Inflation dynamics and pressures

• Benchmarks for assessing labour market health: 2024 update

  Staff analytical note 2024-8 Erik Ens, Alexander Lam, Kurt See, Gabriela Galassi

  We assess the health of the Canadian labour market. We find that it has seen gradual but material easing since 2023, amid some signs of structural changes.

  Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff analytical notes JEL Code(s): E, E2, J, J2, J3, J6 Research Theme(s): Monetary policy, Inflation dynamics and pressures, Real economy and forecasting, Structural challenges, Demographics and labour supply

• Pricing behaviour and inflation during the COVID-19 pandemic: Insights from consumer prices microdata

  Staff analytical note 2024-6 Olga Bilyk, Mikael Khan, Olena Kostyshyna

  Using the microdata underlying the Canadian consumer price index, we study how often and by how much firms changed their prices during the COVID-19 pandemic. We find that the surge in inflation was mainly associated with retailers raising prices much more often than before. We also find that more recently, corporate price-setting behaviour appears to be approaching pre-pandemic norms.

  Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff analytical notes JEL Code(s): D, D2, D22, E, E3, E31, L, L1, L11 Research Theme(s): Monetary policy, Inflation dynamics and pressures, Real economy and forecasting

• How Do Agents Form Macroeconomic Expectations? Evidence from Inflation Uncertainty

  Staff working paper 2024-5 Tao Wang

  The uncertainty regarding inflation that is observed in density forecasts of households and professionals helps macroeconomists understand the formation mechanism of inflation expectations. Shocks to inflation take time to be perceived by all agents in the economy, and such rigidity is lower in a high-inflation environment.

  Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers JEL Code(s): D, D8, D84, E, E3, E31, E7, E71 Research Theme(s): Models and tools, Economic models, Monetary policy, Inflation dynamics and pressures, Monetary policy framework and transmission

• Communicating Inflation Uncertainty and Household Expectations

  Staff working paper 2023-63 Olena Kostyshyna, Luba Petersen

  We examine the value of direct communication to households about inflation and the uncertainty around inflation statistics. All types of information about inflation are effective at immediately managing inflation expectations, with information about outlooks being more effective and relevant than that about recent inflation and Bank targets.

  Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers JEL Code(s): C, C9, C93, D, D8, D84, E, E5, E59, E7 Research Theme(s): Monetary policy, Inflation dynamics and pressures, Monetary policy framework and transmission, Monetary policy tools and implementation

• Monetary Policy and Racial Inequality in Housing Markets: A Study of 140 US Metropolitan Areas

  Staff working paper 2023-62 Qi Li, Xu Zhang

  We find that minority households see greater declines in housing returns and entries into homeownership than White households after a tightening of monetary policy. Our findings emphasize the unintended consequences of monetary policy on racial inequality in the housing market.

  Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers JEL Code(s): E, E4, E40, E5, E52, R, R0, R00 Research Theme(s): Financial system, Household and business credit, Monetary policy, Inflation dynamics and pressures, Monetary policy framework and transmission

• Finding the balance—measuring risks to inflation and to GDP growth

  Staff analytical note 2023-18 Bruno Feunou, James Kyeong

  Using our new quantitative tool, we show how the risks to the inflation and growth outlooks have evolved over the course of 2023.

  Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff analytical notes JEL Code(s): C, C3, C32, C5, C58, E, E4, E44, G, G1, G17 Research Theme(s): Models and tools, Economic models, Monetary policy, Inflation dynamics and pressures, Monetary policy framework and transmission, Real economy and forecasting

• Assessing the effects of higher immigration on the Canadian economy and inflation

  Staff analytical note 2023-17 Julien Champagne, Erik Ens, Xing Guo, Olena Kostyshyna, Alexander Lam, Corinne Luu, Sarah Miller, Patrick Sabourin, Joshua Slive, Temel Taskin, Jaime Trujillo, Shu Lin Wee

  We assess the complex macroeconomic implications of Canada’s recent population increases. We find that newcomers significantly boost the non-inflationary, potential growth of the economy, but existing imbalances in the housing sector may be exacerbated. Greater housing supply is needed to complement the long-term economic benefits of population growth.

  Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff analytical notes JEL Code(s): A, A1, A10, E, E2, E20, E3, E31, J, J1, J11, J15 Research Theme(s): Monetary policy, Inflation dynamics and pressures, Real economy and forecasting, Structural challenges, Demographics and labour supply

• Digitalization: Prices of Goods and Services

  Staff discussion paper 2023-27 Vivian Chu, Tatjana Dahlhaus, Christopher Hajzler

  This paper outlines and assesses the various channels through which digitalization can affect prices of goods and services.

  Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff discussion papers JEL Code(s): D, D2, E, E3, E31, E5, E52, L, L1, L11 Research Theme(s): Monetary policy, Inflation dynamics and pressures, Structural challenges, Digitalization and productivity

• Variations in Pass-Through from Global Agricultural Commodity Prices to Domestic Food Inflation

  Staff discussion paper 2023-24 Daniel Hyun, Jacky Lee

  This paper examines factors that affect the transmission of fluctuations in global agricultural commodity prices to domestic food inflation.

  Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff discussion papers JEL Code(s): E, E3, E31, Q, Q0, Q02, Q1, Q11, Q17, Q18 Research Theme(s): Monetary policy, Inflation dynamics and pressures, Structural challenges, International trade, finance and competitiveness

• A Blueprint for the Fourth Generation of Bank of Canada Projection and Policy Analysis Models

  Staff discussion paper 2023-23 Donald Coletti

  The fourth generation of Bank of Canada projection and policy analysis models seeks to improve our understanding of inflation dynamics, the supply side of the economy and the underlying risks faced by policy-makers coming from uncertainty about how the economy functions.

  Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff discussion papers JEL Code(s): C, C5, C50, C51, C52, C53, C54, C55 Research Theme(s): Models and tools, Economic models, Monetary policy, Inflation dynamics and pressures, Monetary policy framework and transmission, Real economy and forecasting