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The Rise of Intangible Investment and the Transmission of Monetary Policy

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Abstract

Monetary policy acts on the economy primarily through its effects on investment spending. But the nature of investment has evolved over time: “Intangible assets”—such as intellectual property or software—play an increasingly important role in the modern economy. In this Chicago Fed Letter, we study the implications of this change for the transmission of monetary policy. We show that investment in intangible assets is less sensitive to interest rates than investment in tangible assets. This suggests that the secular shift toward intangibles has reduced the responsiveness of aggregate economic activity to changes in the short-term interest rate set by the Federal Reserve—by about one-quarter according to our simple calculations.

Suggested Citation

  • Joel M. David & François Gourio, 2023. "The Rise of Intangible Investment and the Transmission of Monetary Policy," Chicago Fed Letter, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, vol. 0, pages 1-8, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:fip:fedhle:96670
    DOI: 10.21033/cfl-2023-482
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Carol Corrado & Jonathan Haskel & Cecilia Jona-Lasinio & Massimiliano Iommi, 2022. "Intangible Capital and Modern Economies," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 36(3), pages 3-28, Summer.
    2. Bart J. Bronnenberg & Jean-Pierre Dubé & Chad Syverson, 2022. "Marketing Investment and Intangible Brand Capital," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 36(3), pages 53-74, Summer.
    3. Nicolas Crouzet & Janice C. Eberly & Andrea L. Eisfeldt & Dimitris Papanikolaou, 2022. "The Economics of Intangible Capital," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 36(3), pages 29-52, Summer.
    4. Carol Corrado & John Haltiwanger & Daniel Sichel, 2005. "Measuring Capital in the New Economy," NBER Books, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc, number corr05-1.
    5. Bart Bronnenberg & Jean-Pierre H. Dubé & Chad Syverson, 2022. "Intangible Marketing Capital," NBER Working Papers 30145, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Investment; Intangible capital; Monetary policy; User cost of capital; investment; Capital; Intangible Capital; capacity; Interest rate; Monetary Policy;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E22 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Investment; Capital; Intangible Capital; Capacity
    • E43 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Money and Interest Rates - - - Interest Rates: Determination, Term Structure, and Effects
    • E44 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Money and Interest Rates - - - Financial Markets and the Macroeconomy
    • E52 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Monetary Policy, Central Banking, and the Supply of Money and Credit - - - Monetary Policy

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