The Zero Bound on Nominal Interest Rates: Implications for Monetary Policy

One of the most important factors that must be considered if countries are thinking about lowering the target level of inflation much below 2 per cent is the zero interest bound. Targeting inflation rates that are too low, the authors note, may restrict the ability of monetary policy to respond to economic shocks by limiting the amount by which interest rates can be eased. The size of the shocks hitting an economy, the formation of inflation expectations, and the conduct of monetary policy are also seen to exert an important influence on the risks of hitting the zero interest bound. The evidence that the authors review suggests that the probability of encountering the zero bound when the average inflation is at least 2 per cent are relatively small.