Macroeconomic models and the yield curve: An assessment of the fit

Many have questioned the empirical relevance of the Calvo-Yun model. This paper adds a term structure to three widely studied macroeconomic models (Calvo-Yun, hybrid and Svensson). We back out from observations on the yield curve the underlying macroeconomic model that most closely matches the level, slope and curvature of the yield curve. With each model we trace the response of the yield curve to macroeconomic shocks. We assess the fit of each model against the observed behaviour of interest rates and find limited support for the Calvo-Yun model in terms of fit with the observed yield curve, we find some support for the hybrid model but the Svensson model performs best

Habit Formation and Interest Rate Smoothing

Following a conjecture of Kozicki and Tinsley (2002) we generalise the habit formation model of consumption to allow for both a multiplicative utility function and a habit-aspiration function which is a geometrically weighted average of past consumption. The geometric form of the aspiration function addresses the recent concerns of Wendner (2002) who shows that a combination of a multiplicative utility function and an aspiration function that is an arithmetic weighted average of past consumption violates some important assumptions of utility theory. In addition, the geometric form allows us to derive an optimising model of the IS-PC form in which there is a greater degree of inertia in both inflation and output that arises from the role given to habit formation. Because the welfare function of the policymaker is that of the representative agent, and consumers dislike large changes in consumption relative to the level of consumption to which they aspire, the optimal (one-period) rule penalises changes in income and also responds sluggishly to shocks. This goes some way towards accounting for the common observation that the responses of output and inflation to shocks are drawn out, and the interest rate used for policy is persistent. We calibrate the model and find that we can replicate the persistence in interest rate setting by a monetary authority over and above that attributable to the persistence in inflation and the output gap.Habit formation; interest rate smoothing; AIM method.

Inflation Targeting, Committee Decision Making and Uncertainty: The Case of the Bank of England’s MPC

The transparency and openness of the monetary policymaking process at the Bank of England has provided very detailed information on both the decisions of individual members of the Monetary Policy Committee and the information on which they are based. In this paper we consider this decision making process in the context of a model in which inflation forecast targeting is used but there is heterogeneity among the members of the committee. We find that internally generated forecasts of output and market generated expectations of medium term inflation provide the best description of discrete changes in interest rates. We also find a role for asset prices through the equity market, foreign exchange market and housing prices. There are also identifiable forms of heterogeneity among members of the committee that improves the predictability of interest rate changes. This can be thought of as supporting the argument that full transparency of monetary policy decision making can be welfare enhancing.Intertemporal macro; Monetary policy; interest rates; monetary policy committee; committee decision making.

Factor demand linkages and the business cycle: interpreting aggregate fluctuations as sectoral fluctuations

This paper investigates the drivers of industry and aggregate fluctuations. We model the dynamics of a panel of highly disaggregated manufacturing sectors. This allows us to consider directly the linkages between sectors typical of any production system, in a framework where the sectors are fully heterogeneous. We establish that these features are fundamental for the propagation of the shocks in the aggregate economy. Aggregate fluctuations can be accounted for by small industry specific shocks. Moreover, a contemporaneous technology shock to all sectors in the economy, i.e. an aggregate technology shock, implies a positive response in both output and hours at the aggregate level. When this intersectoral channel is neglected we find a negative correlation as with much of the literature. This suggests that the standard technology driven Real Business Cycle paradigm is a reasonable approximation of a more complicated model featuring heterogeneously interconnected sectors.Sectors, Technology shocks, Business cycles, Long-run restrictions, Cross Sectional Dependence.

Understanding Interactions in Social Networks and Committees

While much of the literature on cross section dependence has fo?cused mainly on estimation of the regression coefficients in the under?lying model, estimation and inferences on the magnitude and strength of spill-overs and interactions has been largely ignored. At the same time, such inferences are important in many applications, not least because they have structural interpretations and provide useful inter?pretation and structural explanation for the strength of any interac?tions. In this paper we propose GMM methods designed to uncover underlying (hidden) interactions in social networks and committees. Special attention is paid to the interval censored regression model. Our methods are applied to a study of committee decision making within the Bank of England¡¯s monetary policy committee.Committee Decision Making, Social Networks, Cross Section and Spatial Interaction, Generalised Method of Moments, Censored Regression Model, Expectation-Maximisation Algorithm, Monetary Policy, Interest Rates.

Factor demand linkages, technology shocks and the business cycle

This paper argues that factor demand linkages can be important for the transmission of both sectoral and aggregate shocks. We show this using a panel of highly disaggregated manufacturing sectors together with sectoral structural VARs. When sectoral interactions are explicitly accounted for, a contemporaneous technology shock to all manufacturing sectors implies a positive response in both output and hours at the aggregate level. Otherwise there is a negative correlation, as in much of the existing literature. Furthermore, we find that technology shocks are important drivers of business cycle.

Structural Interactions in Spatial Panels

Until recently, much effort has been devoted to the estimation of panel data regression models without adequate attention being paid to the drivers of diffusion and interaction across cross section and spatial units. We discuss some new methodologies in this emerging area and demonstrate their use in measurement and inferences on cross section and spatial interactions. Specifically, we highlight the important dis?tinction between spatial dependence driven by unobserved common factors and those based on a spatial weights matrix. We argue that, purely factor driven models of spatial dependence may be somewhat inadequate because of their connection with the exchangeability as?sumption. Limitations and potential enhancements of the existing methods are discussed, and several directions for new research are highlighted.Cross Sectional and Spatial Dependence, Spatial Weights Matrix, Interactions and Diffusion, Monetary Policy Committee, Generalised Method of Moments.

The Macroeconomic Effects of European Financial Development: A Heterogenous Panel Analysis

This paper investigates the macroeconomic benefits of international financial integration and domestic financial sector development for the European Union. The sample consists of 26 European countries with annual data during the period 1970.2004. We attempt to exploit more fully the temporal dimension in the data by making use of the common correlated effects (CCE) estimator. We also account for the nonstationarity of time series by employing the cross-section augmented panel unit root test of Pesaran (2007) and recently developed panel cointegration techniques. We check the robustness of these results by using the fully modified OLS method of Pedroni (2000). Our empirical results suggest a relationship between domestic financial sector development and labour productivity. We report evidence that real GDP per worker is positively linked to a measure of international financial integration (stock of international financial assets and liabilities expressed as a ratio to GDP). We also try to disentangle the effects on real GDP per worker of di¤erent types of capital flows (FDI, Portfolio equity, Debt) and are able to identify a significant positive effect on GDP per worker of debt inflows which we could attribute to the institutional environment that has been fostered by the European Union.