This paper estimates a variety of models of inflation using quarterly data for the UK between 1965 and 2001. We find that the persistence of inflation is nonlinear since inflation adjusts more rapidly when prices are further from the steady state and when prices are above the steady state. We...

The “sub-prime” crisis, which led to major turbulence in global financial markets beginning in mid-2007, has posed major challenges for monetary policymakers. We analyze the impact on monetary policy of the widening differential between policy rates and the three-month LIBOR rate, the...

We analyse UK monetary policy using monthly data for 1992–2010. We have two main findings. First, the Taylor rule breaks down after 2007 as the estimated response to inflation falls markedly and becomes insignificant. Second, policy is best described as a weighted average of a “financial...

A steady increase in financial market liquidity followed by a rapid reduction played a central role in the financial crisis that began in 2007. We present empirical evidence that the marked rise in liquidity in 2001–07 was due to large and persistent current account deficits and loose monetary...

Evaluation of quantitative easing (QE) is difficult as it is only used in response to severe and unusual economic difficulties. Despite this, we argue that two main conclusions can be drawn from a sceptical reading of the evidence. First, large-scale asset purchases reduce government bond rates,...

This paper estimates a simple structural model of monetary policy in the UK focusing on the policy of inflation targeting introduced in 1992. We find that: (i) the adoption of inflation targeting led to significant changes in monetary policy; (ii) post-1992 monetary policy is asymmetric as...