Output Volatility Research Articles

Monetary policy regimes: A global assessment

AbstractAn eight‐region, stochastic, general equilibrium model that incorporates global money and financial markets is used, first, to identify the distributions of regional supply side shocks in 1954–2016 from real GDP data. Second, in Monte Carlo simulations, the model is subjected to random draws from these distributions in all regions simultaneously, under a range of combinations of monetary targets. These experiments begin with a comparison of the volatilities of output and welfare (defined as the purchasing power of disposable income at regional prices) under current de facto and de jure monetary targets. The results show that the de facto targets offer significant improvement. A further analysis of targeting games suggests that a Nash equilibrium on output risk is dominated by nominal GDP targeting, while the corresponding Nash equilibrium on welfare risk has predominant inflation targeting (IT). Notwithstanding IMF policy to convert developing country central banks to inflation targeting, a fallacy of composition is observed in the spread of IT internationally. This spread tends to raise the volatility of welfare in the established open economies.

On the Impact of Policy Uncertainty on the Demand for Money in China: An Asymmetric Analysis

One previous study that estimated the demand for money in China, included output volatility and money supply volatility as two measures of uncertainty. The study found their effects to be transitory in the short-run but not in the long-run. We suspect that the lack of long-run effects could be due to both uncertainty measures being less comprehensive. When we replaced the two measures with a relatively more comprehensive measure known as policy uncertainty, we too found only short-run effects. However, when we separated increased uncertainty from declines and engaged in asymmetric analysis by estimating a nonlinear money demand function, we found that in the long run while increased uncertainty has a significant effect on the demand for money, decreased uncertainty does not. Our findings indicated that in China, as uncertainty increases people prefer to hold more cash.

The Impacts of Credit Standards on Aggregate Fluctuations in a Small Open Economy: The Role of Monetary Policy

Empirical evidence demonstrates that credit standards, including lending margins and collateral requirements, move in a countercyclical direction. In this study, we construct a small open economy model with financial frictions to generate the countercyclical movement in credit standards. Our analysis demonstrates that countercyclical fluctuations in credit standards work as an amplifier of shocks to the economy. In particular, the existence of endogenous credit standards increases output volatility by 21%. We also suggest three alternative tools for policymakers to dampen the effects of endogenous credit standards on macroeconomic volatility. First, the introduction of credit growth to the monetary policy succeeds in counteracting the fluctuation of lending, and thus decreasing the additional volatility considerably. Second, the exchange rate augmented monetary policy, if well-constructed, is considered an efficient tool to eliminate most of the additional fluctuations caused by deep habits in the banking sector. Finally, the introduction of the foreign interest augmented policy also proves successful in dampening the effect of endogenous movements in lending standards.

Remittances and Output Volatility: The Role of Financial Development

This paper examines the impact of remittances on output volatility through the channel of financial development using data for 158 countries from 1971 to 2017. We estimate the role of financial development by looking at multiple features of financial institutions, such as depth, access and efficiency. We used multiple indicators as a proxy of financial development in the remittance-output volatility nexus and employed System Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) and Fixed Effects Instrumental Variable (FE- IV) models. Our findings are robust across specifications. We find a significant positive impact of all indicators of financial development on the remittance-output volatility relationship. The findings suggest that multifaceted financial development is needed for the effective management of output volatility through remittance inflows.

The Effect of Sectoral Output Volatility on Economic Growth in Ethiopia

This study examined the effect of sectoral output volatility on economic growth and the determinants of economic growth in the Ethiopian economy. The study used annual time series data spanning from 1981 to 2018 and included capital stock, working-age population, trade balance, and sectoral output volatility as an explanatory variable. Using the Exponential General Autoregressive Conditional Heteroscedasticity (EGARCH) and Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) cointegration test, the study found a long-run relationship between economic growth and economic growth explanatory variables. From the ARDL model, capital stock and trade balance (which has been negative throughout the study period) was found to have a positive and negative significant effect on the economic growth of Ethiopia, respectively. In the long-run, volatility of industrial and service sector output growth had a negative and statistically significant effect on the economic growth of Ethiopia. In recent years the role of agriculture in the Ethiopian economy, particularly in terms of contribution to the national GDP, has been declining—indicating the growing importance of service and industrial sectors. Therefore, smoothening and maintaining the positive sectoral output growth is advisable for the betterment of the economy. Besides, balancing the foreign trade and curbing unrestricted importation is recommended as long as economic growth is concerned.

Transmission adaptability planning considering cluster correlation of wind farms

Wind farm cluster penetration and its long-distance delivery have become the important form of wind power accommodation of power network in China. For the adaptability of power network planning to the output volatility of clustering wind farms, three steps are studied as follows. Initially, the output uncertainty model of clustering wind farms based on Auto Regression Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA)-Generalized Autoregression Conditional Heteroscedasticity (GARCH)-Pair Copula is put forward to analyze the intermittency, fluctuation and clustering wind power correlation. Secondly, Full Cost (FC) theory is introduced to account social expense brought by grid-connected clustering wind farms from four aspects of static cost, dynamic cost, environmental cost and inter-generational cost. Meanwhile, available wind power transmission capacity is defined to reflect wind power accommodation based on transmission margin. Finally, the adaptive efficiency index is proposed by the ratio of available wind power transmission capacity to FC. The transmission adaptability planning model considering cluster correlation of wind farms is built with the objective function of the adaptive efficiency index. Taking the actual regional power grid as an example, the results show that the planning scheme considering the optimal adaptive efficiency index of clustering wind farms can be better adapted to the future power network environment.

The Economic Complexity Index (ECI) and output volatility: High vs. low income countries

ABSTRACT In this study, we explore whether more complex economies are better shielded against exogenous shocks. We contribute to the literature on determinants of output volatility with a relatively new index on productive capabilities of export goods, the Economic Complexity Index (ECI), developed by Hausmann et al. [Hausmann, R., C. A. Hidalgo, S. Bustos, M. Coscia, A. Simoes, and M. A. Yildirim. 2014. The Atlas of Economic Complexity: Mapping Paths to Prosperity. MIT Press]. The ECI measures the productive capabilities of countries by explaining the knowledge accumulated in a population based on the goods produced and exported and to which countries they export. Therefore ECI captures diversification as well as the technology embedded in the products. Using panel data analysis for a cross section of countries from 1984 to 2016, we find variations in the effects of ECI on output volatility between high and low income countries. For high income countries, increases in ECI reduce output volatility in the short to medium term with a longer delay in output volatility moderation for low income countries. Findings suggest that low income countries have less diversified and less complex export goods which leave them open to external shocks and reduce their ability to adjust quickly to the shocks. Furthermore, disaggregation by regions reveals that economic complexity in Asia is relatively more effective at reducing output volatility than in Africa.

Foreign Direct Investment and Output Volatility Nexus: A Global Analysis

Volatility in output growth remains a genuine concern around the globe because of its detrimental effects on growth, poverty and welfare. In the realm of output volatility, the role of FDI and its consistency is particularly important and worth considering. This article examines the role of FDI inflows and specifically the instability in it on output growth volatility using a panel dataset of 141 world economies for the period 1971–2017. The study employs a variety of estimation techniques like pooled ordinary least squares (POLS), LS fixed effects (FE), LS random effects (RE), two stage least squares (2SLS) and generalised methods of moments (GMM). Findings of the study suggest that FDI acts as the volatility reducing factor, whereas uncertainty in it increases output volatility. On the policy front, this study recommends policies that not only encourage FDI inflows but also ensure the inflows to be more consistent and stable. Our results are robust corresponding to various above-mentioned estimation techniques and sensitivity analysis. JEL Codes: C23, E32, F21

Fluctuations in global output volatility

In this paper, we dissect the time-varying output volatility of the main world economies to study its dynamics, spillovers, and determinants, from a global perspective. Our analysis relies on a hierarchical volatility factor model and Bayesian model averaging. We show that the increasing comovement observed in international macroeconomic volatility is substantially larger in developing than in developed countries. Instead, developed countries have exhibited more asymmetric volatility shocks than developing countries in recent times. We also show that, although the downward trend in global volatility is related with increasing trade, idiosyncratic changes in volatility are highly influenced by domestic monetary policies. However, due to the declining role played by these idiosyncratic components over time, policymakers currently face greater constraints when it comes to stabilizing output fluctuations.

Business Cycles Analysis in Cameroon an overview

This paper aims at conducting a thorough analysis of business cycles in Cameroon by statistically assessing their main characteristics. The analysis is carried out by considering the three dimensions of macroeconomic fluctuations. By assessing output volatility, light on the sensitivity of the economy to exogenous shocks as well as to endogenous sources of instability is shed. Likewise, analysing the co-movements of aggregate variables of interest helps in understanding the extent to which the observed fluctuations relate to other aggregates in the economy and hence, the main forces driving the dynamics of this economy. Eventually, more light could be shed on macroeconomic dynamics by analysing the timing and persistence of business cycles. Overall, such analysis is conducted using basic statistical tools commonly used in the empirical literature on business cycles. These are the standard deviation as a measure of volatility, cross-correlations as a means of analysing co-movements and auto-correlations as measures of persistence. The main limitation in this study is the linear consideration of observed data. In fact, many macroeconomic and financial time-series that are used in quantitative macroeconomic models are subject to a number of regime-switching in reality. This fact needs to be taken into account in the subsequent research

Institutions and macroeconomic performance: core versus periphery countries in the Eurozone

Abstract We incorporate institutions into a neoclassical growth model so as to account for macroeconomic differences, as in the data, in 12 Eurozone countries. Modelling institutions in a generic way, we assume that weak institutions are reflected in ill-enforced property rights. When we calibrate and solve the model for each country separately, our results are: (i) including weak institutions helps the model vis-à-vis the data more in the periphery than in the core of the Eurozone; (ii) institutional failures, and their adverse effects on incentives, are worse in the periphery countries and this contributes in explaining lower long-term growth and higher output volatility in these countries; (iii) the same shock affects different countries differently depending on their institutional structure and the mix of fiscal policies; and (iv) counterfactual scenarios imply that periphery countries with weak institutions could gain a lot had their institutional quality been like that in the core.

The impact of inward FDI on output growth volatility: A country-sector analysis

While existing literature points to a positive impact of FDI on host countries’ growth, little is known about how inward FDI contributes to economic volatility in the host country. In this paper, we investigate the FDI-output growth volatility nexus focusing on manufacturing sectors of OECD countries over the period 1990 to 2015. We document a positive and statistically significant relationship between inward FDI stock and sectoral output volatility. We also show that the impact of inward FDI stock in downstream activities on volatility is larger compared to that of inward FDI stock in upstream activities which is not significant. Additionally, we find that the positive relationship between FDI and volatility is stronger in high capital-intensive industries. These results are robust to the use of a measure of FDI targeting practices.

Volatility Risk Pass-Through

Abstract We develop a novel measure of volatility pass-through to assess international propagation of output volatility shocks to macroeconomic aggregates, equity prices, and currencies. An increase in country’s output volatility is associated with a decrease in its output, consumption, and net exports. The average consumption pass-through is 50% (a 1% increase in output volatility increases consumption volatility by 0.5%) and it increases to 70% for shocks originating in smaller countries. The equity volatility pass-through is larger and in the order of 90%. A novel channel of risk sharing of volatility risks can explain our empirical findings.

Quantitative Evaluation Methods of Cluster Wind Power Output Volatility and Source-Load Timing Matching in Regional Power Grid

The quantitative evaluation of cluster wind power output volatility and source-load timing matching is vital to the planning and operation of the future power system dominated by new energy. However, the existing volatility evaluation methods of cluster wind power output do not fully consider timing volatility, or are not suitable for small sample data scenarios. Meanwhile, the existing source-load timing matching evaluation indicator ignores the impact of wind power permeability on the timing matching degree between wind power output and load. Therefore, the authors propose quantitative evaluation methods of cluster wind power output volatility and source-load timing matching in regional power grid. Firstly, the volatility-based smoothing coefficient is defined to quantitatively evaluate the smoothing effect of wind-farm cluster power output. Then, the source-load timing matching coefficient considering wind power permeability is proposed to quantitatively evaluate the timing matching degree of regional wind power output and load, and the corresponding function model of volatility-based smoothing coefficient and source-load timing matching coefficient is established. Finally, the validity and applicability of the proposed methods are verified by MATLAB software based on the actual power output of 10 wind farms and actual grid load in a certain grid dispatching cross-section of northeast China. The results demonstrated that the proposed volatility-based smoothing coefficient can accurately represent the smoothing effect of wind farm cluster power output while maintaining the volatility continuity of wind power output time series and without affect from the data sample size. The source-load timing matching coefficient can accurately characterize the difference in the timing matching degree between wind power output and grid load under different wind power permeability and the influence degree on grid load.

An Analysis of the Dynamic Relationships between Inflation Volatility, Exchange Rate and Output Gap Volatility in Turkey

This study investigates the short and long-run relationships between Inflation volatility, exchange rate, and output gap volatility using the ARDL bounds testing approach in Turkey. Also, we repeat the estimates by using the output gap as well. Moreover, we examine the causal relationship among these variables by using Toda-Yamamoto and frequency domain causality tests. For this purpose, the study uses quarterly time series data between 2005 Q1 and 2020 Q4. Both short and long-run results of the ARDL estimates indicate that there are statistically significant relationships between exchange rate and inflation volatility, between output gap volatility and inflation volatility, and between the output gap and inflation volatility. As expected long-run effect of the exchange rate on inflation, volatility is negative, and the effects of both output volatility and output gap on inflation volatility are positive. Also, causality tests results indicate that changes in the exchange rate, output gap volatility, and output gap will have permanent and temporary causal effects on inflation volatility. Therefore, the study results provide new evidence about the exchange rate, output gap volatility, and output gap. The policymakers should carefully consider these results to implement appropriate policies to reduce inflation volatility.

The impact of output volatility on CO2 emissions in Turkey: testing EKC hypothesis with Fourier stationarity test.

This study uses the output volatility–augmented environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) model to determine the dynamic short- and long-term impacts of the volatility of economic growth (VOL) on carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in Turkey from 1980 to 2015. The results of the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) approach indicate that there is a long-run relationship between CO2, per capita real GDP, per capita energy use, and VOL. The coefficients obtained from the ARDL estimation indicate that economic growth and energy use increase CO2 emissions, while VOL decreases CO2 emissions in the long run. Moreover, the coefficients obtained from the ARDL error correction model show that VOL decreases CO2 emissions in the short run, as well. We also find that the EKC is valid in Turkey. This implies for the Turkish case that achieving macro-stability under a “just transition” is key for achieving both economic and environmental benefits from ratifying international agreements such as Paris Agreement and EU Green Deal.

Does digital financial inclusion moderate or exacerbate output volatility?

ABSTRACT Fintech, broadly encompassing financial innovations enabled by digital technology, has seen phenomenal growth across emerging and developing economies (EMDEs) over the last few years. While the fintech revolution can facilitate broader financial inclusion and spur overall economic growth, concerns have been raised about the possible impact of fintech on growth volatility. Using a selected heterogeneous panel of 40 EMDEs spanning 2009 to 2017 we find that greater digital financial inclusion persistently exacerbates output volatility, although this result holds true only in countries with low banking concentration. Our results are robust to both different definitions of digital financial inclusion and alternative methodologies controlling for potential endogeneity.

Partners in debt: An endogenous non-linear analysis of the effects of public and private debt on growth

This paper offers an empirical analysis of how public and private debt jointly influence economic growth. We consider the endogeneity and interlink of two debt variables which are subject to regime switch in a dynamic panel data model. Using data from 29 OECD countries, the threshold effect of the interaction of the public and private debt on economic growth is found to be negative and significant when the aggregate debt to GDP ratio reaches 220%, beyond which the marginal effect of public (or private) debt further increases on top of the non-interactive effect. It is shown that the true effect of individual debt is largely underestimated if the interactive effect is omitted. We also decompose private debt into household and corporate debt and show that the public–private debt interaction is likely operating through the channels of household debt and public debt. We examine the robustness of the threshold effects to banking crises, output volatility, institutional quality, tax, private and public pension savings, participation rate as well as potential outliers.

Does digitalization matter in green preferences in nexus of output volatility and environmental quality?

The fact is that output volatility and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions move together over the period. This empirical study examines the dynamic effect of output volatility on CO2 emissions using the advance nonlinear panel autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) approach. The empirical analysis is executed for ten high emitters Asian countries covering the period from 1990 to 2019. The findings reveal that positive change in output volatility increases CO2 emissions and negative change in output volatility decreases CO2 emissions in the long run in Asia. The results also show that digitization also positively impacts environmental quality in Asia due to green globalization. The findings are also robust and similar in an alternative indicator of the environment. An important policy is that reducing volatility in output is a suitable way of environmental sustainability, particularly for Asian countries.

Forecast Overview

GDP rose by 0.8% m/m in May, leaving the economy 3.1% below the pre‐pandemic level. Consumer‐facing sectors responded to the easing of Covid restrictions, with output in the hospitality sector rebounding strongly and distribution activity remaining well above pre‐pandemic levels. But there were several downside surprises elsewhere. Non‐consumer facing parts of the services sector suffered a loss of momentum, the recent volatility in health output continued, and microchip shortages disrupted car production.