Bank of Canada Review - Summer 1996

August 11, 1996
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BoC Review - Summer 1996/Revue BdC - Été 1996

Cover page

Home savings bank: The Northern Bank

The savings bank shown here was issued to account holder 1859 by the Victoria, B.C. branch. It is part of the National Currency Collection, Bank of Canada.

Photography by James Zagon.
Content Type(s): Publications, Bank of Canada Review
August 11, 1996

Real short-term interest rates and expected inflation: Measurement and interpretation

Bank of Canada Review - Summer 1996 Nicholas Ricketts
This article compares different measures of real short-term interest rates for Canada over the period from 1956 to 1995. A new measure for the expected real interest rate is constructed using a proxy for inflation expectations that is based on the properties of past inflation. The history of inflation in Canada suggests that the characteristics of inflation have changed considerably over time. Past inflation can be characterized by three different types of behaviour: an environment in which average inflation is low and shocks to inflation have only temporary effects; an environment of moderate inflation with more persistent disturbances; and an environment of drifting inflation in which shocks have permanent effects on the level of inflation. The proxy for inflation expectations uses a statistical model, called a Markov Switching Model, to take account of changes in the behaviour of inflation over time. It is found that uncertainty about the changing characteristics of inflation behaviour leads to uncertainty about estimates of inflation expectations and thus about measures of real interest rates. Target ranges for keeping inflation low should help reduce the uncertainty about inflation behaviour. The behaviour of inflation and interest rates suggests that the credibility of the Bank of Canada's inflation-control objectives is growing. This should reduce inflation uncertainty and lead to lower nominal interest rates over time.
Content Type(s): Publications, Bank of Canada Review articles Topic(s): Inflation and prices, Interest rates
August 10, 1996

Inflation expectations and Real Return Bonds

Bank of Canada Review - Summer 1996 Agathe Côté, Jocelyn Jacob, John Nelmes, Miles Whittingham
The existence of a market for Real Return Bonds in Canada provides a direct tool with which to measure market expectations of inflation by comparing the yields on these bonds with those on conventional Government of Canada long-term bonds. However, there are other factors besides inflation expectations that may affect the yield differential. After reviewing these factors, the authors note that they can lead to a potentially large bias in the level of inflation expectations. The changes in the differential over time may, nonetheless, be a good indicator of movements in long-run inflation expectations. Based on this measure, expectations of long-run inflation have declined since late 1994.
Content Type(s): Publications, Bank of Canada Review articles Topic(s): Interest rates