Volume 29, Issue 2 pp. 2077-2094
RESEARCH ARTICLE

Model-based estimation in monetary policy inertia and it's another possibility

H. E. Cha

Corresponding Author

H. E. Cha

Fred Hale School of Business, East Texas Baptist University, Marshall, Texas, USA

Correspondence

H. E. Cha, East Texas Baptist University, Fred Hale School of Business, Marshall, TX, USA.

Email: [email protected]

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Raymond Jay Lim

Raymond Jay Lim

Longview Police Department, Longview, Texas, USA

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First published: 10 January 2023

Abstract

In this paper, different monetary policy rules are re-estimated employing real-time data, known as Greenbook data, through MLE and Bayesian Estimation. The results favour the rule with persistent shocks and show that the inertial movement of the Federal funds rate is an illusion, as mentioned by Rudebusch (2002). Since it would be possible to have an omitted variable bias due to impure serial correlation, however, the rule with persistent shock could imply that the other serially correlated variable is required to explain the inertial movement of Federal funds rates. Based on this idea, serial correlation tests are implemented, showing the possibility of an omitted serial correlated variable. Therefore, it is reasonable to search for other persistent variables. As an illusion implies unpredictability in the movement of the Federal funds rate, this hypothesis could be against the credibility of the central bank. In order to have a reasonable explanation for the inertial movement other than persistent shocks, therefore, modifying the rule with a 3-month t-bill rate is re-estimated. The result shows that the rule with the t-bill rate outperformed in all aspects and is compatible with one theoretical explanation of minimizing the financial volatility for inertial movement.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT

The Greenbook data that support the findings of this study are openly available in the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia at https://www.philadelphiafed.org/research-and-data/real-time-center/greenbook-data/. The Effective Funds rate data that support the findings of this study are openly available in the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis at https://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/series/FEDFUNDS/.

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