An inflation targeting central bank aims to stabilize the rate of inflation. But which 'inflation' should this be? Quarterly, annual, biennial? We analyze the effects on optimal monetary policy of increasing the period over which the inflation rate is defined. When inflation stabilization is the...

What are the implications of targeting different measures of inflation? We extend a basic theoretical framework of optimal monetary policy under inflation targeting to include several components of CPI inflation ratio, and analyze the implications of using different measures of inflation as...

New multivariate panel cointegration methods are used to analyze nominal exchange rates and prices in four major economies in Europe; France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom for the post-Bretton Woods period. We test for purchasing power parity between these four countries and find that the...

Does the combination of inflation and high corporate taxes explain the increase in bank leverage in the 20th century? Inflation automatically increases bank debt, while high corporate taxes hinder capital accumulation. Capital ratios therefore drop, until leverage-induced returns are sufficient...