Searching for the Natural Rate of Interest: a Euro-Area Perspective

Jesus Crespo Cuaresma, Ernest Gnan () and Doris Ritzberger-Grünwald ()
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Ernest Gnan: Oesterreichische Nationalbank, Economic Analysis Division, http://www.oenb.at
Doris Ritzberger-Grünwald: Oesterreichische Nationalbank, http://www.oenb.at

Working Papers from Oesterreichische Nationalbank (Austrian Central Bank)

Abstract: A time-varying natural rate of interest is estimated for the euro area using a multivariate unobserved components model. The problem of aggregating interest rate data for the pre-EMU period is directly addressed, and a simple method in order to adjust the risk premia in the interest rate data prior to 1999 is proposed. We show that, for the pre-EMU period, using risk-unadjusted policy rates leads to periods of high risk premia being erroneously taken as monetary policy replies to the output gap; by contrast, using risk-adjusted policy rates yields an estimate of the reaction of monetary policy to the output gap corresponding approximately to an increase of 40 basis points for a 1% positive deviation of output from potential output. A positive deviation of inflation from its trend of 1% is estimated to have triggered approximately a 1.2% increase in short-term interest rates.

Keywords: Natural rate of interest; unobserved components models; monetary policy; Taylor rule (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C32 E43 E52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 33
Date: 2003-07-21
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-eec and nep-ifn
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (42)

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Related works:
Journal Article: Searching for the natural rate of interest: a euro area perspective (2004)
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