In light of the steep increase of home prices and rents in Israel in 2009-2010, we identified and quantified the macroeconomic variables that influenced these prices between 1999 and 2010. Estimating an error-correction model and a difference equation model, we found that the monetary interest...

We compare and analyze two commonly used specifications of the interest rate term in the objective function of the monetary authority; a squared interest rate term (Alternative I) and a squared first difference of the interest rate (Alternative II). We find that the inflation response to a...

We propose a simple methodology to estimate the short-term natural rate of interest (NRI) in small open economies. Following Clarida et al.(2002), the NRI depends on the expected growth of (1) domestic potential output and (2) output abroad. We use observable expectations within an estimated...