Nicholas Ricketts

Author

Staff working papers

Non-Linearities in the Output-Inflation Relationship: Some Empirical Results for Canada

Staff Working Paper 1998-14 Chantal Dupasquier, Nicholas Ricketts
This paper analyzes the short-run dynamic process of inflation in Canada and examines whether a systematic variation in the relationship between inflation and output can be detected over time. In the theoretical literature, different models of price-setting behaviour predict that the slope of the Phillips curve will be a function of macroeconomic conditions, implying a […]
Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Topic(s): Inflation: costs and benefits, Productivity

Inflation, Learning and Monetary Policy Regimes in The G-7 Economies

Staff Working Paper 1995-6 Nicholas Ricketts, David Rose
In this paper, the authors report estimates of two- and three-state Markov switching models applied to inflation, measured using consumer price indexes, in the G-7 countries. They report tests that show that two-state models are preferred to simple one-state representations of the data, and argue that three-state representations are more satisfactory than two-state representations for […]
Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Topic(s): Inflation and prices

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Bank publications

Bank of Canada Review articles

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

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