An English translation of an Ekonomistas post published in Swedish on June 16, 2016, is now available.
Monthly Archives: July 2014
Weak defense from Ingves and Jansson
New Ekonomistas post. Here is an English translation.
Wolfgang Münchau (“What central banks should do to deal with bubbles,” Financial Times, July 14) has stated that a monetary policy experiment with calamitous results has been conducted in Sweden. A letter to Financial Times from Stefan Ingves and Per Jansson, Governor and Deputy Governor of the Riksbank, (“Monetary policy has had positive results in Sweden,” July 24) tries to defend the Riksbank’s policy. But the letter is full of misleading statements and the defense does not stand up to scrutiny. Continue reading
The Riksbank and financial stability: No instruments, therefore not an objective
(English translation of an article of mine on the website of the Swedish business newspaper Dagens Industri, July 21, 2014.)
Should the Riksbank have financial stability as an objective besides price stability? According to an op-ed by Carl B. Hamilton in Dagens Industri on July 17, the answer is yes.[1] According to Hamilton, this is even a practice already established by the Riksdag (the Swedish parliament). The Riksbank Act needs to be amended, but only as a formality.
But Hamilton forgets that the Riksbank has no effective policy instruments to affect financial stability, except in connection with the management of financial crises. He also forgets that the government with the support of seven parties in the Riksdag – including Folkpartiet (the Liberal Party) – has decided that the Riksbank will not receive any such instruments. Without the instruments, the Riksbank neither can nor should have financial stability as an objective. Continue reading
Riksbanken och den finansiella stabiliteten: Inga medel, därför inget mål
(Debattartikel publicerad under rubriken “Inga medel, därför inget mål” på Dagens Industris websida 2014-07-21.)
Ska Riksbanken ha finansiell stabilitet som mål vid sidan av prisstabilitet? Enligt Carl B Hamiltons debattartikel i Dagens Industri den 17 juli är svaret ja. Det är till och med en av riksdagen redan etablerad princip, hävdar Hamilton. Riksbankslagen behöver ändras, men bara som en formalitet.
Men Hamilton glömmer att Riksbanken saknar effektiva medel att påverka den finansiella stabiliteten, utom i samband med hanteringen av finansiella kriser. Han glömmer också att regeringen med stöd av sju partier i riksdagen – inklusive Folkpartiet – beslutat att Riksbanken heller inte ska tilldelas några sådana medel. Utan medel varken kan eller bör Riksbanken ha finansiell stabilitet som mål. Continue reading
Comment on Chung, Herbst, and Kiley, ”Effective Monetary Policy Strategies in New Keynesian Models: A Re-examination”
Comment on Chung, Herbst, and Kiley, ”Effective Monetary Policy Strategies in New Keynesian Models: A Re-examination”, presented at NBER’s 29th Annual Conference on Macroeconomics, April 11-12, 2014, Cambridge, MA.
The Economist on Swedish monetary policy: “Subzero conditions”
The Economist writes about Swedish monetary policy in its latest issue: “Subzero conditions – interest rates are back at crisis lows.”
Vox column: Why leaning against the wind is the wrong monetary policy for Sweden
Vox column: Why leaning against the wind is the wrong monetary policy for Sweden, referring to this new paper.
Good to lower the policy rate, but much too late
[English translation of “Bra att sänka, men alldeles för sent“, blog post on SvD Börsforum.]
It is good that the Riksbank at last lowered the policy rate to 0.25 percent. But it is much too late. For several years, Sweden has had too high a policy rate, too low inflation, and too high unemployment. But better late than never. Continue reading
Almedalen – Krisen, tillväxten och sysselsättningen
“Krisen, tillväxten och sysselsättningen” (“The crisis, growth, and employment,” in Swedish), presentation in Almedalen, Visby, July 1, 2014.
Almedalen – Riksbanken och penningpolitiken
“Riksbanken och räntepolitiken” (“The Riksbank and the interest-rate policy,” in Swedish), presentation in Almedalen, Visby, July 1, 2014.
Article in Fastighetsnytt (in Swedish).