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The expectations channel and m onetary policy operations in Asia-Pacific b ond m arket s. Eli M Remolona Head of Economics for Asia and the Pacific Workshop on Developing Government Bond Markets: Challenges towards Sound Monetary Management Bali, October 31 - November 1, 2007.
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The expectations channel and monetary policy operationsinAsia-Pacific bond markets Eli M RemolonaHead of Economics for Asia and the Pacific Workshop on Developing Government Bond Markets: Challenges towards Sound Monetary Management Bali, October 31 - November 1, 2007
Informational underpinnings of government bond markets • A two-way street: central banks and bond markets can help each other • Liquid government bond markets need information about monetary policy • Expectations channel relies on bond markets • Information in deeds: monetary operations in Asia and the Pacific • Choice of operational policy target • Operational adjustment of target • Information in data and words: the US experience • Implications of transparency in bond market • Implications of expectations management
Mechanics of expectations channel • Operational policy target is short rate – “an interest rate that is relevant to virtually no economically interesting transactions” – Blinder (2006) • Effect is through longer maturities in yield curve • Investors make guesses about future policy rates • Yield curves embody these expectations as well as uncertainty surrounding them • Why not target long rate? • May be way to avoid liquidity trap • But forecastable change in target implies large spikes in short rates on day of target change – Woodford (2005) • Information to build yield curve • Gradualism and reversal aversion • Data and words to manage expectations
Policy rate targets and markets for operations in Asia and the Pacific
A deep and liquid bond market:the US Treasury market Interdealer market Dealer Dealer Broker Customers Customers
How primary dealers provide liquidity • As market makers, they must bid at auctions and provide two-way quotes in secondary market • Unlike in equity market, interdealer market is “informed trading with informed” • To provide liquidity, dealers need informational advantage • Before 1994, trading with New York Fed gave them information about monetary stance • With Fed transparency dealers now make it their business to be well informed about macro developments and how FOMC reads data • They use informational advantage to take large positions in market
Price and trading action when information arrives: the 5-year US Treasury note on employment report day
Price impact of announcement surprises:the 5-year US Treasury note(Fleming and Remolona, JPM 1999) Transparency index = 1 – 4.6/23.1 = 0.80
The term structure of announcement effects: the US non-farm payroll announcement Action is in intermediates -- as market makes guess about policy rate several meetings away
Conclusions • For central banks in Asia and Pacific, monetary policy operations consistent with expectations channel • Policy rate target is short rate • Gradualism and reversal aversion • Expectations reflected in yield curves • In US experience, liquid bond market is one where • Primary dealers provide liquidity when kept well informed about monetary policy • With transparency, yield curves react more to macro news than to policy rate changes • With expectations management, at times of information arrival, action is in intermediate maturities
References • Blinder (2006) “Monetary policy today: sixteen questions and about twelve answers,” paper presented at the Banco de Espana. • Fleming and Remolona (1999) “Price formation and liquidity in the US Treasury market: the response to public information,” Journal of Finance (October). • Fleming and Remolona (1999) “What moves the bond market,” Journal of Portfolio Management (Summer). • Fleming and Remolona (1999) “The term structure of announcement effects,” BIS Working Paper No 71 (June). • Ho (2007) “Implementing monetary policy in the 2000s: operating procedures in Asia and beyond,” draft, BIS. • Woodford (2005) “Comment on ‘Using the long-term interest rate as a policy instrument’,” (April) • Woodford (2005) “Central bank communication and policy effectiveness,” paper presented at Jackson Hole