cannot be generalised to the case of IFB rules with longer feedback horizons than one quarter. The paper shows how to identify the feedback/horizon pairs that are associated with unique and stable equilibria and unveils the analytical rationale behind instability or indeterminacy at too long a lag for a given feedback.

Suggested Citation

  • Nicoletta Batini & Joseph Pearlman, 2002. "Too Much Too Soon: Instability and Indeterminacy with Forward-Looking Rules," Discussion Papers 08, Monetary Policy Committee Unit, Bank of England.
    • Handle: RePEc:mpc:wpaper:08
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    Cited by:

    1. Nicoletta Batini & Paul Levine & Joseph Pearlman, 2003. "Indeterminacy with inflation-forecast-cased rules in a two-bloc model," Proceedings, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.).
    2. Eugenio Gaiotti, 2004. "Pitfalls of monetary policy under incomplete information: imprecise indicators and real indeterminacy," Temi di discussione (Economic working papers) 488, Bank of Italy, Economic Research and International Relations Area.
    3. d'Albis, Hippolyte & Augeraud-Véron, Emmanuelle & Hupkes, Hermen Jan, 2014. "Bounded interest rate feedback rules in continuous-time," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 39(C), pages 227-236.
    4. Tetlow, Robert J. & von zur Muehlen, Peter, 2009. "Robustifying learnability," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 33(2), pages 296-316, February.
    5. Paul Levine & Peter McAdam & Joseph Pearlman, 2007. "Inflation-Forecast-Based Rules and Indeterminacy: A Puzzle and a Resolution," International Journal of Central Banking, International Journal of Central Banking, vol. 3(4), pages 77-110, December.
    6. Nicoletta Batini, 2006. "Euro area inflation persistence," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 31(4), pages 977-1002, November.
    7. Michael Paetz, 2007. "Robust Control and Persistence in the New Keynesian Economy," Quantitative Macroeconomics Working Papers 20711, Hamburg University, Department of Economics.
    8. Fujiwara, Ippei & Hara, Naoko & Hirose, Yasuo & Teranishi, Yuki, 2005. "The Japanese Economic Model (JEM)," Monetary and Economic Studies, Institute for Monetary and Economic Studies, Bank of Japan, vol. 23(2), pages 61-142, May.
    9. Michał Brzoza-Brzezina & Jacek Kotłowski & Agata Miśkowiec, 2013. "How forward-looking are central banks? Some evidence from their forecasts," Applied Economics Letters, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 20(2), pages 142-146, February.
    10. Batini, Nicoletta & Justiniano, Alejandro & Levine, Paul & Pearlman, Joseph, 2006. "Robust inflation-forecast-based rules to shield against indeterminacy," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 30(9-10), pages 1491-1526.
    11. Marc P. Giannoni & Michael Woodford, 2003. "Optimal Interest-Rate Rules: II. Applications," Levine's Bibliography 506439000000000394, UCLA Department of Economics.
    12. Nicoletta Batini & Paul Levine, 2004. "Robust Control Rules to Shield Against Indeterminacy," Computing in Economics and Finance 2004 339, Society for Computational Economics.
    13. Nicoletta Batini & Joseph Pearlman & Paul Levine, 2006. "Optimal Exchange Rate Stabilization in a Dollarized Economy with Inflation Targets," Computing in Economics and Finance 2006 148, Society for Computational Economics.
    14. Marc P. Giannoni & Michael Woodford, 2003. "Optimal Interest-Rate Rules: I. General Theory," Levine's Bibliography 506439000000000384, UCLA Department of Economics.
    15. Sharon Kozicki & Peter A. Tinsley, 2005. "Perhaps the FOMC did what it said it did : an alternative interpretation of the Great Inflation," Research Working Paper RWP 05-04, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City.
    16. Olivier Loisel, 2004. "Monetary policy rules to preclude booms and busts," Money Macro and Finance (MMF) Research Group Conference 2003 56, Money Macro and Finance Research Group.
    17. Marc Giannoni & Michael Woodford, 2003. "How forward-looking is optimal monetary policy?," Proceedings, Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, pages 1425-1483.
    18. Jorge Desormeaux & Pablo García & Claudio Soto, 2010. "Terms of trade, commodity prices and inflation dynamics in Chile," BIS Papers chapters, in: Bank for International Settlements (ed.), Monetary policy and the measurement of inflation: prices, wages and expectations, volume 49, pages 115-128, Bank for International Settlements.
    19. Houda Ben Hadj Boubaker, 2011. "Inflation Forecast-Based Rule for Inflation Targeting: Case of Some Selected MENA Countries," Working Papers 628, Economic Research Forum, revised 09 Jan 2011.
    20. Levine, Paul & McAdam, Peter & Pierse, Richard & Pearlman, Joseph G., 2008. "Risk Management in Action. Robust monetary policy rules under structured uncertainty," Working Paper Series 870, European Central Bank.
    21. Batini, Nicoletta & Levine, Paul & Pearlman, Joseph, 2009. "Estabilización óptima del tipo de cambio en una economía dolarizada con meta inflacionaria," Revista Estudios Económicos, Banco Central de Reserva del Perú, issue 16, pages 37-82.
    22. Loisel, O., 2006. "Bubble-free interest-rate rules," Working papers 161, Banque de France.
    23. Shesadri Banerjee, 2013. "Inflation Volatility and Activism of Monetary Policy," CEMAP Working Papers 2013_06, Durham University Business School.
    24. Jagjit S. Chadha & Luisa Corrado, 2006. "On the Determinacy of Monetary Policy under Expectational Errors," CDMA Working Paper Series 200603, Centre for Dynamic Macroeconomic Analysis, revised 15 Apr 2007.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • E37 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - Forecasting and Simulation: Models and Applications
    • 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

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