The objective of this paper is to examine the main features of optimal monetary policy within a micro-founded macroeconometric framework. First, using Bayesian techniques, we estimate a medium scale closed economy DSGE for the euro area. Then, we study the properties of the Ramsey allocation...

This paper embeds the financial accelerator into a medium-scale DSGE model and estimates it using Bayesian methods. Incorporation of financial frictions enhances the model's description of the main macroeconomic aggregates. The financial accelerator accounts for approximately ten percent of...

This paper tests various Political Business Cycle theories in a New Keynesian model with a monetary and fiscal policy mix. All the policy coefficients, the target levels of inflation and the budget deficit, the firms' frequency of price setting, and the standard deviations of the structural...

The accuracy of real-time forecasts of macroeconomic variables that are subject to revisions may crucially depend on the choice of data used to compare the forecasts against. We put forward a flexible time-varying parameter regression framework to obtain early estimates of the final value of...

We estimate the output gap that is consistent with a fully specified DSGE model. Given the structural parameters estimated using Bayesian methods, we estimate the output gap that is defined as a deviation of output from its flexible-price equilibrium. Our output gap illustrates the U.S. business...

This paper examines the hypothesis that both stock returns and volatility are asymmetric functions of past information derived from domestic and U.S. stock-market news. The results show the presence of negative autocorrelation, which is consistent with the dominance of positive-feedback trading...

The central variable of theories of financial frictions -the external finance premium- is unobservable. This paper distils the external .finance premium from a DSGE model estimated on US macroeconomic data. Within the DSGE framework, movements in the premium can be given an interpretation in...

Estimation of liquidity costs in agricultural futures markets is challenging because bid-ask spreads are usually not observed. Spread estimators that use transaction data are available, but little agreement exists on their relative accuracy and performance. We evaluate four conventional and a...

Which are the main frictions and driving forces of business cycle dynamics in a small open economy? To answer this question we extend what is becoming the standard new Keynesian model in three dimensions. First, we incorporate frictions in the financing of the capital stock. Second, we model...