Search Results
Journal Article
Tracking U.S. GDP in Real Time
Measuring the current state of the U.S. economy in real time is an important but challenging task for monetary policymakers. The most comprehensive measure of the state of the economy?real gross domestic product?is available at a relatively low frequency (quarterly) and with a significant delay (one month). To obtain more timely assessments of the state of the economy, the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City has developed a GDP tracking model that combines new econometric methods with two conventional approaches to estimating GDP. {{p}} Taeyoung Doh and Jaeheung Bae review the Kansas City Fed ...
Working Paper
Non-stationary hours in a DSGE model
The time series fit of dynamic stochastic general equilibrium (DSGE) models often suffers from restrictions on the long-run dynamics that are at odds with the data. Relaxing these restrictions can close the gap between DSGE models and vector autoregressions. This paper modifies a simple stochastic growth model by incorporating permanent labor supply shocks that can generate a unit root in hours worked. Using Bayesian methods we estimate two versions of the DSGE model: the standard specification in which hours worked are stationary and the modified version with permanent labor supply shocks. ...
Journal Article
Monetary Policy Stance Is Tighter than Federal Funds Rate
The Federal Reserve’s use of forward guidance and balance sheet policy means that monetary policy consists of more than changing the federal funds rate target. A proxy federal funds rate that incorporates data from financial markets can help assess the broader stance of monetary policy. This proxy measure shows that, since late 2021, monetary policy has been substantially tighter than the federal funds rate indicates. Tightening financial conditions are similar to what would be expected if the funds rate had exceeded 5¼% by September 2022.
Journal Article
Assessing the Risk of Extreme Unemployment Outcomes
Although the unemployment rate is at a historically low level, many policymakers are nevertheless watching projections for the future unemployment rate closely to evaluate the risk of extreme outcomes. We assess the probabilities of extreme outcomes in the near and medium term and find that the risk of unexpectedly high unemployment three years in the future has declined from its Great Recession peak and remained low over the past three years.
Working Paper
The state space representation and estimation of a time-varying parameter VAR with stochastic volatility
To capture the evolving relationship between multiple economic variables, time variation in either coefficients or volatility is often incorporated into vector autoregressions (VARs). However, allowing time variation in coefficients or volatility without restrictions on their dynamic behavior can increase the number of parameters too much, making the estimation of such a model practically infeasible. For this reason, researchers typically assume that time-varying coefficients or volatility are not directly observed but follow random processes which can be characterized by a few parameters. ...
Journal Article
Inflation Persistence as an Outcome of Monetary Policy
Delayed or tepid monetary policy responses can prolong the inflationary effect of temporary economic shocks. When financial markets expect that policymakers are hesitant to raise interest rates in response to an inflationary shock, the shock may have a longer-lasting effect. Research shows that perceptions of a weak policy response can explain the persistent rise and slow decline in inflation during 2021–22, suggesting policymakers may need to consider inflation persistence as an outcome of monetary policy.
Journal Article
Revamping the Kansas City Financial Stress Index Using the Treasury Repo Rate
The Kansas City Financial Stress Index (KCFSI) uses the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) to measure money market borrowing conditions. But regulatory changes in the United Kingdom will eliminate LIBOR by 2021. We construct a revised financial stress index with a variable that measures the cost of borrowing collateralized by Treasury securities (the Treasury repo rate) instead of LIBOR. {{p}} This revised measure of the KCFSI is highly correlated with the current KCFSI, suggesting the Treasury repo rate can replace LIBOR.
Journal Article
Measuring the Stance of Monetary Policy on and off the Zero Lower Bound
Taeyoung Doh and Jason Choi propose a new ?shadow? short-term interest rate to measure the stance of policy when the federal funds rate was constrained by the zero lower bound.
Working Paper
Reconciling VAR-based Forecasts with Survey Forecasts
This paper proposes a novel Bayesian approach to jointly model realized data and survey forecasts of the same variable in a vector autoregression (VAR). In particular, our method imposes a prior distribution on the consistency between the forecast implied by the VAR and the survey forecast for the same variable. When the prior is placed on unconditional forecasts from the VAR, the prior shapes the posterior of the reduced-form VAR coefficients. When the prior is placed on conditional forecasts (specifically, impulse responses), the prior shapes the posterior of the structural VAR ...
Journal Article
The efficacy of large-scale asset purchases at the zero lower bound
During the recent financial crisis, the Federal Reserve took unprecedented actions to prevent the economy from collapsing. First, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) lowered the short-term federal funds rate nearly to its zero lower bound. Then, several months later, the FOMC began making large-scale purchases of long-term Treasury bonds to lower long-term interest rates by reducing the supply of long-term assets. The FOMC?s announcement of its intent led to immediate and substantial declines in the yields of long-term Treasury bonds, but some observers questioned whether such purchases ...