The question whether there is a trade-off between monetary and financial stability has been
one of the most interesting areas of research for central banking since many years.
Researchers at the BIS have been regular and valuable contributors to this discussion. Thus I
am particularly pleased to have the opportunity to convey my ideas on this subject here at the
BIS in Basle.
Problems with definitions
Let me start by defining what I mean with monetary and financial stability. Monetary stability
is a synonym for price stability. Price stability refers to a stable price level or a low level of
inflation and not to stable individual prices. There is no doubt that changing relative prices
play a crucial and beneficial part in economic adjustment and decision making by individual
actors be it companies or households. Part of the costs of inflation can be related to the fact
that these relative price signals will be blurred more and more the higher the rates of
inflation1
. Although there are some issues concerning the most relevant composition and
measurement of the price index and the optimal horizon over which to define price stability,
in general the concept is widely accepted and relatively straightforward to handle, both
conceptually and in central banking practice. An example of an explicit definition of price
stability is the one chosen by the ECB, which refers to a year-on-year increase in the
Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices for the euro area of below 2 percent, which is to be
maintained over the medium term2
.