We model the term structure of interest rates as resulting from the interaction between investor clienteles with preferences for specific maturities and risk-averse arbitrageurs. Because arbitrageurs are risk averse, shocks to clienteles' demand for bonds affect the term structure --- and...

This paper argues that the Fed was not stock market bubble-neutral during the last several years. This nonneutrality implies two options: first, the Fed has used monetary policies to prevent the building of the stock market bubble or, second, the Fed has contributed to its development and...

Due to economic feedback the actual risk in bonds from changes in Federal Reserve policy should generally be smaller than measured using conventional duration measures. We introduce the notion of Federal Reserve policy durations. For example, target inflation duration, which measures the change...

Simple models of central bank behavior can produce highly complex yield curve shapes. Using the Taylor rule and its extensions as building blocks, we construct a robust framework for generating realistic yield curves and the evolution of the economy. Our main focus is the impact on the yield...

From a macroeconomic perspective, the short-term interest rate is a policy instrument under the direct control of the central bank. From a finance perspective, long rates are risk-adjusted averages of expected future short rates. Thus, as illustrated by much recent research, a joint...

This paper considers whether eliminating the stock of government debt outstanding would reduce welfare. It models an economy with three assets - currency, government bonds, and storage, a transactions role for money, and a demand for liquidity and thus a role for banks. The Friedman rule is not...

In May 2007 the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) and the Federal Reserve Bank (FRB) of Atlanta hosted a meeting in Mexico City on quot;New financing trends in Latin America: a bumpy road towards stabilityquot;. The meeting, which was chaired by Philip Turner of the BIS, brought together...

This paper first extends the canonical General Equilibrium with Incomplete Markets (GEI) model with money and default to allow for competitive banking and financial instability. Second, it introduces capital requirements for the banking sector to assess the short and medium term macroeconomic...

Monetary policy evaluation using structural macro models suggests that historical monetary policy responds less aggressively to inflation and the output gap than would an optimal policy rule. However, these results are obtained using models with constant term premia. This paper shows how term...