How Changes in Oil Prices Affect the Macroeconomy

We estimate a New Keynesian general-equilibrium open economy model to examine how changes in oil prices affect the macroeconomy. Our model allows oil price changes to be transmitted through temporary demand and supply channels (affecting the output gap), as well as through persistent supply side effects (affecting trend growth). We estimate this model for Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States over the period 1971-2008, and find that it matches the data very well in terms of first and second moments. We conclude that (i) energy prices affect the economy primarily through the supply side, whereas we do not find substantial demand-side effects; (ii) higher oil prices have temporary negative effects on both the output gap and on trend growth, which translates into a permanent reduction in the level of potential and actual output. Also, results for the United States indicate that oil supply shocks have more persistent negative effects on trend growth than oil demand shocks. These effects are statistically significant; however, our simulations also indicate that the effects are economically small.Economic models; Interest rates; Transmission of monetary policy; Productivity; Potential output

The Canadian Dollar and Commodity Prices: Has the Relationship Changed over Time?

The authors examine the impact of the recent run-up in energy and non-energy commodity prices on the Canadian dollar. Using the Bank of Canada's exchange rate equation, they find that the differences between the actual value of the Canadian exchange rate and the simulated values observed in 2007 are not historically large. Still, given that there is some evidence that the sensitivity of the standard exchange rate equation to changes in energy and non-energy commodities may have changed over time, the authors explore different ways of modelling the impact of energy and non-energy commodity prices. Their results indicate that specifications that explicitly consider the importance of energy and non-energy commodities in Canada's export or production basket may yield more stable coefficient estimates, particularly over recent periods. Future research should investigate the robustness of these findings, particularly if, at some point, price increases for energy and non-energy commodities were to moderate.Exchange rates