Why are forecasts of inflation from VAR models so much worse then their forecasts of real variables? This paper documents that relatively poor performance, and finds that the price equation of a VAR model fitted to U.S. postwar data is poorly specified. Statistical work by other authors has...

The authors construct an index of leading indicators for inflation, the composition of which can change over time in response to changing economic conditions. The index helps recognize and predict major swings in inflation

Many analysts have advocated using commodity prices as a guide for monetary policy. The basic reasoning can be simply put: “Money creation is intended to promote price stability and is best guided by an index of prices set in real markets.” (Wall Street Journal, 1988). The rationale for...

Highly volatile transition dynamics can emerge when a central bank disinflates while operating without full transparency. In our model, a central bank commits to a Taylor rule whose form is known but whose coefficient are not. Private agents learn about policy parameters via Bayesian updating....