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Exchange Rate Policy and the Zero Bound on Nominal Interest Rates
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Exchange Rate Policy and the Zero Bound on Nominal Interest Rates

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  • Volker Wieland (Goethe University Frankfurt)
  • Günter Coenen (European Central Bank)

Abstract

In this paper, we study the effectiveness of monetary policy in a severe recession and deflation when nominal interest rates are bounded at zero. We compare two alternative proposals for ameliorating the effect of the zero bound: an exchange-rate peg and price-level targeting. We conduct this quantitative comparison in an empirical macroeconometric model of Japan, the United States and the euro area. Furthermore, we use a stylised micro-founded two-country model to check our quantitative findings. We find that both proposals succeed in generating inflationary expectations and work almost equally well under full credibility of monetary policy. However, price-level targeting may be less effective under imperfect credibility, because the announced price-level target is not directly observable.

Suggested Citation

  • Volker Wieland (Goethe University Frankfurt) & Günter Coenen (European Central Bank), 2004. "Exchange Rate Policy and the Zero Bound on Nominal Interest Rates," Computing in Economics and Finance 2004 65, Society for Computational Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:sce:scecf4:65
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    monetary policy rules; zero interest rate bound; liquidity trap; rational expectations; nominal rigidities; exchange rates;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E31 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - Price Level; Inflation; Deflation
    • E52 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Monetary Policy, Central Banking, and the Supply of Money and Credit - - - Monetary Policy
    • E58 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Monetary Policy, Central Banking, and the Supply of Money and Credit - - - Central Banks and Their Policies

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