Quantitative Easing as a Policy Tool Under the Effective Lower Bound Staff Discussion Paper 2015-14 Abeer Reza, Eric Santor, Lena Suchanek This paper summarizes the international evidence on the performance of quantitative easing (QE) as a monetary policy tool when conventional policy rates are constrained by the effective lower bound (ELB). A large body of evidence suggests that expanding the central bank’s balance sheet through large-scale asset purchases can provide effective stimulus under the ELB. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff discussion papers Research Topic(s): Central bank research, International topics, Monetary policy framework, Monetary policy transmission JEL Code(s): E, E5, E52, E58, E6, E61, E65, N, N1, N10
The International Experience with Negative Policy Rates Staff Discussion Paper 2015-13 Harriet Jackson A key issue in the renewal of the inflation-control agreement is the question of the appropriate level of the inflation target. Many observers have raised concerns that with the reduction in the neutral rate, and the experience of the recent financial crisis, the effective lower bound (ELB) is more likely to be binding in the future if inflation targets remain at 2 per cent. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff discussion papers Research Topic(s): Central bank research, Financial markets, International topics, Monetary policy framework JEL Code(s): E, E5, E52, E58, E6, E65
A Comprehensive Evaluation of Measures of Core Inflation for Canada Staff Discussion Paper 2015-12 Mikael Khan, Louis Morel, Patrick Sabourin This paper evaluates the usefulness of various measures of core inflation for the conduct of monetary policy. Traditional exclusion-based measures of core inflation are found to perform relatively poorly across a range of evaluation criteria, in part due to their inability to filter unanticipated transitory shocks. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff discussion papers Research Topic(s): Inflation and prices, Monetary policy framework JEL Code(s): E, E3, E31, E5, E52
Trends in Firm Entry and New Entrepreneurship in Canada Staff Discussion Paper 2015-11 Shutao Cao, Mohanad Salameh, Mai Seki, Pierre St-Amant Recently released data show downward trends for both the firm entry rate and the rate of new entrepreneurship since the early 1980s in Canada. This paper documents these trends and discusses potential explanations. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff discussion papers Research Topic(s): Firm dynamics, Market structure and pricing, Productivity JEL Code(s): L, L1, L11, M, M1, M13
An Update - Canadian Non-Energy Exports: Past Performance and Future Prospects Staff Discussion Paper 2015-10 André Binette, Daniel de Munnik, Julie Melanson In light of the fact that Canada was continuing to lose market share in the United States, Binette, de Munnik and Gouin-Bonenfant (2014) studied 31 Canadian non-energy export (NEX) categories to assess their individual performance. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff discussion papers Research Topic(s): Balance of payments and components, Exchange rates, International topics JEL Code(s): F, F1, F10, F14, F4, F43
Exchange Rate Pass-Through to Consumer Prices: Theory and Recent Evidence Staff Discussion Paper 2015-9 Laurence Savoie-Chabot, Mikael Khan In an open economy such as Canada’s, exchange rate movements can have a material impact on consumer prices. This is particularly important in the current context, with the significant depreciation of the Canadian dollar vis-a-vis the U.S. dollar since late 2012. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff discussion papers Research Topic(s): Exchange rates, Inflation and prices JEL Code(s): E, E3, E31, E5, E52, F, F3, F31
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 Research Topic(s): Inflation targets, Inflation: costs and benefits, Monetary policy framework JEL Code(s): E, E5, E52, E58
On the Nexus of Monetary Policy and Financial Stability: Recent Developments and Research Staff Discussion Paper 2015-7 Oleksiy Kryvtsov, Miguel Molico, Ben Tomlin Because financial and macroeconomic conditions are tightly interconnected, financial stability considerations are an important element of any monetary policy framework. Yet, the circumstances under which it would be appropriate for the Bank to use monetary policy to lean against financial risks need to be more fully specified (Côté 2014). Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff discussion papers Research Topic(s): Financial stability, Monetary policy framework JEL Code(s): E, E0, E4, E44, E5, E52, E58, G, G1, G18
Public Policy Objectives and the Next Generation of CPA Systems: An Analytical Framework Staff Discussion Paper 2015-6 James Chapman, Jonathan Chiu, Sajjad Jafri, Héctor Pérez Saiz The payments landscape in Canada is rapidly changing and will continue to evolve, fuelled by strong and persistent drivers. In Canada, the Canadian Payments Association (CPA) is on a path to modernize Canada’s core payment systems. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff discussion papers Research Topic(s): Economic models, Financial services, Financial system regulation and policies, Payment clearing and settlement systems JEL Code(s): E, E4, E42, L, L1, L14, L15, L5, L52
Decomposing Movements in U.S. Non-Energy Import Market Shares Staff Discussion Paper 2015-5 Russell Barnett, Karyne B. Charbonneau Country market shares of U.S. non-energy imports have changed considerably since 2002, with varying volatility across three subperiods: pre-crisis (2002–07), crisis (2007–09) and post-crisis (2009–14). In this paper, we analyze market shares for four main trading partners of the United States (Canada, Mexico, China and Japan). Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff discussion papers Research Topic(s): International topics JEL Code(s): F, F1, F10, F14, F4