This paper proposes the use of the two-factor term-structure model of Longstaff and Schwartz (1992a,LS) to estimate the risk-neutral density (RND) of the futur short-term interest rate. The resulting RND can be interpreted as the market´s estimate of the density of the future short-term...

In an attempt to move beyond the purchasing power parity hypothesis, this paper studies two issues. First, the causes of movements of real exchange rates are investigated. In contrast to the typical result, supply shocks are found to dominate the long-run variance decompositions for all...

In this paper key points in the development of the present Swedish inflation-targeting strategy are analysed. Since the implementation of the inflation target strategy began in 1993, three different phases are distinguished: the establishment of the inflation target, the communication of...

How monetary policy affects the economy is a central topic of debate in macroeconomics. The bank lending channel is one approach that emphasises the role of banks. Banks are important because of asymmetric information in the financial market. Banks are assumed to be better at handling...

The causes of and extent of network externalities in payment systems such as the ATM and the ACH-market have been analysed and tested in earlier studies. In this paper a similar study is made for the market for electronic card payments, i.e. the EFTPOS-market. A panel data set of variables...

Volatility implied in option prices reflects the market participant's beliefs about future volatility and incorporates information that is not historical. Implied volatility is therefore widely believed to perform better as an indicator of future volatility than other forecasts based on...

Macroeconomic and microeconomic data paint conflicting pictures of price behavior. Macroeconomic data suggest that inflation is inertial. Microeconomic data indicate that firms change prices frequently. We formulate and estimate a model which resolves this apparent micro - macro conflict. Our...

This paper studies how wages and employment are affected by unemployment insurance when there is endogenous labor mobility. In a simple model with symmetric sectors, it is shown that introducing labor mobility reduces the wage level, and thereby also unemployment. It is also shown that an...

This paper analyses the role of financial variables in the conduct of monetary policy. In the baseline model for the analysis of interest rules, the inflation rate depends on the output gap, which is solely determined by its own lags and the lagged short-term real interest rate. However, from a...