May 1, 2001 Renewal of the Inflation-Control Target (May 2001) Commentary relating to the 2001 target renewal. Content Type(s): Background materials Topic(s): Inflation and prices, Monetary policy
How Rigid Are Nominal-Wage Rates? Staff Working Paper 2001-8 Allan Crawford This study examines the effect of nominal-wage rigidities on wage growth in Canada using a hazard model and micro data for union contracts. The hazard model is specified in a way that allows considerable flexibility in the shape of the estimated notional wage-change distribution. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Topic(s): Inflation targets, Labour markets JEL Code(s): E, E2, E24, E5, E52, E6, E61
Downward Nominal-Wage Rigidity: Micro Evidence from Tobit Models Staff Working Paper 2001-7 Allan Crawford, Geoff Wright This paper uses Tobit models and data for union contracts to examine the extent of downward nominal-wage rigidity in Canada. To be consistent with important stylized facts, the models allow the variance of the notional wage-change distribution to be time-varying and test for menu-cost effects. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Topic(s): Inflation targets, Labour markets JEL Code(s): E, E2, E24, E5, E52, E6, E61
May 1, 2001 Release of the Monetary Policy Report Opening statement David Dodge This morning, we released our spring 2001 Monetary Policy Report. In the six months since the November 2000 Report, the pace of economic expansion in Canada has slackened, primarily because the economic slowdown in the United States has been more pronounced than anticipated. The extent of the easing in economic activity in Canada is the […] Content Type(s): Press, Speeches and appearances, Opening statements
April 26, 2001 Turnaround Time for Government of Canada Securities auctions to be Reduced to 15 Minutes The targeted turnaround time for publication of the results for Government of Canada securities auctions will be reduced to 15 minutes from 30 minutes starting 22 May 2001. The reduction in the turnaround time is the result of process and efficiency improvements. Content Type(s): Press, Market notices
April 20, 2001 Governor talks about the Bank of Canada's contribution to monetary and financial stability and about the current economic situation Media Relations Vancouver, British Columbia n a speech today to The Vancouver Board of Trade, Governor David Dodge said that the Bank of Canada contributes to the economic well-being of Canadians by preserving confidence in the value of money and by promoting the safety and soundness of Canada's financial system. Content Type(s): Press, Press releases
April 20, 2001 The Bank of Canada's Contribution to the Economic Well-Being of Canadians Remarks David Dodge Vancouver Board of Trade Vancouver, British Columbia The Bank of Canada has a commitment to contribute to the economic well-being of Canadians. In other words, we must conduct monetary policy so that it fosters sustained economic growth. Fundamentally, this means creating conditions that favour rising employment and incomes, strong investment, and a more stable macroeconomic environment. Content Type(s): Press, Speeches and appearances, Remarks
April 17, 2001 Bank of Canada lowers Bank Rate by 1/4 per cent Media Relations Ottawa, Ontario The Bank of Canada today announced that it is lowering the Bank Rate by one-quarter of one percentage point to 5 per cent. The operating band for the overnight rate* is correspondingly lowered, and the Bank's target for the overnight rate is reduced to 4 3/4 per cent. Content Type(s): Press, Press releases
The Zero Bound on Nominal Interest Rates: How Important Is It? Staff Working Paper 2001-6 David Amirault, Brian O'Reilly This paper surveys the literature on the zero bound on the nominal interest rate. It addresses questions ranging from the conditions under which the zero bound on the nominal interest rate might occur to policy options to avoid or use to exit from such a situation. We discuss literature that examines historical and country evidence, and literature that uses models to generate evidence on this question. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Topic(s): Credibility, Inflation targets, Monetary policy transmission JEL Code(s): E, E3, E31, E5, E52, E58, E6, E61
Reactions of Canadian Interest Rates to Macroeconomic Announcements: Implications for Monetary Policy Transparency Staff Working Paper 2001-5 Toni Gravelle, Richhild Moessner In this study we statistically quantify the reactions of Canadian and U.S. interest rates to macroeconomic announcements released in Canada and in the United States. We find that Canadian interest rates react very little to Canadian macroeconomic news and are significantly affected by U.S. macroeconomic news, which indicates that international influences on the Canadian fixed-income markets are important. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Topic(s): Financial markets, Interest rates, Monetary policy implementation JEL Code(s): E, E0, E4, E5