The Optimal Level of the Inflation Target: A Selective Review of the Literature and Outstanding Issues Staff Discussion Paper 2015-8 Oleksiy Kryvtsov, Rhys R. Mendes Bank of Canada research done prior to the most recent renewal of the inflation-control agreement in 2011 concluded that the benefits associated with a target below 2 per cent were insufficient to justify the increased risk of being constrained by the zero lower bound (ZLB) on nominal interest rates. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff discussion papers Topic(s): Inflation targets, Inflation: costs and benefits, Monetary policy framework JEL Code(s): E, E5, E52, E58
March 26, 2015 Central Bank Credibility and Policy Normalization Remarks Stephen S. Poloz Canada-United Kingdom Chamber of Commerce London, United Kingdom Governor Poloz discusses the recent rise in financial market volatility and low long-term borrowing costs, and what they both mean for central bank credibility. Content Type(s): Press, Speeches and appearances, Remarks Topic(s): Credibility, Financial stability, Inflation targets, Interest rates, Monetary policy, Monetary policy implementation
February 24, 2015 Lessons New and Old: Reinventing Central Banking Remarks Stephen S. Poloz Western University President's Lecture London, Ontario Governor Stephen S. Poloz discusses the need to integrate financial stability concerns with inflation control in conducting monetary policy after the financial crisis. Content Type(s): Press, Speeches and appearances, Remarks Topic(s): Central bank research, Inflation and prices, Inflation targets, Monetary aggregates, Monetary policy, Monetary policy framework
February 19, 2015 Inflation, Expectations and Monetary Policy Remarks Agathe Côté Association québécoise des technologies Mont-Tremblant, Quebec Deputy Governor Agathe Côté discusses the importance of inflation expectations for monetary policy and a new survey the Bank of Canada created to monitor household expectations. Content Type(s): Press, Speeches and appearances, Remarks Topic(s): Central bank research, Credibility, Inflation and prices, Inflation targets, Monetary and financial indicators, Recent economic and financial developments
February 10, 2015 Minding the Labour Gap Remarks Carolyn A. Wilkins Ottawa Economics Association Ottawa, Ontario Senior Deputy Governor Carolyn Wilkins discusses the state of the labour market, the impact of lower oil prices on Canada’s economic outlook and the importance of both for monetary policy. Content Type(s): Press, Speeches and appearances, Remarks Topic(s): Inflation and prices, Inflation targets, Labour markets, Monetary policy, Potential output, Productivity
Targeting Inflation from Below - How Do Inflation Expectations Behave? Staff Working Paper 2014-52 Michael Ehrmann Inflation targeting (IT) had originally been introduced as a device to bring inflation down and stabilize it at low levels. Given the current environment of persistently weak inflation in many advanced economies, IT central banks must now bring inflation up to target. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Topic(s): Inflation and prices, Inflation targets JEL Code(s): C, C5, C53, E, E3, E31, E5, E52, E58
Central Bank Communications Before, During and After the Crisis: From Open-Market Operations to Open-Mouth Policy Staff Working Paper 2013-41 Ianthi Vayid The days when secrecy and opacity were the bywords of central banking are gone. The advent of inflation targeting in the early 1990s acted as the catalyst for enhanced transparency and communications in the conduct of monetary policy. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Topic(s): Central bank research, Credibility, Financial stability, Inflation targets, Monetary policy framework, Monetary policy implementation JEL Code(s): E, E5, E52, E58
August 16, 2012 Measurement Bias in the Canadian Consumer Price Index: An Update Bank of Canada Review - Summer 2012 Patrick Sabourin The consumer price index (CPI) is the most commonly used measure to track changes in the overall level of prices. Since it departs from a true cost-of-living index, the CPI is subject to four types of measurement bias—commodity substitution, outlet substitution, new goods and quality adjustment. The author updates previous Bank of Canada estimates of measurement bias in the Canadian CPI by examining these four sources of potential bias. He finds the total measurement bias over the 2005–11 period to be about 0.5 percentage point per year, consistent with the Bank’s earlier findings. Slightly more than half of this bias is caused by the fixed nature of the CPI basket of goods and services. Content Type(s): Publications, Bank of Canada Review articles Topic(s): Inflation and prices, Inflation targets JEL Code(s): E, E3, E31, E5, E52
May 17, 2012 Inflation Targeting: The Recent International Experience Bank of Canada Review - Spring 2012 Robert Lavigne, Rhys R. Mendes, Subrata Sarker In the years since the 2006 renewal of Canada’s inflation-control agreement, monetary policy regimes have faced significant shocks, including the global economic and financial crisis. This article reviews the recent experience with inflation targeting, including the debate about the appropriate role of monetary policy in maintaining financial stability. In the aftermath of the crisis, both […] Content Type(s): Publications, Bank of Canada Review articles Topic(s): Credibility, Financial stability, Inflation targets, Monetary policy framework JEL Code(s): E, E3, E31, E5, E52, E58
August 19, 2010 Monetary Policy and the Zero Bound on Nominal Interest Rates Bank of Canada Review - Summer 2010 Robert Amano, Malik Shukayev The recent financial crisis and global economic slowdown have renewed interest in monetary policy options when the policy interest rate is at or near zero. Content Type(s): Publications, Bank of Canada Review articles Topic(s): Inflation targets, Monetary policy framework