Mark Crosby

Business Cycle Correlations in Asia-Pacific

In this paper business cycle correlations between countries in the Asia-Pacific region are examined. A number of authors have suggested that trade intensity between pairs of countries increases business cycle synchronisation, though theoretically it is not clear that this should be the case. In this paper trade intensity and a number of other macroeconomic and structural variables are used to try and explain synchronisation. Our findings suggest that trade does not explain correlations in the Asia-Pacific region.

Inflation and the Capital Stock

There is a long literature examining the theoretical relationship between the rate of inflation and the size of the capital stock in an economy. This literature has produced varied predictions about the effects of inflation on the capital stock. In this paper we present some time series evidence on this issue. We estimate a structural VAR model for thirty-four countries and discover that for the majority of these countries there is no statistically significant long run effect of inflation on the capital stock. Moreover, for countries where a significant effect is found, the long run coefficient estimate is typically positive. Overall, our empirical results support the view that the long run level of the capital stock is invariant to permanent changes in the inflation rate.

Inflation, Unemployment and the NAIRU in Australia

In this paper we investigate the relationship between inflation and unemployment in Australia, post 1959. We focus on two features of the data: firstly, we find that forecasting models are surprisingly stable through our sample period. We also estimate the nonaccelerating inflation rate of unemployment (NAIRU), focussing on both the level of the NAIRU, and the stability and precision of our estimates.

Phases Of The Canadian Business Cycle

In this paper we contrast a number of univariate models of Canadian GDP. We find that non-linear models are prefered to linear models, and that the most recent recession in Canada was unique in both its length and in the slow speed of recovery. We also briefly explore the link between stages of the Canadian and of the US business cycle.

Stock Returns and Inflation

In this paper the relationship between inflation and stock returns in Australia is examined. It is found that increases in the price level reduce the real level of the stock price index. However, it is also found that the questionof whether persistent increases in inflation affect real returns cannot be addressed using the Australian data.

Central bank independence and output variability

The paper is structured as following in section a simple theoretical model is outlined, and it is found that an independent central bank should reduce (or eliminate) the inflation bias, but should increase output variability. in the following section empirical evidence consistent with the ida that countries which have smaller real shocks are more likely to choose an independent central bank is presented. The conclusion offers comments and suggestions fro further research.

Are business cycles independent in the G7

Abstract In this paper we examine the relationships between business cycles in the G7 countries. We focus on whether recessionary periods in one country are independent of the timing of recessions in other countries in the G7, using three different methods for dating recessions. We find that the evidence is mixed on whether phases of the business cycle in North America and in European countries are independent, or whether there is a common phase structure in the business cycle across all the G7 economies. NBER dates suggest that business cycles are synchronised, while other methods for generating business cycle chronologies are more consistent with regional, rather than international cycles. We also find mixed evidence on whether the UK is synchronised with European countries, while Japan quite clearly has the cycle that is most independent of other G7 countries.

Persistence of Output Fluctuations Under Alternative Exchange Rate Regimes

In a recent paper Giugale and Korobow (2000) present evidence to suggest the time that output takes to return to its trend following a negative shock is faster under a flexible exchange rate regime than under a fixed exchange rate. In this paper VAR models are used to provide empirical evidence on the speed of recovery of real output following an interest rate shock for a number of Asian economies. We find little evidence that the degree of persistence in output is systematically related to the type of exchange rate regime that particular countries have adopted. Across a number of specifications we find that real output for Hong Kong and Australia has the least persistence following a negative interest rate shock. These countries represent the two ends of the spectrum, the former has an exchange rate that is pegged to the U.S. dollar via a currency board and the latter has one of the more flexible exchange rates in the Asian region.

How Costly is Exchange Rate Stabilisation for an Inflation Targeter? The Case of Australia

This paper quantifies the costs of mitigating exchange rate volatility within the context of a flexible inflation targeting central bank. Within a standard linear-quadratic formulation of inflation targeting, we append a term that penalises deviations in the exchange rate to the central banks loss function. For a simple forward-looking new-Keynesian model, we show that the central bank can reduce volatility in the exchange rate relatively costlessly by aggressively responding to the real exchange rate. However, when we append correlated shocks to better match summary statistics of the Australian data, we find that the costs associated with reducing exchange rate volatility are larger: output volatility increases substantially. Finally, we apply our method to a variant of a small backward-looking new-Keynesian model of the Australian economy. Under this model, large increases in inflation and output volatility accrue if the central bank attempts to mitigate exchange rate volatility.

Growth and the Real Exchange Rate - Evidence from Eleven Countries

There are conflicting theories about the effect of real exchange rate movements on output growth. Expenditure switching models suggest that a real depreciation leads to an increase in net exports due to the increase in competitiveness of the export sector, and hence to an increase in output growth. Contractionary depreciation models, on the other hand, suggest that real depreciations can reduce output growth. In this paper we examine the evidence on the impact of real exchange rate movements on the real economy for a number of countries. We find that different countries have had quite different experiences with respect to the response of output growth to exchange rate changes, and we offer some suggestions as to why this has been the case.