Distortionary effects of inflation on relative prices are the main argument for inflation stabilization in macro models with sticky prices. Under indexation of nonoptimized prices those models imply a nonlinear and dynamic impact of inflation on the cross-sectional price dispersion...

We use frequency-wise Granger-causality tests and error-correction models to investigate the driving forces behind longer-run inflation developments in the euro area. Employing an eclectic approach we consider various relevant theories. With a general-to-specific testing strategy we distill the...

According to the life-cycle theory of consumption and saving, foreseeable retirement events should not reduce consumption. Whereas some consumption expenditures may fall when they are self-produced (given higher leisure after retirement), this argument applies especially to housing consumption...

The topic of this paper is the estimation uncertainty of the Stock-Watsonand Gonzalo-Granger permanent-transitory decompositions in the frameworkof the cointegrated vector-autoregression. Specifically, we suggest an approach to construct the confidence interval of the transitory component in...

Eine der größten Herausforderungen für die Konjunkturforschung ist es, konjunkturelle Wendepunkte frühzeitig und zuverlässig zu erkennen. Die Datenlage in Echtzeit ist dabei grundsätzlich problematisch: Einerseits gibt es bei realwirtschaftlichen Indikatoren eine...

Die demografischen Entwicklungen der Mitgliedstaaten der Europäischen Union (EU) unterscheiden sich erheblich voneinander. Auf der Grundlage von UN-Bevölkerungsprognosen untersuchen wir, welche national differenzierten Renteneintrittsaltersgrenzen in einigen ausgewählten EU-Ländern in...

Short answer: It helps a lot when other important variables are excluded from the information set. Longer answer: We revisit claims in the literature that money growth is Granger-causal for inflation at low frequencies. Applying frequency-specific tests in a comprehensive system setup for...

We extend the frequency-specific Granger-causality test of Breitung et al. (2006) to a more general null hypothesis that allows causality testing at unknown frequencies within a prespecified range of frequencies. This setup corresponds better to empirical situations encountered in applied...

While recurring and regular variations of weather conditions are implicitly addressed by standard seasonal adjustment procedures of economic time series, extraordinary weather outcomes are not. We analyze their impact on German total industrial and construction-sector production and find modest...

We revisit the alleged retirement consumption puzzle. According to the life-cycle theory, foreseeable income reductions such as those around retirement should not affect consumption. However, we first recall that given higher leisure endowments after retirement, the theory does predict a fall of...