My paper, “Does the Fed control interest rates?” is in the 2013 Review of Asset Pricing Studies (Volume 3, pp. 180-199). The paper finds that the Fed controls the Federal Funds (FF) rate (the overnight rate on interbank borrowing of reserves). Other short-term rates are related to FF, but...

This paper examines the transmission mechanism through which unconventional monetary policy affects long-term interest rates. I construct a real-time measure summarizing market projections of the magnitude and duration of the Federal Reserve's Large Scale Asset Purchases (LSAP) program, and...

In this PowerPoint presentation we give an overview of yield curves, show how they are modelled and calibrated and give a brief overview of LIBOR reform.Firstly we explain how to calibrate curves to imply forward rates & discount factors. Secondly, we outline the interpolation, optimization and...

How many interest rate hikes is quantitative tightening (QT) equivalent to? In this paper, I examine this question based on the preferred-habitat model in Vayanos and Vila (2021). I define the equivalence between rate hikes and QT such that they both have the same impact on the 10-year yield....

We decipher monetary policy shocks by directly connecting them to the stance a central bank expresses in its communication about different topics. To measure topic-specific central bank stances, we apply textual analysis techniques to press conference statements of the European Central Bank...

I examine how the maturity structure of outstanding government liabilities affects the nominal yield curve under a variety of assumptions about investor objectives. In the class of models I consider, equilibria are arbitrage free, expectations are rational, and assets are valued only for their...

In this paper we outline the Lagrangian constrained optimization method to solve complex problems subject to constraints. Firstly we summarize the Lagrangian constrained optimization routine. Secondly we outline a detailed implementation strategy. Thirdly and finally we provide example and solve...

Yield curves are used to imply the forward rates and discount factors from market tradable instruments and are required to discount future cash flows and evaluate the price of all financial contracts. Not all instruments can be included in the yield curve calibration or fitting process, hence we...

Since December 2008, the Federal Reserve's traditional policy instrument, the target federal funds rate, has been effectively at its lower bound of zero. In order to further ease the stance of monetary policy as the economic outlook deteriorated, the Federal Reserve purchased substantial...

Through explicitly incorporating analysts' forecasts as observable factors in a dynamic arbitrage-free model of the yield curve, this research proposes a framework for studying the impact of shifts in market sentiment on interest rates of all maturities. An empirical examination reveals that...