ASYMMETRY IN INFLATION TARGETING

Inflation Targets and Inflation Targeting

There is widespread agreement that price stability (in practice, low and stable inflation) should be an objective of monetary policy. This agreement is reflected both in the mandates set for monetary policy by governments and in the practice of central banks. Several other important questions about the objectives for monetary policy are less settled: Should there be other objectives? If there a...

Inflation Targeting

Inflation targeting is a monetary-policy strategy that was introduced in New Zealand in 1990, has been very successful in terms of stabilizing both inflation and the real economy, and as of 2007 had been adopted by more than 20 industrialized and non-industrialized countries. It is characterized by an announced numerical inflation target, an implementation of monetary policy that gives a major ...

Inflation Targeting

Issues in Inflation Targeting

The 1990s have seen a growing number of countries adopt a new approach to the conduct of monetary policy: inflation targeting. Canada was one of the first, formally embarking on this approach in February 1991. It has been very successful in the countries that have adopted it, producing low and stable inflation without lowering output growth (and arguably, helping to increase economic growth). D...

Optimal Inflation Targeting: Further Developments of Inflation Targeting

Inflation targeting was first introduced in 1990, in New Zealand. Since then it has been adopted by more than twenty countries. This period of fifteen years has seen major progress in practical monetary policy. In particular, the practice of inflation targeting has led to a more systematic and consistent internal decision process (Brash, 2000; Sims, 2002; Svensson 2001a); much more transparent ...