In this paper, evidence is presented for Japan that an asymmetry exists between the effects of positive and negative money shocks on output. This result held over different lag lengths in the monetary variables, for different specifications of the call money rate equation, and when monetary...

This paper uses panel data to compare the performance of Korean banks with and without effective government control of the appointment of chief operating officers. A privatization programme succeeded in spreading ownership of banks widely among the public, but government retention of an...

A framework is developed in which inflation biases with different target variables are compared. A nominal growth target measured in consumer prices may yield less stabilization bias than a nominal income growth target. Exchange rate and inflation targets result in less stabilization bias than...

During the Asian crisis, a rise in short-term for debt relative to short-term debt denominated in domestic currency results in a significant decline in negative exposure of Korean firms, with Chaebol firms able to benefit more. Exposure of non-Chaebol firms is significantly affected by maturity...

When central bank preferences are uncertain, delegation implemented by inflation or exchange rate targeting may be superior to delegation implemented through an inflation contract combined with an optimal inflation target. Distortion introduced by uncertainty about preferences into stabilization...

Oil price shocks have a statistically significant impact on real stock returns contemporaneously and/or within the following month in the U.S. and 13 European countries over 1986:1-2005:12. Norway as an oil exporter shows a statistically significantly positive response of real stock returns to...

The performance of inflation indicators for predicting the probability of inflation falling inside constant and moving targets is considered with a probit model using US data. Given the Federal Reserve System's emphasis on achieving price stability, particular attention is given to the target...

We present a model in which investors observe the same macroeconomic data but have varying levels of information about the parameters that determine the distribution of the expected returns on investment. During a crisis that increases macroeconomic uncertainty and reduces asset prices, the...