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Quantitative Easing: A Rationale and Some Evidence from Japan

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  • Volker Wieland

Abstract

This paper reviews the rationale for quantitative easing when central bank policy rates reach near zero levels in light of recent announcements regarding direct asset purchases by the Bank of England, the Bank of Japan, the U.S. Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank. Empirical evidence from the previous period of quantitative easing in Japan between 2001 and 2006 is presented. During this earlier period the Bank of Japan was able to expand the monetary base very quickly and significantly. Quantitative easing translated into a greater and more lasting expansion of M1 relative to nominal GDP. Deflation subsided by 2005. As soon as inflation appeared to stabilize near a rate of zero, the Bank of Japan rapidly reduced the monetary base as a share of nominal income as it had announced in 2001. The Bank was able to exit from extensive quantitative easing within less than a year. Some implications for the current situation in Europe and the United States are discussed.
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  • Volker Wieland, 2010. "Quantitative Easing: A Rationale and Some Evidence from Japan," NBER International Seminar on Macroeconomics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 6(1), pages 354-366.
    • Handle: RePEc:ucp:intsma:doi:10.1086/648715
    DOI: 10.1086/648715
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    Cited by:

    1. Wieland, Volker & Wolters, Maik, 2013. "Forecasting and Policy Making," Handbook of Economic Forecasting, in: G. Elliott & C. Granger & A. Timmermann (ed.), Handbook of Economic Forecasting, edition 1, volume 2, chapter 0, pages 239-325, Elsevier.
    2. Lyonnet, Victor & Werner, Richard A., 2011. "The lessons from QE and other "unconventional" monetary policies: Evidence from the Bank of England," CFS Working Paper Series 2011/29, Center for Financial Studies (CFS).
    3. Beck, Guenter W. & Wieland, Volker, 2017. "How to normalize monetary policy in the Euro area," IMFS Working Paper Series 115, Goethe University Frankfurt, Institute for Monetary and Financial Stability (IMFS).
    4. Saty Patrabansh & William M. Doerner & Samuel Asin, 2014. "The Effects of Monetary Policy on Mortgage Rates," FHFA Staff Working Papers 14-02, Federal Housing Finance Agency.
    5. Judit Krekó & Csaba Balogh & Kristóf Lehmann & Róbert Mátrai & György Pulai & Balázs Vonnák, 2013. "International experiences and domestic opportunities of applying unconventional monetary policy tools," MNB Occasional Papers 2013/100, Magyar Nemzeti Bank (Central Bank of Hungary).
    6. Yuzo Honda, 2014. "The Effectiveness of Nontraditional Monetary Policy: The Case of Japan," The Japanese Economic Review, Japanese Economic Association, vol. 65(1), pages 1-23, March.
    7. Piergiorgio Alessandri & Benjamin D. Nelson, 2015. "Simple Banking: Profitability and the Yield Curve," Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 47(1), pages 143-175, February.
    8. Dimitri O. Ledenyov & Viktor O. Ledenyov, 2013. "To the problem of turbulence in quantitative easing transmission channels and transactions network channels at quantitative easing policy implementation by central banks," Papers 1305.5656, arXiv.org, revised May 2013.
    9. NAKABAYASHI, Masaki, 2013. "Contained Crisis and Socialized Risk: Unconventional Monetary Policy by the Bank of Japan in the 1890s," ISS Discussion Paper Series (series F) f165, Institute of Social Science, The University of Tokyo, revised 02 Aug 2016.
    10. Bofinger, Peter & Schnabel, Isabel & Feld, Lars P. & Schmidt, Christoph M. & Wieland, Volker, 2017. "Für eine zukunftsorientierte Wirtschaftspolitik. Jahresgutachten 2017/18 [Towards a Forward-Looking Economic Policy. Annual Report 2017/18]," Annual Economic Reports / Jahresgutachten, German Council of Economic Experts / Sachverständigenrat zur Begutachtung der gesamtwirtschaftlichen Entwicklung, volume 127, number 201718.
    11. Bofinger, Peter & Schnabel, Isabel & Feld, Lars P. & Schmidt, Christoph M. & Wieland, Volker, 2014. "Mehr Vertrauen in Marktprozesse. Jahresgutachten 2014/15 [More confidence in market processes. Annual Report 2014/15]," Annual Economic Reports / Jahresgutachten, German Council of Economic Experts / Sachverständigenrat zur Begutachtung der gesamtwirtschaftlichen Entwicklung, volume 127, number 201415.
    12. LUPU, Radu & CALIN, Adrian Cantemir, 2014. "Co-Movements Of Regime Shifts In Gbp Currency Pairs Around Boe Quantitative Easing Announcements," Studii Financiare (Financial Studies), Centre of Financial and Monetary Research "Victor Slavescu", vol. 18(3), pages 89-101.
    13. Yuzo Honda, 2013. "The Effectiveness Of Nontraditional Monetary Policy: The Case Of Japan," Discussion Papers in Economics and Business 13-25, Osaka University, Graduate School of Economics.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • E31 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - Price Level; Inflation; Deflation
    • E52 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Monetary Policy, Central Banking, and the Supply of Money and Credit - - - Monetary Policy
    • E58 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Monetary Policy, Central Banking, and the Supply of Money and Credit - - - Central Banks and Their Policies
    • E61 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Macroeconomic Policy, Macroeconomic Aspects of Public Finance, and General Outlook - - - Policy Objectives; Policy Designs and Consistency; Policy Coordination

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