Monetary Policy in a Low Inflation Economy with Learning

Download Monetary Policy in a Low Inflation Economy with Learning PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 28 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (129 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Monetary Policy in a Low Inflation Economy with Learning by : John C. Williams

Download or read book Monetary Policy in a Low Inflation Economy with Learning written by John C. Williams and published by . This book was released on 2007 with total page 28 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In theory, monetary policies that target the price level, as opposed to the inflation rate, should be highly effective at stabilizing the economy and avoiding deflation in the presence of the zero lower bound on nominal interest rates. With such a policy, if the short-term interest rate is constrained at zero and the inflation rate declines below its trend, the public expects that policy will eventually engineer a period of above-trend inflation that restores the price level to its target level. Expectations of future monetary accommodation stimulate output and inflation today, mitigating the effects of the zero bound. The effectiveness of such a policy strategy depends crucially on the alignment of the public's and the central bank's expectations of future policy actions. In this paper, we consider an environment where private agents have imperfect knowledge of the economy and therefore continuously reestimate the forecasting model that they use to form expectations. We find that imperfect knowledge on the part of the public, especially regarding monetary policy, can undermine the effectiveness of price-level-targeting strategies that would work well if the public had complete knowledge. For low inflation targets, the zero lower bound can cause a dramatic deterioration in macroeconomic performance with severe recessions occurring with alarming frequency. However, effective communication of the policy strategy that reduces the public's confusion about the future course of monetary policy significantly reduces the stabilization costs associated with the zero bound. Finally, the combination of learning and the zero bound implies the need for a stronger policy response to movements in the price level than would otherwise be optimal and such a rule is effective at stabilizing both inflation and output in the presence of learning and the zero bound even with a low inflation target.

Inflation Expectations

Download Inflation Expectations PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1135179778
Total Pages : 402 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (351 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Inflation Expectations by : Peter J. N. Sinclair

Download or read book Inflation Expectations written by Peter J. N. Sinclair and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2009-12-16 with total page 402 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Inflation is regarded by the many as a menace that damages business and can only make life worse for households. Keeping it low depends critically on ensuring that firms and workers expect it to be low. So expectations of inflation are a key influence on national economic welfare. This collection pulls together a galaxy of world experts (including Roy Batchelor, Richard Curtin and Staffan Linden) on inflation expectations to debate different aspects of the issues involved. The main focus of the volume is on likely inflation developments. A number of factors have led practitioners and academic observers of monetary policy to place increasing emphasis recently on inflation expectations. One is the spread of inflation targeting, invented in New Zealand over 15 years ago, but now encompassing many important economies including Brazil, Canada, Israel and Great Britain. Even more significantly, the European Central Bank, the Bank of Japan and the United States Federal Bank are the leading members of another group of monetary institutions all considering or implementing moves in the same direction. A second is the large reduction in actual inflation that has been observed in most countries over the past decade or so. These considerations underscore the critical – and largely underrecognized - importance of inflation expectations. They emphasize the importance of the issues, and the great need for a volume that offers a clear, systematic treatment of them. This book, under the steely editorship of Peter Sinclair, should prove very important for policy makers and monetary economists alike.

Monetary Policy Mistakes and the Evolution of Inflation Expectations

Download Monetary Policy Mistakes and the Evolution of Inflation Expectations PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : DIANE Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1437935613
Total Pages : 46 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (379 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Monetary Policy Mistakes and the Evolution of Inflation Expectations by : Athanasios Orphanides

Download or read book Monetary Policy Mistakes and the Evolution of Inflation Expectations written by Athanasios Orphanides and published by DIANE Publishing. This book was released on 2010 with total page 46 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What monetary policy framework, if adopted by the Federal Reserve, would have avoided the Great Inflation of the 1960s and 1970s? The authors use counterfactual simulations of an estimated model of the U.S. economy to evaluate alternative monetary policy strategies. The authors document that policymakers at the time both had an overly optimistic view of the natural rate of unemployment and put a high priority on achieving full employment. They show that in the presence of realistic informational imperfections and with an emphasis on stabilizing economic activity, an optimal control approach would have failed to keep inflation expectations well anchored, resulting in highly volatile inflation during the 1970s. Charts and tables.

The Great Inflation

Download The Great Inflation PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : University of Chicago Press
ISBN 13 : 0226066959
Total Pages : 545 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (26 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Great Inflation by : Michael D. Bordo

Download or read book The Great Inflation written by Michael D. Bordo and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2013-06-28 with total page 545 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Controlling inflation is among the most important objectives of economic policy. By maintaining price stability, policy makers are able to reduce uncertainty, improve price-monitoring mechanisms, and facilitate more efficient planning and allocation of resources, thereby raising productivity. This volume focuses on understanding the causes of the Great Inflation of the 1970s and ’80s, which saw rising inflation in many nations, and which propelled interest rates across the developing world into the double digits. In the decades since, the immediate cause of the period’s rise in inflation has been the subject of considerable debate. Among the areas of contention are the role of monetary policy in driving inflation and the implications this had both for policy design and for evaluating the performance of those who set the policy. Here, contributors map monetary policy from the 1960s to the present, shedding light on the ways in which the lessons of the Great Inflation were absorbed and applied to today’s global and increasingly complex economic environment.

Monetary Policy Rules

Download Monetary Policy Rules PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : University of Chicago Press
ISBN 13 : 0226791262
Total Pages : 460 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (267 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Monetary Policy Rules by : John B. Taylor

Download or read book Monetary Policy Rules written by John B. Taylor and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2007-12-01 with total page 460 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This timely volume presents the latest thinking on the monetary policy rules and seeks to determine just what types of rules and policy guidelines function best. A unique cooperative research effort that allowed contributors to evaluate different policy rules using their own specific approaches, this collection presents their striking findings on the potential response of interest rates to an array of variables, including alterations in the rates of inflation, unemployment, and exchange. Monetary Policy Rules illustrates that simple policy rules are more robust and more efficient than complex rules with multiple variables. A state-of-the-art appraisal of the fundamental issues facing the Federal Reserve Board and other central banks, Monetary Policy Rules is essential reading for economic analysts and policymakers alike.

Reducing Inflation

Download Reducing Inflation PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : University of Chicago Press
ISBN 13 : 0226724832
Total Pages : 434 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (267 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Reducing Inflation by : Christina D. Romer

Download or read book Reducing Inflation written by Christina D. Romer and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2007-12-01 with total page 434 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: While there is ample evidence that high inflation is harmful, little is known about how best to reduce inflation or how far it should be reduced. In this volume, sixteen distinguished economists analyze the appropriateness of low inflation as a goal for monetary policy and discuss possible strategies for reducing inflation. Section I discusses the consequences of inflation. These papers analyze inflation's impact on the tax system, labor market flexibility, equilibrium unemployment, and the public's sense of well-being. Section II considers the obstacles facing central bankers in achieving low inflation. These papers study the precision of estimates of equilibrium unemployment, the sources of the high inflation of the 1970s, and the use of non-traditional indicators in policy formation. The papers in section III consider how institutions can be designed to promote successful monetary policy, and the importance of institutions to the performance of policy in the United States, Germany, and other countries. This timely volume should be read by anyone who studies or conducts monetary policy.

Evolving Monetary Policy Frameworks in Low-Income and Other Developing Countries

Download Evolving Monetary Policy Frameworks in Low-Income and Other Developing Countries PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : International Monetary Fund
ISBN 13 : 1498344062
Total Pages : 74 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (983 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Evolving Monetary Policy Frameworks in Low-Income and Other Developing Countries by : International Monetary Fund

Download or read book Evolving Monetary Policy Frameworks in Low-Income and Other Developing Countries written by International Monetary Fund and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 2015-10-23 with total page 74 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Over the past two decades, many low- and lower-middle income countries (LLMICs) have improved control over fiscal policy, liberalized and deepened financial markets, and stabilized inflation at moderate levels. Monetary policy frameworks that have helped achieve these ends are being challenged by continued financial development and increased exposure to global capital markets. Many policymakers aspire to move beyond the basics of stability to implement monetary policy frameworks that better anchor inflation and promote macroeconomic stability and growth. Many of these LLMICs are thus considering and implementing improvements to their monetary policy frameworks. The recent successes of some LLMICs and the experiences of emerging and advanced economies, both early in their policy modernization process and following the global financial crisis, are valuable in identifying desirable features of such frameworks. This paper draws on those lessons to provide guidance on key elements of effective monetary policy frameworks for LLMICs.

Inflation and Unemployment in a Monetary Union

Download Inflation and Unemployment in a Monetary Union PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN 13 : 3540793011
Total Pages : 250 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (47 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Inflation and Unemployment in a Monetary Union by : Michael Carlberg

Download or read book Inflation and Unemployment in a Monetary Union written by Michael Carlberg and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2008-07-15 with total page 250 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book studies the coexistence of inflation and unemployment in a monetary union. The focus is on how to reduce the associated loss. The primary target of the European central bank is low inflation in Europe. The primary target of the German government is low unemployment in Germany. And the primary target of the French government is low unemployment in France. The European central bank has a quadratic loss function. The same applies to the German government and the French government. The key questions are: To what extent can the sequential process of monetary and fiscal decisions reduce the loss caused by inflation and unemployment? Is monetary and fiscal cooperation superior to the sequential process of monetary and fiscal decisions? The present book is part of a larger research project on European Monetary Union, see the references given at the back of the book. Some parts of this project were presented at the World Congress of the International Economic Association, at the International Conference on Macroeconomic Analysis, at the International Institute of Public Finance, and at the International Atlantic Economic Conference. Other parts were presented at the Macro Study Group of the German Economic Association, at the Annual Meeting of the Austrian Economic Association, at the Göttingen Workshop on International Economics, at the Halle Workshop on Monetary Economics, at the Research Seminar on Macroeconomics in Freiburg, at the Research Seminar on Economics in Kassel, and at the Passau Workshop on International Economics.

Inflation Targeting in the World Economy

Download Inflation Targeting in the World Economy PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Columbia University Press
ISBN 13 : 0881324507
Total Pages : 278 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (813 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Inflation Targeting in the World Economy by : Edwin M Truman

Download or read book Inflation Targeting in the World Economy written by Edwin M Truman and published by Columbia University Press. This book was released on 2003-10-27 with total page 278 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This study reviews the literature on the contribution of low inflation to economic growth and the subsequent widespread adoption of inflation targeting as a monetary policy framework. Edwin Truman addresses the challenges and risks associated with such a framework. Building on these foundations, the study focuses on two major international economic policy issues: (1) the implications of differing national regimes of inflation targeting for international economic policy cooperation; and (2) the adoption of inflation targeting by emerging-market economies which often lack stable monetary policy environments and credible policy authorities—a situation which, among other things, can complicate the use of the inflation targeting framework as the basis for IMF-supported stabilization programs.

Understanding Inflation and the Implications for Monetary Policy

Download Understanding Inflation and the Implications for Monetary Policy PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : MIT Press
ISBN 13 : 026225820X
Total Pages : 517 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (622 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Understanding Inflation and the Implications for Monetary Policy by : Jeff Fuhrer

Download or read book Understanding Inflation and the Implications for Monetary Policy written by Jeff Fuhrer and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2009-09-11 with total page 517 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Current perspectives on the Phillips curve, a core macroeconomic concept that treats the relationship between inflation and unemployment. In 1958, economist A. W. Phillips published an article describing what he observed to be the inverse relationship between inflation and unemployment; subsequently, the “Phillips curve” became a central concept in macroeconomic analysis and policymaking. But today's Phillips curve is not the same as the original one from fifty years ago; the economy, our understanding of price setting behavior, the determinants of inflation, and the role of monetary policy have evolved significantly since then. In this book, some of the top economists working today reexamine the theoretical and empirical validity of the Phillips curve in its more recent specifications. The contributors consider such questions as what economists have learned about price and wage setting and inflation expectations that would improve the way we use and formulate the Phillips curve, what the Phillips curve approach can teach us about inflation dynamics, and how these lessons can be applied to improving the conduct of monetary policy. Contributors Lawrence Ball, Ben Bernanke, Oliver Blanchard, V. V. Chari, William T. Dickens, Stanley Fischer, Jeff Fuhrer, Jordi Gali, Michael T. Kiley, Robert G. King, Donald L. Kohn, Yolanda K. Kodrzycki, Jane Sneddon Little, Bartisz Mackowiak, N. Gregory Mankiw, Virgiliu Midrigan, Giovanni P. Olivei, Athanasios Orphanides, Adrian R. Pagan, Christopher A. Pissarides, Lucrezia Reichlin, Paul A. Samuelson, Christopher A. Sims, Frank R. Smets, Robert M. Solow, Jürgen Stark, James H. Stock, Lars E. O. Svensson, John B. Taylor, Mark W. Watson

Monetary Policy, Inflation, and the Business Cycle

Download Monetary Policy, Inflation, and the Business Cycle PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Princeton University Press
ISBN 13 : 1400866278
Total Pages : 295 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (8 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Monetary Policy, Inflation, and the Business Cycle by : Jordi Galí

Download or read book Monetary Policy, Inflation, and the Business Cycle written by Jordi Galí and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2015-06-09 with total page 295 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The classic introduction to the New Keynesian economic model This revised second edition of Monetary Policy, Inflation, and the Business Cycle provides a rigorous graduate-level introduction to the New Keynesian framework and its applications to monetary policy. The New Keynesian framework is the workhorse for the analysis of monetary policy and its implications for inflation, economic fluctuations, and welfare. A backbone of the new generation of medium-scale models under development at major central banks and international policy institutions, the framework provides the theoretical underpinnings for the price stability–oriented strategies adopted by most central banks in the industrialized world. Using a canonical version of the New Keynesian model as a reference, Jordi Galí explores various issues pertaining to monetary policy's design, including optimal monetary policy and the desirability of simple policy rules. He analyzes several extensions of the baseline model, allowing for cost-push shocks, nominal wage rigidities, and open economy factors. In each case, the effects on monetary policy are addressed, with emphasis on the desirability of inflation-targeting policies. New material includes the zero lower bound on nominal interest rates and an analysis of unemployment’s significance for monetary policy. The most up-to-date introduction to the New Keynesian framework available A single benchmark model used throughout New materials and exercises included An ideal resource for graduate students, researchers, and market analysts

Monetary and Fiscal Strategies in the World Economy

Download Monetary and Fiscal Strategies in the World Economy PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN 13 : 3642104762
Total Pages : 302 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (421 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Monetary and Fiscal Strategies in the World Economy by : Michael Carlberg

Download or read book Monetary and Fiscal Strategies in the World Economy written by Michael Carlberg and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2010-01-05 with total page 302 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book studies the strategic interactions between monetary and fiscal policies in the world economy. The world economy consists of two regions, say Europe and America. The policy makers are the central banks and the governments. The policy targets are low inflation, low unemployment, and low structural deficits. There are demand shocks, supply shocks, and mixed shocks. There are regional shocks and common shocks. This book develops a series of basic, intermediate, and more advanced models. Here the focus is on the Nash equilibrium. The key questions are: Given a shock, can policy interactions reduce the existing loss? And to what extent can they do so? Another topical issue is policy cooperation. To illustrate all of this there are a lot of numerical examples. The present book is part of a larger research project on European Monetary Union, see the references given at the back of the book. Some parts of this project were presented at the World Congress of the International Economic Association, at the International Conference on Macroeconomic Analysis, at the International Institute of Public Finance, and at the International Atlantic Economic Conference. Other parts were presented at the Macro Study Group of the German Economic Association, at the Annual Meeting of the Austrian Economic Association, at the Göttingen Workshop on International Economics, at the Halle Workshop on Monetary Economics, at the Research Seminar on Macroeconomics in Freiburg, at the Research Seminar on Economics in Kassel, and at the Passau Workshop on International Economics.

Inflation in Emerging and Developing Economies

Download Inflation in Emerging and Developing Economies PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : World Bank Publications
ISBN 13 : 1464813760
Total Pages : 513 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (648 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Inflation in Emerging and Developing Economies by : Jongrim Ha

Download or read book Inflation in Emerging and Developing Economies written by Jongrim Ha and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2019-02-24 with total page 513 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is the first comprehensive study in the context of EMDEs that covers, in one consistent framework, the evolution and global and domestic drivers of inflation, the role of expectations, exchange rate pass-through and policy implications. In addition, the report analyzes inflation and monetary policy related challenges in LICs. The report documents three major findings: In First, EMDE disinflation over the past four decades was to a significant degree a result of favorable external developments, pointing to the risk of rising EMDE inflation if global inflation were to increase. In particular, the decline in EMDE inflation has been supported by broad-based global disinflation amid rapid international trade and financial integration and the disruption caused by the global financial crisis. While domestic factors continue to be the main drivers of short-term movements in EMDE inflation, the role of global factors has risen by one-half between the 1970s and the 2000s. On average, global shocks, especially oil price swings and global demand shocks have accounted for more than one-quarter of domestic inflation variatio--and more in countries with stronger global linkages and greater reliance on commodity imports. In LICs, global food and energy price shocks accounted for another 12 percent of core inflation variatio--half more than in advanced economies and one-fifth more than in non-LIC EMDEs. Second, inflation expectations continue to be less well-anchored in EMDEs than in advanced economies, although a move to inflation targeting and better fiscal frameworks has helped strengthen monetary policy credibility. Lower monetary policy credibility and exchange rate flexibility have also been associated with higher pass-through of exchange rate shocks into domestic inflation in the event of global shocks, which have accounted for half of EMDE exchange rate variation. Third, in part because of poorly anchored inflation expectations, the transmission of global commodity price shocks to domestic LIC inflation (combined with unintended consequences of other government policies) can have material implications for poverty: the global food price spikes in 2010-11 tipped roughly 8 million people into poverty.

Generic Study on Monetary and Fiscal Policy Co-Ordination

Download Generic Study on Monetary and Fiscal Policy Co-Ordination PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : GRIN Verlag
ISBN 13 : 3640942779
Total Pages : 29 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (49 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Generic Study on Monetary and Fiscal Policy Co-Ordination by : Vijayakumar Honnungar

Download or read book Generic Study on Monetary and Fiscal Policy Co-Ordination written by Vijayakumar Honnungar and published by GRIN Verlag. This book was released on 2011-07 with total page 29 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Research Paper (postgraduate) from the year 2010 in the subject Economics - Finance, grade: A, The ESC Rennes School of Business (-), course: MSc, language: English, abstract: This paper attempts to study the importance of both Monetary Policy and Fiscal Policy in the international context. And also to understand the chemistry between Monetary and Fiscal policy and extent to which the coordination can be achieved. In any open economy, Monetary policy is designed, formulated and being conducted by the central Bank, wherein the National Planning or Ministry of Finance of the respective country is responsible for designing, formulating and conducting the Fiscal policy for the nation. This research paper finds that there is a close linkage between Monetary and Fiscal policy and hence the proper coordination leads to addressing today's biggest talk of nation‟s deficit. Currently there is an abundance of literature available on both Monetary and Fiscal policy. There is also good number of books available containing plethora of information on the subject. This research paper addresses the importance, impact, and issues of Monetary and Fiscal policy in open economy.

Learning, Monetary Policy and Asset Prices

Download Learning, Monetary Policy and Asset Prices PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : International Monetary Fund
ISBN 13 : 1498343724
Total Pages : 34 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (983 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Learning, Monetary Policy and Asset Prices by : Mr.Marco Airaudo

Download or read book Learning, Monetary Policy and Asset Prices written by Mr.Marco Airaudo and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 2015-01-23 with total page 34 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: We explore the stability properties of interest rate rules granting an explicit response to stock prices in a New-Keynesian DSGE model populated by Blanchard-Yaari non-Ricardian households. The constant turnover between long-time stock holders and asset-poor newcomers generates a financial wealth channel where the wedge between current and expected future aggregate consumption is affected by the market value of financial wealth, making stock prices non-redundant for the business cycle. We find that if the financial wealth channel is sufficiently strong, responding to stock prices enlarges the policy space for which the rational expectations equilibrium is both determinate and learnable (in the E-stability sense of Evans and Honkapohja, 2001). In particular, the Taylor principle ceases to be necessary and also mildly passive policy responses to inflation lead to determinacy and E-stability. Our results appear to be more prominent in economies characterized by a lower elasticity of substitution across differentiated products and/or more rigid labor markets.

On the Believable Benefits of Low Inflation

Download On the Believable Benefits of Low Inflation PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9780662272441
Total Pages : 38 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (724 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis On the Believable Benefits of Low Inflation by : Christopher Ragan

Download or read book On the Believable Benefits of Low Inflation written by Christopher Ragan and published by . This book was released on 1998 with total page 38 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Possible Effects of European Monetary Union on Switzerland

Download Possible Effects of European Monetary Union on Switzerland PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : International Monetary Fund
ISBN 13 : 145184400X
Total Pages : 34 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (518 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Possible Effects of European Monetary Union on Switzerland by : Mr.Douglas Laxton

Download or read book Possible Effects of European Monetary Union on Switzerland written by Mr.Douglas Laxton and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 1997-03-01 with total page 34 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This paper examines the possible effects on Switzerland of asset preference shifts in favor of Swiss-franc-denominated assets that could result from EMU. Alternative policy responses to temporary and persistent asset preference shifts and the consequent pressures for exchange rate appreciation are examined. Simulations of a stylized macroeconomic model of the Swiss economy indicate that monetary policy is likely to be the most effective tool for stabilizing output in the short run, but at the cost of a temporary increase in inflationary pressures. The simulations highlight the dilemmas faced by policymakers in an environment with low inflation and nominal interest rates.