Interest Rate Innovations Research Articles

Asymmetric effects of monetary policy shocks on financial stability

This study investigates the asymmetric effects of interest rate innovations on financial stress during times of conventional and unconventional monetary policy. We employ the methodology of Kilian and Vigfusson (2011) to examine the possible asymmetries between different monetary policy stances of the Fed and the ECB. The period under examination spans from 1999 to 2023, when the two central banks were active in conducting quantitative easing (QE) operations. The evidence reveals that the effects of implementing a contractionary or an expansionary monetary policy on financial stress are sign- and size-specific.

Do Energy Prices drive Inflation in South Africa? An unrestricted VAR Approach

This study was aimed at investigating the effects of energy prices on inflation in South Africa. This was achieved by means of econometric analysis and annual time series data spanning from 1994 to 2020. The findings revealed that electricity tariffs and petrol prices exhibit a positive effect on inflation in South Africa. On the contrary, interest rates and the exchange rate as control variables were found to have a negative effect on the inflation rate. The impulse response function indicated that inflation responds positively to innovations in petrol prices, electricity tariffs and money supply in the medium and long term but responds negatively to innovations in interest rates and exchange rates. Further to this, the variance decomposition function revealed that variations in inflation are largely explained by its own innovations and partially explained by innovations in petrol prices, money supply and interest rates. Lastly, the granger causality analysis showed no evidence of causality between inflation and explanatory variables during the specified period. Given that energy prices place upward pressure on inflation, the study recommends a review of the current fuel and electricity tariff structure to provide the much-needed relief to households and businesses.

The Interest Rate Sensitivity of Investment

Abstract The interest rate sensitivity of investment has often played an important role in macroeconomic models. However, many vector autoregressive (VAR) models do not include investment to the list of variables. In this paper, we empirically investigate the size and the evolution of the interest rate sensitivity of investment for the United States and the four largest European economies in the last few decades. We use a VAR model with four variables at quarterly frequency: real investment, real gross domestic product (GDP), inflation, and a measure of the short-term interest rate. In our VAR, the structural interest rate shock is identified under the assumption that macroeconomic quantities and inflation react to interest rate innovations with a lag. We test the appropriateness of this specification by comparing our approach with the identification of shocks derived from the changes in volatility approach. For the countries under consideration, we determine a date during either the 1980s or the 1990s where the interest rate sensitivity of investment began to decrease and became less responsive to monetary policy. In addition, we find that the interest rate sensitivity of investment has been higher in the United States than in Europe, particularly in the first subperiod. Zusammenfassung Die Zinssensitivität der Investitionen spielt oft eine große Rolle in theoretischen makroökonomischen Modellen. In dieser Studie untersuchen wir empirisch die Höhe und die zeitliche Änderung der Zinssensitivität der Investitionen für die Vereinigten Staaten und die vier größten europäischen Volkswirtschaften. Wir verwenden ein VAR-Modell mit vier Variablen: reale Investitionen, reales Bruttoinlandsprodukt, Inflation und kurzfristige Zinsen. In unserem VAR identifizieren wir den strukturellen Schock unter der Annahme, dass die realen makroökonomischen Variablen verzögert auf einen Zinsschock reagieren. Wir testen die Angemessenheit dieser Spezifikation, indem wir unsere Vorgehensweise mit der Identifikation durch den “changes in volatility approach” vergleichen. Wir finden heraus, dass entweder in den 1980er oder frühen 1990er Jahren ein Strukturbruch stattgefunden und sich die Zinssensitivität der Investitionen verringert hat. Interessanterweise zeigen unsere Resultate zudem, dass die Zinssensitivität der Investitionen in den Vereinigten Staaten höher gewesen ist als in den untersuchten europäischen Ländern – insbesondere bis in die 1980er Jahre. JEL Classification: E22, E43, E52

Efectos de los cambios de la tasa de interés de Estados Unidos sobre Colombia, Perú y Chile

Fecha de recepcion: enero de 2015 Fecha de aceptacion: enero de 2016 revista de economia del caribe n°. 17 issn: 2011-2106 (impreso) issn: 2145-9363 (on line) * Economista, Universidad del Valle (Colombia). Integrante del Grupo de Macroeconomia Aplicada y Economia Financiera de esa misma universidad. El trabajo de grado para optar por el titulo de economista de este autor fue realizado en el marco del proyecto de investigacion del que surgio este articulo. carlos.daza.moreno@correounivalle.edu.co ** Profesor del Departamento de Economia de la Universidad del Valle (Colombia). Director del grupo de Macroeconomia Aplicada y Economia Financiera de esa misma universidad. El autor agradece el apoyo de la Universidad del Valle en tiempo y recursos. jorge.uribe@correounivalle.edu.co articulo de investigacion

A Macroeconometric Assessment of Minsky's Financial Instability Hypothesis

The Financial Instability Hypothesis associated with Hyman Minsky has profound implications for the conduct of monetary policy in modern capitalist economies. At its core is the proposition that the central bank may contribute to the financial fragility of leveraged firms in its pursuit of inflation-targeting interest rate policies. This paper develops a small macroeconomic model incorporating many of the salient features of a Minskyan economy. The imposition of the resulting theoretical restrictions in a CVAR model provides support for Minsky’s main proposition that interest rate innovations can drive a wedge between the cash-inflows of firms and their debt-servicing obligations. The paper concludes that the implementation of countercyclical capital requirements can provide monetary policymakers with additional policy instruments that can be used to cool overheated sectors without recourse to the ‘blunt instrument’ of interest rate policy.

Interest Rates and the Exchange Rate: A Non-Monotonic Tale

What is the relationship between interest rates and the exchange rate? The empirical literature in this area has been inconclusive. We use an optimizing model of a small open economy to rationalize the mixed empirical findings. The model has three key margins. First, higher domestic interest rates raise the demand for deposits, and, hence, the money base. Second, firms need bank loans to finance the wage bill, which reduces output when domestic interest rates increase. Lastly, higher interest rates raise the government's fiscal burden, and, therefore, can lead to higher expected inflation. While the first effect tends to appreciate the currency, the remaining two effects tend to depreciate it. We then conduct policy experiments using a calibrated version of the model and show the central result of the paper: the relationship between interest rates and the exchange rate is non-monotonic. In particular, the exchange rate response depends on the size of the interest rate increase and on the initial level of the interest rate. Moreover, we also show that the model can replicate the heterogeneous responses of the exchange rate to interest rate innovations in several developing economies.

Macroeconomic Effects of Unconventional Monetary Policy in the Euro Area

I find that the Eurosystem can stimulate the economy beyond the policy rate by increasing the size of its balance sheet or the monetary base, that is so-called quantitative easing. The transmission mechanism turns out to be different compared to traditional interest rate innovations: (i) whilst the effects on economic activity and consumer prices reach a peak after about one year for an interest rate innovation, this is more than six months later for a shift in the monetary base that is orthogonal to the policy rate (ii) interest rate spreads charged by banks decline persistently after quantitative easing policies, whereas the spreads increase significantly after a fall in the policy rate (iii) there is no significant short-run liquidity effect after an interest rate innovation, that is additional bank loans are generated by a greater credit multiplier. In contrast, the multiplier declines considerably after an expansion of the Eurosystem’s balance sheet. JEL-Code: C320, E300, E440, E510, E520.

Macroeconomic Effects of Unconventional Monetary Policy in the Euro Area

I find that the Eurosystem can stimulate the economy beyond the policy rate by increasing the size of its balance sheet or the monetary base, that is so-called quantitative easing. The transmission mechanism turns out to be different compared to traditional interest rate innovations: (i) whilst the effects on economic activity and consumer prices reach a peak after about one year for an interest rate innovation, this is more than six months later for a shift in the monetary base that is orthogonal to the policy rate (ii) interest rate spreads charged by banks decline persistently after quantitative easing policies, whereas the spreads increase significantly after a fall in the policy rate (iii) there is no significant short-run liquidity effect after an interest rate innovation, that is additional bank loans are generated by a greater credit multiplier. In contrast, the multiplier declines considerably after an expansion of the Eurosystem’s balance sheet.

The Impact of Monetary Policy on Economic Growth and Inflation in Sri Lanka

Based on a vector autoregressive (VAR) framework and utilising both recursive and structural specifications, this study analyses the effects of interest rate, money growth and the movements in nominal exchange rate on real GDP growth and inflation in Sri Lanka for the period from 1978 to 2005. The results of the recursive VARs are broadly in line with the established empirical findings, especially when the interest rate is considered the monetary policy variable. Following a positive innovation in interest rate, GDP growth and inflation decrease while the exchange rate appreciates. When money growth and exchange rate are used as policy indicators, the impact on GDP growth contrasts with established findings. However, as expected, an exchange rate appreciation has an immediate impact on the reduction of inflation. Interest rate innovations are persistent, supporting the view that the monetary authority adjusts interest rates gradually, while innovations in money growth and exchange rate appreciation are not persistent. Several puzzling results emerge from the study: for most sub-samples, inflation does not decline following a contractionary policy shock; innovations to money growth raises the interest rate; when inflation does respond, it reacts to monetary innovations faster than GDP growth does; and exchange rate appreciations almost always lead to an increase in GDP growth. The results from the semi-structural VARs, which impose identification restrictions only on the policy block, are not different from those obtained from recursive VARs. The results show that none of the sub-samples since 1978 can be identified with a particular targeting regime. In contrast, the interest rate, monetary aggregates and the exchange rate, contain important information in relation to the monetary policy stance. Based on this premise, a monetary policy index is estimated for Sri Lanka. The index displays that unanticipated monetary policy forms a smaller portion of monetary policy action in comparison to anticipated monetary policy. It is also observed that a decline in GDP growth is associated with anticipated policy with a short lag, while reductions in inflation are associated with both anticipated and unanticipated components of monetary policy with a longer lag of 28 to 36 months. DOI: 10.4038/ss.v38i1.1220 Staff Studies Volume 38 Numbers 1& 2 2008 p.1-44

A Tractable Heath-Jarrow-Morton Framework Based on Time Changed Levy Processes

In this paper we formulate a Heath-Jarrow-Morton framework based on time changed Levy processes. Our framework is based on the time changed Levy processes described in Carr and Wu (2004). Therefore, the framework allows us to capture stylized facts for interest rates, namely 1) non-normal innovations (through the use of Levy processes), 2) time in-homogeneous behavior (though a stochastic time varying activity rate (volatility)), and 3) finally dependence between the activity rate and the interest rate innovations. We derive a semi-analytical expression for the characteristic function of zero coupon bond prices, which allows for easy pricing of fixed income derivatives. Finally we show that our model encompasses known models for both forward rates and volatility.

A model of discontinuous interest rate behavior, yield curves, and volatility

This paper develops an equilibrium model in which interest rates follow a discontinuous (generalized) gamma process. The gamma process has finite variation, takes an infinite number of “small” jumps in every interval, and includes the Wiener process as a limiting case. The gamma interest rate model produces yield curves that closely resemble those of diffusion models. But in contrast to diffusion models, the curvature of the yield curve does not directly depend on the true volatility of the interest rate process, but instead depends on a different risk-neutral volatility. The gamma model appears to fit the distribution of interest rates changes and the jump characteristics of interest rate paths. Empirical tests reject a diffusion model of interest rates in favor of the more general gamma model because daily interest rate innovations are highly leptokurtic.

Deflation, Credit and Asset Prices

The experience of historical episodes of financial crises in the late 19th and early 20th century, and also more recent episodes of boom and bust cycles in credit markets suggest that the build up of financial imbalances is reflected in asset prices, especially property prices, rather than in consumer prices. Based on a simple VAR impulse response analysis for a sample of twelve countries we assess the nature of the close empirical correlation between bank lending and asset prices. The results suggest that innovations to property prices have a significant effect on bank lending in the large majority of countries. For most countries we do not find evidence of a significant effect of credit on property prices or of significant dynamic interaction between share prices and credit in either direction. Interest rate innovations are found to have a significantly negative effect on asset prices in some countries, while bank lending is in general found to be rather unresponsive to interest rate movements. This finding suggests that the usefulness of interest rate policy as an instrument to smooth boom-bust cycles in asset and credit markets is questionable.

Economic Performance and Unemployment: Evidence from an Emerging Economy - Turkey

This article examines whether various macroeconomic policy shocks have different effects on overall unemployment rate and the unemployment rate by different levels of education in Turkey. These effects are assessed for total, male and female unemployment rates separately. To examine the relationship, a quarterly VAR model with a recursive order is employed to estimate the effects of real GDP, price, exchange rate, interbank interest rate, money supply and unemployment for the period from 1988:01 to 2003:04. Main findings indicate that a positive income shock reduces total unemployment while positive exchange rate and interbank interest rate innovations both increase the unemployment rate during the initial periods. The responses of high school educated unemployment rate to five macroeconomic variable shocks are different than the response of other educational unemployment rates. Furthermore, the overall results across gender are similar.

Testing Models of the Spot Interest Rate Volatility

This paper estimates discrete-time stochastic volatility models of the short-term spot interest rate for Germany and France, 1981-1997. Stochastic volatility interest rate models with both news and square root level effects seem to dominate alternative specifications. We extend previous results by using an exponential functional form for volatility, which is able to mitigate the impact of very large realizations and yield a better fit. Interest rate volatility shows a less persistent behavior than in stock returns and US Treasury bill yields volatility. Positive innovations in interest rates have a greater impact on conditional volatility than negative innovations.

Volatility transmission across the term structure of swap markets: international evidence

The behaviour of volatility across the term structure of interest rate swaps is characterized in three currencies (Deutsche mark, Japanese yen and US dollar). For that purpose, a modified GARCH-in mean model is used allowing for seasonal patterns in the mean and variance of interest rates and asymmetric responses to interest rate surprises. Daily interest rate changes are found (a) to be predictable, following autoregressive structures, and (b) to display weekly seasonality. Additionally, interest rate volatility is shown to (a) decrease with maturity, (b) be very persistent and hence, somewhat predictable, which is important when pricing derivatives on swap products, (c) show a tendency to be lower at the beginning of the week, increasing later on, and (d) to respond asymmetrically to interest rate innovations. These properties could clearly be used in risk management with interest rate swaps. Finally, significant transmission of volatility is found from the very short-term to longer-term interest rates. This evidence supports the importance attributed by most central banks to achieving stability in short-term interest rates.

Exchange rate puzzles and distorted beliefs

We propose a new explanation for the foreign exchange forward-premium and delayed-overshooting puzzles. We show that both puzzles arise from a systematic distortion in investors' beliefs about the interest rate process. Accordingly, the forward premium is always a biased predictor of future depreciation; the bias can be so severe as to lead to negative coefficients in the ‘Fama’ regression. Delayed overshooting may or may not occur depending upon the persistence of interest rate innovations and the degree of misperception. We document empirically the extent of this distortion using survey data for G-7 countries against the U.S. and find that it is strong enough to account for these irregularities.

The sensitivity of Japanese bank stock returns to economic factors: An examination of asset/liability differences and main bank status

The sensitivity of Japanese bank stock returns to market return innovations (shocks), innovations in Japanese government bond returns, trade-weighted yen exchange rate return innovations, and interest rate spread changes are examined. Japanese bank stock returns are found to be significantly and usually negatively related to long-term interest rate innovations in 34% of all regressions. Market β's are found to be always highly significant, while few of the exchange rate return β's and spread β's are significant. Cross-sectional differences in the market and bond return β's are examined. Japanese main banks are generally found to assume more risk, based on market β's.

The Stochastic Volatility of Short‐Term Interest Rates: Some International Evidence

ABSTRACTThis paper estimates a stochastic volatility model of short‐term riskless interest rate dynamics. Estimated interest rate dynamics are broadly similar across a number of countries and reliable evidence of stochastic volatility is found throughout. In contrast to stock returns, interest rate volatility exhibits faster mean‐reverting behavior and innovations in interest rate volatility are negligibly correlated with innovations in interest rates. The less persistent behavior of interest rate volatility reflects the fact that interest rate dynamics are impacted by transient economic shocks such as central bank announcements and other macroeconomic news.

Stock returns, inflation, and the ‘proxy hypothesis’: A new look at the data

This paper reexamines the proxy hypothesis of Fama ( American Economic Review, 1981, 71, 545–565) as the main explanation for the negative correlation between stock returns and inflation. We look at quarterly data on industrial-production growth, monetary-base growth, CPI inflation, three-month Treasury-bill rates, and returns on the equally-weighted NYSE portfolio, for the 1954–1976 and 1977–1990 periods. Using time-series techniques, we find that production growth induces only a weak negative correlation between inflation and stock returns, and explains less of the covariance between the two series than inflation and interest-rate innovations.

Interest Rate Innovations and the Volatility of Long-Term Bond Yields

This paper develops and tests restrictions on the variance of innovations in long-term bond yields implied by the expectations model of the term structure. The authors adapt Kenneth D. West's (1988) stock-price volatility tests to the case of long but finite maturity bonds. Their approximate equality restriction does not require short-term rates to be stationary and, hence, provides a unified framework for volatility testing. When short rates are modeled as stationary, long-rate innovations appear excessively volatile. When short rates are modeled as difference stationary, long-rate innovations appear excessively smooth. Copyright 1994 by Ohio State University Press.