The late 1990s witnessed the emergence of the greatest
speculative bubble in financial market history. Investors
bid up stock prices to unprecedented valuation levels
as they extrapolated a temporary surge in corporate
earnings growth far into the future.When these optimistic
projections failed to materialize, the bubble burst,
setting off a chain of events that eventually dragged
the U.S. economy into a recession during 2001. In the
aftermath of these events, a much-debated question
is whether U.S. monetary policy should have reacted
more aggressively to the parabolic run-up in stock
prices. It has been argued that a policy of “leaning
against the bubble” could have spared the economy
from the long and painful process of unwinding bubbleinduced
excesses.This Economic Letter examines the
issue of whether central banks should react directly to
asset prices. In addition, it presents empirical evidence
which shows that lagged movements in the Standard
& Poors (S&P) 500 stock index can help explain movements
in the U.S. federal funds rate since 1987.
Asset prices and the economy
Changes in the prices of assets, such as stocks or houses,
can have important consequences for the economy.
During the late 1990s, consumers became wealthier
as their stock portfolios appreciated.This “wealth effect”
boosted personal consumption expenditures, which
account for about two-thirds of GDP. Rapidly rising
stock prices also helped fuel a boom in business
investment by lowering firms’ cost of capital. Surging
tax collections from investors’ capital gains realizations
allowed governments at all levels to increase spending
or cut taxes. More recently, rising house prices,
together with innovations in mortgage lending, have
allowed consumers to tap the equity in their homes
to pay for a variety of goods and services.Through
these channels and others, increases in asset prices may
cause demand growth to outstrip potential increases
in supply, thus contributing to inflationary pressure.
Central banks’ goals are to keep inflation low while
promoting sustainable real growth. Given that swings
in asset prices can affect both goals, some economists
have argued that central banks can improve macroeconomic
performance by responding directly to asset
prices. Based on simulations from a small economic
model, Cecchetti, et al. (2000) conclude that performance
can be improved if the central bank raises the
short-term nominal interest rate in response to temporary
“bubble shocks” that push the stock price index
above the value implied by economic fundamentals.
The late 1990s witnessed the emergence of the greatest
speculative bubble in financial market history. Investors
bid up stock prices to unprecedented valuation levels
as they extrapolated a temporary surge in corporate
earnings growth far into the future.When these optimistic
projections failed to materialize, the bubble burst,
setting off a chain of events that eventually dragged
the U.S. economy into a recession during 2001. In the
aftermath of these events, a much-debated question
is whether U.S. monetary policy should have reacted
more aggressively to the parabolic run-up in stock
prices. It has been argued that a policy of “leaning
against the bubble” could have spared the economy
from the long and painful process of unwinding bubbleinduced
excesses.This Economic Letter examines the
issue of whether central banks should react directly to
asset prices. In addition, it presents empirical evidence
which shows that lagged movements in the Standard
& Poors (S&P) 500 stock index can help explain movements
in the U.S. federal funds rate since 1987.
Asset prices and the economy
Changes in the prices of assets, such as stocks or houses,
can have important consequences for the economy.
During the late 1990s, consumers became wealthier
as their stock portfolios appreciated.This “wealth effect”
boosted personal consumption expenditures, which
account for about two-thirds of GDP. Rapidly rising
stock prices also helped fuel a boom in business
investment by lowering firms’ cost of capital. Surging
tax collections from investors’ capital gains realizations
allowed governments at all levels to increase spending
or cut taxes. More recently, rising house prices,
together with innovations in mortgage lending, have
allowed consumers to tap the equity in their homes
to pay for a variety of goods and services.Through
these channels and others, increases in asset prices may
cause demand growth to outstrip potential increases
in supply, thus contributing to inflationary pressure.
Central banks’ goals are to keep inflation low while
promoting sustainable real growth. Given that swings
in asset prices can affect both goals, some economists
have argued that central banks can improve macroeconomic
performance by responding directly to asset
prices. Based on simulations from a small economic
model, Cecchetti, et al. (2000) conclude that performance
can be improved if the central bank raises the
short-term nominal interest rate in response to temporary
“bubble shocks” that push the stock price index
above the value implied by economic fundamentals.
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