In this paper we explore the optimal policy reaction to boom-bust cycles in asset prices. Bordo and Jeanne (2002a, b) point to the risks of a reactive strategy that only mitigates the consequences of a crisis if and when it occurs. Acting pre-emptively by rigorously counteracting the build-up of...

By emphasizing the effect of forward-looking price expectations on aggregate demand, the authors investigate the relative performances of two rule policies, i.e., money supply targeting and nominal income targeting. Unlike earlier conclusions reached by C. Bean (1983) and K. D. West (1986), the...

This paper argues that the implications of globalization for monetary policy come mainly through two channels: On the one hand, the many structural changes, which are associated with the globalization process, cause an increase in uncertainty surrounding monetary policy. This leads to an...

It is argued that the European Union and the Eurozone in particular are only able to survive if they succeed in avoiding and/or overcoming real divergence and excessive macroeconomic disequilibria. The mainstream view in economics is that a monetary union is only efficient or rather sustainable...

Can central bank communication act as a complementary instrument when policymakers are facing boom-bust cycles? Against the background of the current discussion about introducing an additional instrument when dealing with asset price misalignments, we argue that one of the core instruments of...

There is nowadays a wide consensus among economists that central banks should be independent. The substantiation of this claim was derived from the modern theory of monetary policy and from empirical experiences with central bank independence, both concentrated on developed industrial countries....