Inflation expectations in the wake of the war in Ukraine

Graph 1.1 Consumer Price Index a/b/ (annual change; end-of-period) a/ This graph presents the forecast probability distribution on an eight-quarter time horizon. Density characterizes the prospective balance of risks with areas of 30%, 60%, and 90% probability surrounding the central forecast (mode), through a combination of densities from the Patacon and the 4GM monetary policy models. b/ The probability distribution corresponds to the forecast exercise from the January report. Source: DANE -calculations and projections by Banco de la República.

Yes, they would. We collect medium- and longer-term inflation expectations from 9,000 individuals in Germany. Unconditionally, the average probability mass is well-centered around the ECB’s inflation aim of 2%. In a randomized control trial, we subject groups of respondents with information about a hypothetical alternative ECB monetary policy regime akin to the Federal Reserve’s flexible average inflation targeting (AIT). Inflation expectations significantly increase for the treated individuals. When provided with additional assumptions about current inflation, individuals update their expected inflation path in line with the central banks’ intentions. Individuals with a high trust in the ECB’s ability to achieve price stability adjust their inflation expectations particularly strongly. We assess the economic significance of our findings by comparing two model economies under different monetary policy strategies, calibrated to match the difference in medium-term inflation expectations from our survey results. Inflation is six times less volatile and the frequency of hitting the lower bound of interest rates substantially reduced under AIT.

This paper introduces wavelet analysis as a tool for investigating the anchoring of inflation expectations in the United States. We show that the anchoring of inflation expectations varies for different groups of economic agents and changes across time and frequency. For consumers, we confirm significant lead-lag relationships between short- and long-term inflation expectations at medium frequencies of one to four years of scale, thus suggesting that short-term inflation expectations had fed into long-term inflation expectations over the crisis period. However, no such relationship is found for professional forecasters. These results indicate that long-term inflation expectations were de-anchored during the crisis period for consumers but not for professional forecasters. Although consumers’ long-term inflation expectations have been re-anchored since 2014 at medium frequencies, we find signs of de-anchoring at higher time scales of approximately eight years.

The impact of guidance, short-term dynamics and individual characteristics on firms’ long-term inflation expectations

This study examines the impact of macroeconomic shocks, represented by exchange rate volatility, on inflation expectations. Using data for the period 2006:04-2023:11 and the structural VAR method, the analysis examines the direct effect of macroeconomic shocks on short-term inflation expectations and the indirect effect on long-term inflation expectations. The results have shown that macroeconomic shocks have a direct effect on short-term inflation expectations and an indirect effect on long-term inflation expectations via short-term inflation expectations, which is referred to in the literature as the pass-through effect and shows that the uncertainty channel is active. Our results suggest that the Central Bank of the Republic of Türkiye (CBRT), which wants to keep short- and long-term inflation expectations under control, should also take into account macroeconomic shocks, represented by exchange rate shocks, when determining policy instruments.

Modern economic theory considers expectations as a key determinant of actual inflation. How agents form those expectations therefore plays a central role in macroeconomic dynamics and policy-making. The understanding of the expectation formation process and the real-time estimation of expectations are especially important for central banks because they need to be sure that longer-term inflation expectations are anchored at the target of inflation, set by the central bank. When expectations are anchored — it is a clear sign that the monetary policy is effective and that markets trust the central bank. However, it is not easy to assess the expected inflation: it is not observable and cannot be directly measured. Central banks can only use the indirect estimates of this variable. For many years the main theoretical framework for modeling and analysis of inflation expectations was Phillips curve with rational expectations which substituted the adaptive expectations. Today many alternative models of expectation formation are available. The article provides a brief overview of the evolution of theoretical approaches to inflation expectation formation and their impact on the monetary policy. Besides, using the experience of the U.S., the article addresses two main ways to gauge inflation expectations empirically — survey-based measures (for different groups of respondents) and measures based on the data from American financial markets. Shortcomings and merits of both approaches are discussed, as well as the importance of highly developed financial markets, which can become the source of more precise information on inflation expectations.

This paper introduces structural VAR analysis as a tool for investigating the anchoring of inflation expectations. We show that US consumers' inflation expectations are anchored in the long run because macro-news shocks are long-run neutral for long-term inflation expectations. The identification of structural shocks helps to explain why inflation expectations deviate from the central bank's target. Our results indicate that the recent decline in long-term inflation expectations does not result from deanchoring macro-news but can be attributed to downward adjustments in consumers' expectations about the central bank's inflation target.

Inflation literacy and inflation expectations: Evidence from Austrian household survey data

This paper presents a comprehensive examination of the determination and evolution of inflation expectations, with a focus on emerging market and developing economies (EMDEs). The results suggest that long-term inflation expectations in EMDEs are not as well anchored as those in advanced economies, despite notable improvements over the past two decades. Indeed, in EMDEs, long-term inflation expectations are more sensitive to both domestic and global inflation shocks. However, EMDEs tend to be more successful in anchoring inflation expectations in the presence of an inflation targeting regime, high central bank transparency, strong trade integration, and a low level of public debt.

Does a successful disinflation contribute to the anchoring of inflation expectations? We provide novel survey evidence on the dynamics of euro area firms' inflation expectations during the disinflation episode since 2022. We show that firms' short-term inflation expectations declined steadily towards the inflation target as the disinflation progressed. However, we also document a thick tail in longer-term inflation expectations, substantial disagreement about the inflation outlook, and an increased sensitivity of longer-term inflation expectations to short-term inflation expectations. These findings suggest that it may take more time to bring inflation expectations fully in line with central bank objectives.

Does a successful disinflation contribute to the anchoring of inflation expectations? We provide novel survey evidence on the dynamics of euro area firms’ inflation expectations during the disinflation episode since 2022. We show that firms’ short-term inflation expectations declined steadily towards the inflation target as the disinflation progressed. However, we also document a thick tail in longer-term inflation expectations, substantial disagreement about the inflation outlook, and an increased sensitivity of longer-term inflation expectations to short-term inflation expectations. These findings suggest that it may take more time to bring inflation expectations fully in line with central bank objectives.

Long-term inflation expectations taken from the Survey of Professional Forecasters are a major source of information for monetary policy. Unfortunately, they are published only on a quarterly basis. This paper investigates the daily information content of inflation-linked swap rates for the next survey outcome. Using a mixed data sampling approach, we find that professionals account for the daily dynamics of inflation swap rates when they submit their long-term inflation expectations. We propose a daily indicator of professionals’ inflation expectations that outperforms alternative indicators that ignore the high-frequency dynamics of inflation swap rates. To illustrate the usefulness of the new indicator, we provide new evidence on the (re-)anchoring of U.S. inflation expectations.

This paper summarises the findings of the Eurosystem’s Expert Group on Inflation Expectations (EGIE), which was one of the 13 work streams conducting analysis that fed into the ECB’s monetary policy strategy review. The EGIE was tasked with (i) reviewing the nature and behaviour of inflation expectations, with a focus on the degree of anchoring, and (ii) exploring the role that measures of expectations can play in forecasting inflation. While it is households’ and firms’ inflation expectations that ultimately matter in the expectations channel, data limitations have meant that in practice the focus of analysis has been on surveys of professional forecasters and on market-based indicators. Regarding the anchoring of inflation expectations, this paper considers a number of metrics: the level of inflation expectations, the responsiveness of longer-term inflation expectations to shorter-term developments, and the degree of uncertainty. Different metrics can provide conflicting signals about the scale and timing of potential unanchoring, which underscores the importance of considering all of them. Overall, however, these metrics suggest that in the period since the global financial and European debt crises, longer-term inflation expectations in the euro area have become less well anchored. Regarding the role measures of inflation expectations can play in forecasting inflation, this paper finds that they are indicative for future inflationary developments. When it comes to their predictive power, both market-based and survey-based measures are found to be more accurate than statistical benchmarks, but do not systematically outperform each other. Beyond their role as standalone forecasts, inflation expectations bring forecast gains when included in forecasting models and can also inform scenario and risk analysis in projection exercises performed using structural models. ...

During the Great Crisis, most governments in industrial countries supported their domestic financial sector under stress and responded to strong declines in output growth with fiscal stimulus packages. Starting in 2010, attention focused on the sustainability of the resulting debt burdens. We conduct an empirical study to test whether in the United States, the euro area and the United Kingdom, views on the sustainability of fiscal burdens have influenced markets’ assessment of central banks’ commitment to price stability. Using a daily measure of inflation expectations extracted from nominal and indexed-linked government bonds, or inflation swaps, we test whether these react to alternative measures of fiscal burdens. These include rescue package announcements, credit default swap (CDS) spreads and changes in either the outlook or the credit rating of governments. We find no evidence of a significant effect of market participants’ perceptions of fiscal burdens on long-term inflation expectations in the United States, the euro area and the United Kingdom. These results are broadly consistent with the view that long term inflation expectations have remained well anchored.

In this paper, we consider whether long-term inflation expectations have become better anchored in Brazil, Chile, and Mexico. We do so using survey-based measures as well as financial market-based measures of long-term inflation expectations, where we construct the market-based measures from daily prices on nominal and inflation-linked bonds. This paper is the first to examine the evidence from Brazil and Mexico, making use of the fact that markets for longterm government debt have become better developed over the past decade. We find that inflation expectations have become much better anchored over the past decade in all three countries, as a testament to the improved credibility of the central banks in these countries when it comes to keeping inflation low. That said, one-year inflation compensation in the far future displays some sensitivity to at least one macroeconomic data release per country. However, the impact of these releases is small and it does not appear that investors systematically alter their expectations for inflation as a result of surprises in monetary policy, consumer prices, or real activity variables. Finally, long-run inflation expectations in Brazil appear to have been less well anchored than in Chile and Mexico.