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Monetary Policy and the Great Moderation in Macro Volatility. ECGA 7020 Special Topic Presentation Dan Maolusi Fall 2005 Fordham University. Evidence. GDP growth Std Dev decreases: Pre-1984: moving quarterly Std dev was about 4.7% Since 1984: moving quarterly Std dev fell to about 2.1%.
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Monetary Policy and the Great Moderation in Macro Volatility ECGA 7020 Special Topic Presentation Dan Maolusi Fall 2005 Fordham University
Evidence GDP growth Std Dev decreases: • Pre-1984: moving quarterly Std dev was about 4.7% • Since 1984: moving quarterly Std dev fell to about 2.1%
Std Dev of Quarterly U.S. GDP Growth Source: Anesto and Piger (2005) International Economic Trends; August.
Causes and Explanations Three broad Explanations • Improved Macro Policy • Structural Change • Good Luck All three explanations have been explored in literature I focus on #1: better Macro Policy
Monetary Policy Rules and Macroeconomic Stability: Evidence and Some Theory • Clarida et. All (2000) argue improved monetary policy let to the “great moderation” • Estimate a Forward looking monetary policy reaction function for two eras: 60:1-79:2 and 79:3-96:4
Standard Deviation of Inflation and output: pre and post Volcker
Causes of declined Volatility • The decline in volatility appears substantial for each variable • The decline in volatility is more substantial when Volcker-Greenspan starts in 82:4, after the Volcker disinflation
Taylor Rule for Fed Policy • where: the target rate for the nominal Federal Funds rate in period t • the percentage change in the price level between periods t and t+k • the target inflation • a measure of the average output gap between period t and t+q • the information set at the time the interest rate is set. • is an exogenous interest rate shock
Taylor Rule Estimates • Table shows estimates of Fed response to expected inflation, , Column B and Fed response to GDP gap, , Column C • Standard errors are in parenthesis
Column B: Volcker-Greenspan more responsive than pre-Volcker and therefore stabilizing since beta is greater than 1 • Column C: Volcker-Greenspan significantly greater than pre-Volcker, thus more responsive and stabilizing
Differences in Policy Rules • Differ in terms of response to expected inflation • Pre-Volcker: short term rates allowed to fall with a rise in expected inflation • Fed would raise nominal rates but by less than the rise in expected inflation • Thus less pro-active policy in pre-Volcker
Differences in Policy Rules • Volcker-Greenspan: real and nominal short term rates raised in response to higher expected inflation • Thus more proactive policy • Pre-Volcker less effective since it allows macroeconomic instability • Permits bursts in inflation and output • Less effective in mitigating shocks to economy